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Heinrich Bär (1694 - 1738)

Heinrich (Henry) Bär aka Berr, Bear, Baer
Born in Europemap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and [mother unknown]
Brother of [half], and
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , and
Died at age 44 in Earl Twp, Lancaster, Pennsylvaniamap
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Contents

Biography

Please note:

  • This profile is for Heinrich Berr (name from family Bible) aka Bär, who was born on November 24, 1694 (place unknown), and died in Earl Township, Lancaster County, sometime between 1737 (based on the birthdate of his youngest child) and December 26, 1738 (based on his probate inventory). Based on a three-generation family record in a Bible in possession of Muddy Creek Farm Library, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, which includes his birthdate and father's name, he was the son of Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731). (See attached image.)[1]
  • Although he died in 1738, he is the same man for whom there is an Orphan's Court record dated December 5, 1749, naming two minor children over 14 - John and Christian, and two minor children under 14 - Michael and Elizabeth. [2]The youngest four of the 10 children of the husband of Barbara Eby in the family Bible match the children on this man's 1749 Orphan's Court Records (John, Christian, Michael and Elisabeth).
  • This Hans Heinrich should also not be confused with Hans Heinrich Baer who was born in1691 in Ober, Zürich and died in 1765 in Lehigh, PA.

Early Life

Heinrich (or Henry as he was later called) was born on November 24, 1694, the son of Hans Heinrich Bar. No baptism record has been found for him, and his place of birth is not known at this time. Although he was likely of Swiss ancestry, he may have been born in the Kraichgau region of today's Germany, since other early Bärs of Lancaster County who arrived in Lancaster County at about the same time were from there (siblings Hans Jacob (Bar) Bär (1677-1759), Anna (Baer) Bowman (abt.1683-bef.1743), Samuel (Bar) Bear (abt.1683-bef.1743); Hans Michael Baer (abt.1686-bef.1741); and Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750), as well as Martin Bär (abt.1680-bef.1758)). His family may have been living at a farm called "Bärenhof" in Ittlingen since before the Thirty Years War ended in 1648. Annette Kunselman Burgert notes that this farm bore the family name of the Pennsylvania emigrants, although she doesn't reference specific family members. [4]

He had siblings Anna (Bear) (1697-), Jacob (Bär) Bear (1705-bef.1736), and Elizabeth (no profile). Presumably at least Jacob also made the trip with him to Pennsylvania, as he is also found in Earl. But at this time, the lives of his sisters have not been documented.

Arrival in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

He probably arrived in Lancaster County with his father as a young man, by 1718. They were likely part of the large group of Mennonites who arrived in 1717, but the first records found that put him there are:

  • A 1721 Tax Assessment for Lancaster County, where he appears as Henry Bear, Jr.
  • A warrant for 53 acres in the southern part of Earl, dated February 20, 1734. [5]

A 1729 naturalization record may be for him, or alternatively could be his father or Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750). Earlier land records appear to relate to one or the other of those two men.

He lived in Earl Township in what was Chester County and became Lancaster County in 1729.

Marriage

Based on his family's Bible, Henry’s wife's name was Barbara Ewÿ. She has a profile at Barbara (Eby) Baer (1706-1744)), and was the daughter of Durst. She was the sister of Hannes Eby (1685-1746) and Peter Eby (1690-1749), the two sequential executors of Henry's will (not found), Peter Eby eventually acting on behalf of his nephew Martin. [6]Additional evidence of her father is that she and Henry Bare (this man) executed a deed dated February 20, 1734 from the heirs of her father Durst Eby, after his death. [7]

Children

Based on the family Bible, Henry was the father of the following ten children (a lot of helpful additional secondary information is also included in the Research Tips, in brackets, not added here, but see attached image):

  • Anna b. September, 1718;
  • Martin (Mardy) Bear, b. May 16, 1721, m. Jan. 1, 1744, Rebeccka, October 10, 1725-bef. May 3, 1809; [nine children are also listed for him in the Bible record, but information regarding his second wife Freany/Veronica Neff is only included in the secondary information. (See Martin Bear (abt.1720-1792));
  • Jacob (Yacob) b. 1/1727;
  • John (Hansley), b. 2/12/1731;
  • no name given, b. 5/18/1738 [her name was Elisabeth].

