Skip to main content

Surname Saturday: The Barr Family of Lancaster County

The Barr line, though admittedly the one I am the least familiar with, is ironically one that I am the furthest back on. Ancestry.com indicates the majority of people with the Barr surname is Scottish or from Northern Ireland. England, Great Britain and Germany follow. Finally the New York Passengers List shows several from Switzerland as well, though comparatively not many. 

The Barr name, at least in my husband’s case, is a Pennsylvania German name. Pennsylvania German names were generally either personal names, occupational names, or derived from whence they came or lived. Barr is an example of a personal name. Barr is derived from Berhard, according to “Early Life of the Pennsylvania Germans” by A. Monroe Aurand, Jr. 

Susan Barr was the first Barr I came across in my research. She was born 15 May 1792 to Martin Barr and Maria Herr. She died in Providence Township, Lancaster County on 27 March 1849. She married John Longnecker and they had six children, including Elizabeth who married John Henry Eckman. 

Martin Barr, father of Susan, was born 29 January 1747. He appears on the 1772 Tax & Exoneration Lists for Conestoga Township, Lancaster County. He married Maria Herr (1751-1816). Martin died on 15 June 1815.  

While I am not certain of Martin’s mother’s name since his father was married twice, his father was Jacob Barr. Jacob was born in January of 1723 and died sometime between March and November 1803. The “Abstracts of Lancaster County Pennsylvania Wills 1786-1820” show he dated the will on 15 March and that it was executed on 1 November of that year. His will names his wife as Anna but that would be his second wife. His will names his children and states which wife they were born to! His children (of his first wife) are Martin; Jacob; Christian; Abraham; Elizabeth, wife of Daniel Keehnports; and Barbara, wife of Christian Forry 

Jacob is the son of Martin Barr and Anna Elizabeth Groff. Martin was born in 1680 and died in 1758.

Martin was the son of Martin Barr (1660 – 1757) and Anna Magdalena Mayer. 

Martin was the son of Felix Barr (born about 1620) and Berchtold Staehl. This last fact information from a fellow researcher and I have not yet independently verified it. 

While searching through the Barr Family today, I did find many others who I simply cannot place yet. A trip to the County Archives is definitely in my future!



Surname Saturday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.  

© Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coatesville's First Serial Killer

Young Alexander Meyer was a disturbed and angry young man with some major issues. He had failed sixth and seventh grade, and instead of having to repeat eighth grade again, he finally gave up on school. At age 16 he quit Downingtown Junior High. Meyer is not a relative, nor are his victims (that I am aware). I stumbled upon young Alex while reading Tortured Minds: Pennsylvania's Most Bizarre - But Forgotten - Murders by Tammy Mal. On 11 February 1937 Alexander Thweatt Meyer killed young Helen Moyer as she walked home from school in Coatesville along Modena Road. She was not his first. The jury was out only three minutes after hearing Dr. Michael Margolis' testimony on the death of Helen Moyer. The jury determined Meyer had murdered Moyer and should be held for first degree murder. The jury also condemned the parole system which had released Meyer back into the public, after having served just 14 months in Huntingdon Reformatory, for the murder of two other girls - Anna Blasc...
5 comments
Read more

Thaddeus Stevens at the Lancaster Convention Center

Within the Lancaster Convention Center (Lancaster, PA) is a small section dedicated to Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. The section is known as the Stevens & Smith Historic Site. It is scheduled for development this year. At the moment one can only get a glimpse of it through the Convention Center or by peeking in from the outside. Here at Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens had his law office. Stevens was an abolitionist. An abolitionist is a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment or (formerly) slavery. Stevens was born 4 April 1792 to Joshua Stevens and Sarah (Sally) Morrill in Danville Vermont. One of four children, he attended Vermont University from 1810 to 1812 when the War prompted its closure. He then went to Dartmouth, where he graduated in 1814. He then studied law and found himself set up in Gettysburg, PA in 1816. He practiced law there until 1828 when he...
Post a Comment
Read more

52 Ancestors: Remembering the King

Today is Elvis’ birthday. He would have been 80 today.   I was only eight when he died so obviously I am too young to have seen Elvis perform. However, when I hear his music, I go back in time. I am once again that young girl dancing in the living room to Elvis and other greats with my father. Back then girls learned to dance by dancing with their fathers not some video of scantly dressed people doing all sorts of things young ladies should not be doing in public!      What is YOUR favorite memory - either of your father or of Elvis?   52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a weekly genealogical challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small . Look for my weekly posts each Thursday!   © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
2 comments
Read more