Biographical Notes

The following notes were excerpted and compiled from various genealogy websites and online databases. I made a reasonable effort to find corroborating evidence, such as different sources which contain minor variations, which indicates that they were not merely copied from one to the other. In some cases, I dismissed one source over another, based on my judgement of the most valid. However, I have no independent documentation to support or dispute their validity, nor can I offer any further research other than what is already available online. Family genealogy sites and online databases tend to come and go, so some links on this page may no longer be valid. The numbers here refer to the Ahnentafel number from the Ancestry Chart of Irvin and Ada Reese.

Immigrant Ancestors

• 30. John Stephany
  emigrated from Bavaria, Germany, before 1840. It seems that he came by himself, because no others of the same surname appear on the 1850 census of Lebanon County.
• 48. Martin Shaffner
  was born in New Holland, Lancaster County. His father, Heinrich, emigrated from Switzerland in 1749. Other Shaffners emigrated to Dauphin County. Martin had a plantation of at least 100 acres in Lykens Valley, Dauphin County. He married and was buried at David's Reformed (Lykens Valley Lower) Church. He had 10 children. His son, Martin Jr, fathered 21 children and is buried in Seneca County, OH, with his three wives. Many other Shaffners moved out of Dauphin County and settled in western states from Ohio to Missouri. Source: Pennsylvania German Ancestors by Anne Frysinger Shifflet, and other family genealogy web sites.
• 66. Peter Fitting
  emigrated from Bayern Pfalz, Germany, in 1751. He made several trips back and forth to Germany, probably to settle family business. He may have lived in Chester County before puchasing land and settling in Dauphin County. He died and was buried in W. Hanover Twp. Source: Robert Howard database.
• 72. John Peter Ensminger
  was a Lieutenant in the Lancaster County Militia, under the command of Lt Col John Gloninger, during the Revolutionary War. He married Catherine Gloninger, sister of his commanding officer, who later became a Judge and Congressman. John Peter subsequently rose to the rank of Captain, and was known as Capt Peter Ensminger. He was buried at the Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon. Source: Kenneth Lakey database combined with an unnamed database and the US Congressional Biographies.
• 77. Barbara Fretz
  was a descendant of the Fretz family, who emigrated from Baden, Germany, to Bucks County around 1720, where they helped found the Deep Run Mennonite Meeting House. It is unclear who her parents were (practically every Fretz family had a Barbara), but she was probably the daughter of "Weaver John" Fretz, and a granddaughter of Johannes Fretz. She is buried with her husband at Stauffer's Mennonite Church in Dauphin County. Sources: Kendra Lyons and other RootsWeb databases.
• 80. William Killian Merck
  emigrated from Embrach, Switzerland, in 1735, with his two brothers and presumably his mother. His father, Hans Heinrich Merki, died enroute to America. They settled in E. Hanover Twp. "Killian" and Anna had many children, and their descendants settled throughout Pennsylvania and in Ohio. Their son, Adam Mark, served in the Lancaster County Militia during the Revolutionary War and was promoted from Private to Lieutenant. Sources: Mark Family web page and LDS records provided by Jim Mark.
• 88. Johan Thies Schnug
  emigrated from Germany in 1740, along with his wife and several small children. They established a farm near Palmyra in (now) Lebanon County. He attended and is buried at Bindnagle's Church. His son, Johannes Schnug, married Anna Christina Heilman, daughter of John Peter Heilman, at Hill Lutheran Church. After Christina's death, Johannes married Anna Bohr at Bindnagle's Church. He had a total of 13 children. Johannes also served in the Revolutionary War. Source: Witmeyer Family website.
• 98. Jacob Halderman
  emigrated from Neufchatel, Switzerland, with his father, Peter, sometime before 1731, to Rapho Twp, Lancaster County. Fronica was one of Jacob and Maria's 12 children. Source: Thera Schwenk database.
• 100. Albrecht Deibler
  served in Col. James Burd's 4th Battalian of the Lancaster Militia in the Revolutionary War. Family tradition holds that he was killed, or died in captivity, after the Battle of Brooklyn in August 1776, based on a history of the battalian, which states that Deibler went missing at that time and "never returned home".
• 102. Adam Johann Garman
  emigrated from Hesse, Germany, to Ephrata, Lancaster County, in 1749, with his brother, Johan Leonhard. There were other brothers, as well, who all married and started families. Barbara was the eighth of Adam's ten children. Adam and his brothers also served in the Lancaster Militia during the Revolutionary War. Source: Charles Murfin database.
• 152. Ulrich Longenecker Jr
  emigrated from Bern, Switzerland, with his father in 1733. He purchased land in Rapho Twp, Lancaster County, from Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, in 1742. Rev Abraham Longenecker, one of his 15 children, is buried with his wife at Stauffer's Mennonite Church in Dauphin County. Sources: Gail Habecker and other RootsWeb databases.
• 156. Johannes Buck