Death

Henry died in Lancaster County before December 26, 1738, the date of his estate inventory. [8]

Research Notes

Land information

Here is a timeline relating to the ownership of several parcels in the south of Earl Township, on Mill Creek:

  • May 20, 1717, John Frederichfels warranted 150 acres on the western side of Earl Township. (Survey D82-46).
  • February 20, 1734: Henry Bear warranted 53 acres abutting D82-46 (Survey A75-270). [9]
  • April 4, 1736, Martin Bear patented 150-acre Survey D82-46. [10]
  • April 13, 1742: Henry Bear is shown on an abutting survey as owning D82-46. [11]
  • January 22, 1745 Martin Bear patented the 53 acres (A75-270) (Patent A12-378).
  • February 20, 1734, Jacob Bear warranted 152 acres (see survey A88-169) adjacent to the other two parcels (D82-46 and A75-270). Jacob Bear patented the lot on July 2, 1765 (Patent AA6-303.) This Jacob looks like Jacob Bar (aft.1700-1769), based on his will.

To the east of this cluster of parcels are three other adjacent parcels.

  • November 27, 1764, George Bear patented 94 acres, survey A46-58 in Earl (Patent AA6-52).
  • November 27, 1764, George also patented the abutting 64-acre parcel warranted by David Burchart and surveyed at A88-162 (Patent AA6-52).
  • November 6, 1766, George Bear also patented the abutting 110 acres, survey A50-292, called “the Third Purchase” (Patent AA8-289). In 1741, per abutting survey A46-58, it was possessed by a Henry Bear.

Some of these records probably relate to him and his brothers. The other early Henry (Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750), wasn't survived by sons Jacob or George, and didn't live near Earl. More research is needed to determinate how Jacob Bar (aft.1700-1769) fits into this family.

Research of Jane Evans Best

For twenty years, Jane Evans Best conducted extensive research on the Bär family of Lancaster County, Pennnsylvania, including their European origins, as well as on many other early settlers of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She coauthored the Groff Book: Volume 1 (1985) and wrote the Groff Book: Volume 2 (1997), as well as many articles published in Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage and Mennonite Family History. The research presented below is from her article Bear Saga Update: Part Three, published in the Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage in January 1999 (Vol. 22, No. 1). The numbering system she used in her articles is included for other researchers' use. The articles that appear in Pennyslvania Mennonite Heritage are available online to members of Mennonite Life, at https://mennonitelife.org/. The following information is included because it is widely reported as this Henry's biography, but as additional records have become available, subsequent research has called into question some of her conclusions. She also appears to have confused this Henry with Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731) and Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750). It is challenging to distinguish these men.

Bear Saga Update: Part Three is about two men and their descendants: this profiled Henry (in her numbering system BA5177) and a younger brother Henry, who she says died intestate in Lancaster County in 1749 (BA5170). She gives them parents Hans Bär (1648-July 1, 1715) and his second wife Barbara Hauser. She says that that article supersedes all her previous accounts of their families. She concludes that this profiled Henry was a twin, baptized February 29, 1688 in Hausen. She says he was possibly the husband of Barbara Schenk (see Barbara (Schenk) Bär (abt.1696-abt.1728)), but she cites deeds at Lancaster Book EE-383 and EE-384 that do not actually relate to this Henry. She also gives him wife Barbara Eby, daughter of Theodorus (Durst) and his first wife. She gives him the following children:

  • John Bear b. March 29, 1719, died April 29, 1812, buried May 1, 1812 in Kurtz Cemetery in Upper Leacock (see John S Bär (1719-1812));
  • Andrew Bear born October 6, 1725; died November 9, 1815, buried in Heller Reformed Cemetery in Upper Leacock (see Andrew Baer (1725-1815)). Note: this person appears to have had different parents. Henry's children listed in the family Bible do not include a son Andrew, and he had a son Henry born in 1725.

She says that Henry was naturalized on February 14, 1729 as John Henry Bare. [12]

Info from Peter Bezaillon's Road

Excerpt from Peter Bezaillon's Road by Martin Hervin Brackbill. Vol. XLIII, No. 1 (1939):

57 Land Office Day Book, under date of Dec. 29, 1746, appears this entry:

"John Frederickfulls and Anthony Pretter, 300 acres in Black Walnut Bottom, now called Erle township, granted in 1717. Paid in full to Logan, Esq. 30 pounds."

