Adam Branthafer (1748 - 1834)

Born 21 Dec 1748 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France

Husband of Magdalena Kunkel — married 1792 in Hempfield Twp., Westmoreland Co., PA, USA

Descendants

Died 29 Jul 1834 at age 85 in Export, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bryan Moore [send private message]

Biography

This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.^[1] It's a rough draft and needs to be edited.

Surname

Many variants, including: Branthafer, Branthoover, Branthover, Brandhoefer, Branthoover…

Birth

Born December 21, 1748, near modern-day Strasburg, in the Alsace region of France which at the time of his birth was an ethnic German enclave at the eastern border of France along the west bank of the Rhine River. One source suggests he served in the French army before emigrating to America.^[2]

Immigration to America

Archival passenger arrival records show he arrived in the New World, probably via Philadelphia, in 1777. It is not known why he left Europe nor why his destination was Pennsylvania.

Revolutionary War Service

Adam’s service in the Revolutionary War can be pieced together from two sources: the application for service pension filed by him, his second wife and sons, John, Daniel and Peter; and, by his ancestors’ application, in 1958, for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. The second of these seems to rely heavily on the former but between them there is a good deal of what seems to be reliable, and mostly sworn, documentation about Adam Brunthaver’s service record.

At the age of 29, Adam enlisted in the Army on January 13, 1777 as a private in the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment. When his ancestors applied for membership in the Pennsylvania Society of the National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, they claimed he served with Capt. Nickolas (sic) Kern at Bunker Hill and later at the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brandywine, and at Valley Forge.^[3] Captain Kern commanded a company of troops from Towamensing, a Township a little north of Allentown and 70-some miles from Philadelphia. Early in 1777, the Pennsylvania Assembly had passed a militia law that required compulsory military service. Adam Brunthaver might well have been among these early inductees. In any event, if his ancestors’ claims are true, Mr. Brunthaver was witness to and participant in some of the most famous events of the Revolutionary War.

The reference to the Battle of Bunker Hill raises a question of chronology and could well be a mistake. Bunker Hill was engaged in June of 1775. Available documents suggest that Mr. Brunthaver only arrived in Pennsylvania in 1777 and enlisted in the army that same year.

A Revolutionary War Pension Application says he served 8 years; having at some point reenlisted.

Post Military Career and Family

After his arrival in America, Adam was a life-long resident of Pennsylvania. He is said to have been: “employed by the United States Government to drive cattle through the wilderness, from Pennsylvania to the military post at Detroit, Mich. He was always on friendly terms with the Indians, learned to converse with them, and served with his party as interpreter."^[4] Government records show Adam resided in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, a region fifteen to twenty miles east of Pittsburgh. Nearly all the early settlers were German. County tax records of 1783 show that he owned one horse and one cow.^[5]

Death

Adam Brunthaver died at age 85, on July 29, 1834 in the borough of Export; today better known as the little town of Murrysville. He was buried in Emmanuel Cemetery, Greensburg.

Sources

1. ↑ Branthafer-1 was created by Bryan Moore through the import of Moore Raney tree.ged on Jul 23, 2014. This comment and citation can be deleted after the biography has been edited and primary sources are included.
2. ↑ The Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens. J.H. Beers & Company, 1896.
3. ↑ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
4. ↑ The Commemorative Biographical Record, p. 420.
5. ↑ Pennsylvania, Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission; Records of the Office of the Comptroller General, RG-4; Tax & Exoneration Lists, 1762-1794; Microfilm Roll: 341.

Adam Branthafer Died July 29, 1834 Aged 85 years 7 months 8 days A solder of the revolution Pvt. Co. 3, Ottendorf Corps, PA. Vol. Inf. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7302164/adam-branthafer