  emigrated from Baden, Germany, in 1747. He owned property in Derry Twp, (now) Dauphin County, at least by 1760. He was baptized in the Church of the Baptist Brethren. His son, Christian, served in the Lancaster Militia during the Revolutionary War. Johannes Buck and many of his family later moved to Huntingdon County, PA. Source: Vernon Buck database.
• 184. Johan Philip Fernsler
  emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1727 to Warwick Twp, Lancaster County. His family attended the (now) Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Brickerville. Later they moved to (now) Lebanon County, where they attended Hill Lutheran Church. Sources: Fernsler Family and Witmeyer Family websites.
• 199. Barbara Herr
  was a granddaughter of Bishop Hans Herr, one of the first Mennonite settlers in Lancaster County in 1710, who was instrumental in convincing his Swiss Brethren to emigrate to its fertile land along the Pequea Creek. Many of the Herr family, including Hans's children and grandchildren, emigrated during the next decade. The Hans Herr House, a stone structure built in 1719 by Rev Christian Herr (brother of Abraham), is still standing and is considered to be the oldest dwelling in Lancaster County. It has been estimated that Hans Herr has more than 15,000 descendants. Barbara Herr bore four children by her first husband, Henry Miller. After his death, she remarried to David Martin, by whom she bore nine more children. Sources: Hans Herr House website, Darvin Martin database, John Leidich database, and other websites.
• 216. Jacob Killinger
  emigrated with his wife and three sons from Germany to Dauphin County in 1743. The three sons all enlisted several times during the Revolutionary War. Michael married Catherine Heilman. Their 13 children are listed among the records of the Hill Lutheran Church in (now) N. Annville Twp, where Michael and Catherine are buried. Source: Kendra Lyons database.
• 224. Hans/Johannes Biemesderfer/Biemansdorfer
  emigrated from Germany in 1750 to Lancaster County, where he married and started a considerable family of descendants. Johannes was buried at the Brickerville Evangelical Lutheran Church. Most of the Beamesderfers of Lebanon County are descended from his son, John, who served in the Revolutionary War. John's son, Peter, moved to Virginia and then to Ohio, where his descendants, the Bemenderfers, still reside. Another son, Jacob, has descendants in Iowa and Nebraska known as the Bemisdarfers. John Biemesderfer was buried at the Lutheran Reformed Church in Schaefferstown. Sources: Dawn Morin database, Jeff Fuller database, and other websites.
• 230. Martin Frey
  emigrated from the German province of Alsace, (now) France, around 1740, to Muddy Creek, Cocalico Twp, Lancaster County. His ancestors had migrated from Switzerland two generations earlier. Martin had five children with his first wife, Susanna Ensminger. After her death, he remarried to Sarah Beck and had 8 more children. Sources: Winstead Family web page and Kirchner Family web page.
• 288. Johann "Peter" Ensminger
  emigrated from the German province of Alsace, (now) France, in 1733, with his wife and children, including the one-year-old Johann Nicolaus, to Cocalico Twp, Lancaster County. Peter was granted citizenship on 29 March 1735 along with his friend, Rev. John Casper Stoever Jr, the prominent Lutheran minister. Peter's ancestry has been traced back to the first Ensminger, Hans Gerber Ensminger, son of Peter Gerber of Ensming (Insming), Alsace, who was born around 1543. Source: Joel Hager database and other websites.
• 294. Johannes Schwab
  emigrated from Baden, Germany, to Upper Leacock Twp, Lancaster County, sometime before 1726. He had ten children with his first wife, Anna Lein. After her death, Johannes remarried to Catherine Graff, with whom he had nine more children. Six of his sons were named John, Johann, or Johannes. Source: Rootsweb database.
• 296. Michael Downer
  emigrated from Switzerland or Germany sometime before 1718, to Lampeter Twp, Lancaster County, where he purchased land along Mill Creek among other Mennonites. Later he purchased land in (now) Lebanon County for his elder son, John, to whom he bequeathed title. Michael Downer was buried at Mellinger's Meeting House in Lampeter Twp. His grandson, Henry Dohner, was the 6th of John and Anna's ten children. Source: Pat Palmer database.
• 298. Henry Landis
  emigrated from Switzerland with his father in 1717, along with other Landis families. Henry established his farm on land along Hammer Creek in Warwick Twp, Lancaster County, for which he obtained patent in 1741. He was a minister at the Hammer Creek Mennonite Church. He and his wife raised ten daughters and one son. After the death of Fronica, Henry moved to a new property in Manheim Twp, where the house still stands and is reputed to be the second-oldest house (next to the Hans Herr House) in Lancaster County. Source: James Landis database.
• 436. John Jacob Heilman
  emigrated from Baden, Germany, in 1732. His son, Johann (Hans/John) Adam, followed a few years later. Like his father, he settled in Heilmandale, the community in N. Lebanon Twp named for its founder, John Peter Heilman, who also emigrated in 1732. Contrary to a common misconception, there is no evidence that the two families were related, or even knew each other prior to becoming neighbors. Johann Adam's daughter, Catherine, was the oldest of their eleven children. Sources: Bob Hileman database, Ancestry of Rev Henry Rupp, and The Heilman Family Genealogy, Vol II, compiled by Robert A. Heilman, March, 1992.