"N. B. Pretter obtained a patent for 150 acres, Mar. 4, 1736, Martin Bear Jr., for the other 150 acres, April 5, 1746, in the right of Frederickfulls."

Frederickful sold this land to Peter Bellar, who sold to Henry Bear, Jr. After his death in 1736, it descended to Martin, his son. John Eby was the executor of Bear's will, but died before 1746; Peter Eby, as executor of John, his brother, acting in the behalf of Martin Bear. Black Walnut Bottom was immediately north of Peter's Road, near Eby's or the Dutch Mill.[13]

Martin Bear, Sr., implied by the quote from December 29, 1746 that referenced Martin Bear, Jr., may be Martin Bär (abt.1680-bef.1758).

Other Baers of Earl

He was probably related in some way to the following other early Baer settlers of Earl Township, and possibly also to other early Baers of Lancaster County:

Other women thought to be his wife

There is no evidence to suggest that he had a wife named Barbara Schenck. This idea may possibly have come from, first, confusion between him and Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750). That Henry had a business partner named Michael Schenck or Shank, who may have had a sister named Barbara. On September 2, 1728, Henry, that Henry's wife Barbara, and Michael sold 200 acres in the city of Lancaster to Peter Beller. [14] Researchers may have concluded that Henry would have married the sister of his business partner, but that Barbara was probably his wife Barbara (Widmer) Baer (abt.1698-bef.1781).

There is no evidence that he was the husband of Anna Magdalena Meyers, who was previously noted here as his wife.

He was not the husband of Maria (Gutt) Bar (1683-1760). She was baptized in the Reformed Church of Ottenbach on March 25, 1683 and married Heinrich Bar who was baptized on “4 8bris, 1688” (11/4/1688), in the Reformed Church of Ottenbach. She was the mother of different Pennsylvania immigrants Heinrich Bar, baptized December 22, 1715 and Hans Bar, baptized November 20, 1718. She died in Ottenbach.[15]

Information from Anna Catharine Ressler

This footnote is included in Jane Evans Best's October, 1981 article Three Bears of Earl Township':

18. Paper written by Anna Catharine Ressler in the Bear family genealogical archives folder at the Lancaster Mennonite Hisorical Society: "I typed this St. Patrick's evening 1944 while Mother sat by the kitchen stove attempting to soften her arteries. Mother is a sixth generation Bare. Her first ancestor was John Henry Bare, who came from Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, and settled in Earl Township on the south branch of Mill Creek south of New Holland. He had four sons - Martin, George, Andrew [the ancestor of Anna Catharine Ressler] who had a son John..." She then traced her ancestry. "Andrew Bare gave his farm in Earl Twp. to his son John Bare, who afterward sold it in 1800 and kept a hotel at Blue Ball for several years. He left Blue Ball and kept his father's hotel at Bareville. He afterwards gave it to his son Adam Bare." [16]

The excerpt from Ressler does not name the fourth son.

His Last Name

It is not clear what last name he was born with. The name in his family Bible is "Berr." The spelling of what appears to be his extended family in Europe is most often "Bär." In Pennsylvania it evolved into Baer, Bear and other variants.

Information on Bear Family of Lancaster County

For more information, see Bear/Baer/Bar Family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (However, it is a work in progress.)

Other Men with Similar Names

Details which are believed to be associated with other men named Henry Baer/Bar/Bear or similar, and NOT this profiled man:

  • Hans Heinrich, son of Hans Heinrich Bär and Barbara Hauser, was baptized in Hausen on 13 Nov 1692. [17]
  • Married: 1) Barbara Schenk, abt 1716, Ittlingen, Baden, Germany; died bef. 1728-33 - [no man named Henry Bear is documented to have married a woman named Barbara Schenk in this general time and place];
  • Land: 1717 warrented a parcel in today's East Hempfield [see Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750)];
  • 1709 living at Ober Albis, Switzerland;
  • Lived at London Company tract, near Lancaster, PA [unclear who this refers to];
  • On 27 Sep 1717 he warranted land in present Lancaster County, PA [see Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750)];[18]
  • Naturalized 14 Feb 1729 as John Henry Bare; PA [19] [This record may pertain to him, or alternatively his father or the Henry Bar who died in 1750.]

