John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 108

Very recent notes have concentrated on the Germans who moved to the Germanna area in the time period of about 1740 to 1760; however, they continued to come right up to the time of the Revolutionary War.  The uncertainties arising from the war stopped the flow of immigrants from Germany and seem to have slowed migration within the colonies.  After the war, very few people came into the Germanna area.  Instead the pattern, perhaps starting about 1750, was a flow of people out of the area; however, we have not recounted all of the people who came into the Germanna area.

Daniel Boehme signed the Hebron Church covenant (constitution) in 1776; actually another person wrote the names which were not signatures.  A few months later, the male members of the church signed a petition to the new government asking to be freed from the obligation of paying the state tithe for support of the English church.  Probably Daniel signed his own name as Daniel Beemon at this time.  It is believed that this is the spelling most commonly found in modern times.  Apparently the first child of Daniel was born in 1777, so Daniel may have been in the early 1750's.  His wife was Nancy and it appears she was the family of Peter Clore and Barbara Yager or perhaps of Barbara and her second husband, Phillip Chelf.  Perhaps a Harman "Bahmer" who witnessed a deed from Matthew Smith to Jacob Barler in 1747 was his father.  The origins of the Beemon family are unknown but the family did move to Boone Co., KY.  Nine children are known from the church records.  More research on the family would be welcome.

John Becker and his wife, Elizabeth Clore, had four children baptized at the Hebron Church from 1769 to 1776.  There is an interesting story in connection with the baptism of the first of these, Jesse.  Jesse was not the son of John.  But before you think a racy story is coming up, it was all very honorable.  Elizabeth's first husband was Adam Baumgardner, the father of Jesse.  Adam died, Elizabeth remarried, Jesse was born and John and Elizabeth brought Jesse to the church for baptism.  There is nothing in the baptismal record to indicate that John Becker was not the father of the baby.  There is ample documentation in the Baumgardner family which shows that this was the case though.  So the next time you read a baptismal record, ask yourself what is the probability that the apparent father is really the father.  The origin of the Becker (Beker, Bacher) family is not known.  A Michael Bacher was a sponsor in 1756, 1759, and 1762 for children of Nicholas Crigler and Margaret Kaifer.  Samuel Becker was in the Orange Co. tithe list for the late 1730's next to Nicholas Christopher.

Adam Bender (perhaps Pender) and his wife, Demila, has Heseckiel, baptized 28 Jul 1776.  Sponsors were Andrew Carpenter and his wife Barbara, Moses Broyles and Elizabeth Broyles.  Very often the sponsors are related but sometimes a family has no relatives in the community so non-relatives have to serve.  The records are relatively few.  The maiden name of Theobald Christler's (Crisler) wife's mother was Bender.  This family immigrated with the Crislers to Pennsylvania in 1719.

Felta Bunger bought 100 acres on a branch of Deep Run from Michael Wilhite in 1775.  The name Felta is a nickname for Valentine and the last name may have been closer to Bungard or Bangert in the German.  The will of Felta Bunger was executed in Greenbrier Co. (now WV) in 1806.  Other members of the family moved to Kentucky.  There was a close association with the House family.
Sipes"> A book of Bunger genealogy, by Ina Ritchie Sipes, " Bunger Ancestors and Descendants and Allied Families " has been published but it says little about the ancestors of Felta Bunger.

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