Sources

  1. ↑ Research Tips in Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage July, 2019, page 103, which also says that "a copy of the record was shared for Lancaster Menonite Historical Society files."
  2. ↑ Wevodau, Edward N. Abstracts of Lancaster County, PA Orphans Court Records 1742-1767, page 19.
  3. ↑ Best, Jane Evans. The Groff Book, Volume 2, a Continuing Saga, 1997, page 28, at https://www.gengophers.com/bookreader/index.html?pages=286&bookurl=%2Fapi%2Fimages%2F1%2F20150503%2FIE86793%2F&bookid=60486&initialsearch=%7B%22given%22%3A%22Hans%22%2C%22surname%22%3A%22B%C3%A4r%22%2C%22exactGiven%22%3Afalse%2C%22exactSurname%22%3Afalse%2C%22exactRels%22%3Afalse%7D#/page/37/mode/1upage 28.
  4. ↑ Burgert, Annette Kunselman. Eighteenth Century Emigrants, Volume I, The Northern Kraichgau. The Pennsylvania German Society. 1983. Page 19.
  5. ↑ see survey A75-270 at https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/Book%20%20A1-A89/Book%20A-75/Book%20A-75%20pg%20542.pdf.
  6. ↑ Brackbill, Martin Hervin. Peter Bezaillon's Road. LancasterHistory website at https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/media/library/docs/edit_vol43no1pp1_48.pdf.
  7. ↑ Lancaster County Deed GG-391.
  8. ↑ Best. The Groff Book, Volume II.
  9. ↑ Survey A75-270.
  10. ↑ See survey D82-46 at https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/Books%20D1-D90/Book%20D82/Book%20D-82%20pg%2091.pdf, and see reference to Patent A12-376 at https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17PatentIndexes/A-AAPatentIndex19.pdf. which names the warrantee Frederichfels.
  11. ↑ See survey A76-211at https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/Book%20%20A1-A89/Book%20A-76/Book%20A-76%20pg%20424.pdf.
  12. ↑ Best, Jane Evans. "Bear Saga Update: Part Three", Lancaster Mennonite Conference Historical Society, and Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. 1978. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage. [Lancaster, Pa.]: [Lancaster Mennonite Conference Historical Society]. Vol. 22, No. 1, January 1999, pg. (Part three details what I believe to be the families of Hans Heinrich Bar (BA5177, was H and BA5187) and Heinrich Bar (BA5170, was Y and BA5180).
  13. ↑ Brackbill. Peter Bezaillon's Road.
  14. ↑ See survey D78-239 at https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/Books%20D1-D90/Book%20D78/Book%20D-78%20pg%20477.pdf and Lancaster Deeds EE-383 and EE-384.
  15. ↑ Baer, Willis Nissley. The Genealogy of Henry Baer of Leacock, Pennsylvania (Baer-Bear-Bare). Original Publisher: Schlechter Allentown, PA. 1955. Pages 7-9 at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89060749736&view=1up&seq=1&skin=2021&q1=henry%20baer.
  16. ↑ Best, Jane Evans. Three Bears of Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Other Early Bears. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage. October, 1981.
  17. ↑ Best, Jane Evans (1997). The Groff Book Vol.2 : a continuing saga pp.26-28. Ronks, PA : Groff History Associates.
  18. ↑ Best, Jane Evans. A Bear Saga: Lancaster County and Beyond. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, vol X, #1, Jan 1987, p 30-1; Best, Three Bears of Earl Township. Pages 12-19.
  19. ↑ Best. Bear Saga Update, Part Three. Pages 26-32.

See also:

  • "The Lauver Legacy of Life and Love: Jacob M. Lauver, 1871-1965 and Emma Graybill, 1870-1942: Their Ancestry and Their Descendants" - page 88
  • The Groff Book, European Groff History, p.5

Acknowledgments

  • This person was created through the import of Dickinson Family Tree.ged on 31 March 2011.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Henry by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Henry:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.

Images: 1
Three-generation genealogical record for family of Heinrich Ber
Three-generation genealogical record for family of Heinrich Ber


Comments: 47

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Ann Risso
Would a Project Leader be able to take a look at the profile for John Bär (1719-1812), presently shown as a son of this Henry? I think he needs to be disconnected as Henry's son. Henry did have a son Hans/John, but he was born in 1731 according to the family Bible. There isn't a second, earlier-born son John in the Bible, and Henry's wife was having different children too soon before and after this John was born. I think he was the son of Hans Michael Baer (abt.1686-bef.1741) and the husband of Catherine (Good) Bear (1721-1804), and has a duplicate profile at John Baer (1718-). His gravestone (saying he died on April 29, 1812 at 93 yrs 1 month, per Findagrave) matches the timing on the probate of his will (proved May 19, 1812), which names his children with Catherine.
posted by Ann Risso
Rutherford-448 Dave Rutherford
Thanks Ann for your work here. I've attached Bär-356 to the correct father and propsed the merge.
posted by Dave Rutherford
Ann Risso
Hi, I'd like to create a new profile for a son Jacob of this Henry and his wife Barbara Eby. Jacob is mentioned in his father's Bible and there is a lot of information about him in Richard Warren Davis' book Emigrants, Refugees and Prisoners, Volume 3 at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS87-7S34-L?i=1255&cat=761809. (Wish I had found this source earlier as there is a lot of information on this whole Bar/Bear family there). One of the Project Leaders would have to start a bare-bones profile, and then I think I could add to it. According to the family Bible, he was born in January, 1727. He died before September 29, 1786 when his probate inventory was filed. He was the father of Magdalena (Baer) Neher (abt.1770-) and three other children. He is also interesting because, according to Davis, he was called the "cuzin" of Hans Jacob (Bar) Bär (1677-1759) (maybe 1st cousin once removed?) which looks like a good clue to help tie together these two families.
posted by Ann Risso
edited by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Never mind. I realize I can create a profile for the father of Magdalena Baer Neher (Baer-334), who is not project protected. Later on, if it seems correct, a Project Leader could connect him to father Henry.
posted by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Bear-1348 and Bär-632 appear to represent the same person because: See discussion on profiles and in previous comments.
posted by Ann Risso
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
I corrected the spelling to Bär per the extensive discussion re: proper spelling of Swiss German names. He is now Bär-632. I also set as Project Protected for the direction of merge to ensure all the currently set merges go into the correct spelling.
posted by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Ann Risso
Baer-96 and Bar-235 appear to represent the same person because: See previous comments.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Bear-1348 and Bar-235 appear to represent the same person because: See previous comments.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Sheila Stahl
Bear-1348 and Bar-235 are not ready to be merged because: the dates seem too far off. More research needed.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Sheila Stahl
Ann Risso
Hi Sheila,

The birth/baptism dates are off because Jane Evans Best thought (in the Groff Book) that the boy baptized on February 29, 1688 in Hausen Switzerland to parents Hans Bär (1648-1715) and Barbara (Hauser) Bär (abt.1654-1709) was the same person who died in Earl, Lancaster County, PA in 1738. But research done after she wrote that makes it clear that she attributed the Earl man to the wrong family (as well as the siblings of those parents, who she erred in thinking also went to Pennsylvania – Jagely, Jacob and a second Henry.) This Henry, who died in Earl in 1738, had father Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731). He may not have come from Hausen at all. There is a three-generation Bible record that lists all of the children of Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731), including this Henry (d. 1738) and his wife and children. Rather than make edits to each of the six profiles that need to be merged, I thought I’d make changes to the final profile after that’s done. Hope this is clearer than mud. Let me know if not.

posted by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Bear-1351 and Bar-235 appear to represent the same person because: I’m proposing merges of the profiles at Hans Heinrich Bar (abt.1688-abt.1738), John Henry Baer (abt.1688-bef.1738) and John Henry Bear (abt.1685-1738) into Hans Henrich (Bar) Bär (1688-1738), after first disconnecting two of them from incorrect father [[Bär-305|Hans Bär (1648-1715)]. This man’s father was Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731). Both men lived in Earl, this man was called Henry Jr. on the 1721 tax assessment for Lancaster County, they owned land near each other, and they were both in Earl at an early point. Also, I just discovered a three-generation Bible record that clinches the relationships. More explanatory info is on the various profiles.

The idea that his father was Hans Bär (1648-1715) came from Jane Evans Best, but having looked into it, I’m confident that that is not correct.

Any concerns or additional info welcome.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
edited by Ann Risso
Sheila Stahl
Sounds good. Let the merge proceed. And thank you for the information.
posted by Sheila Stahl
Ann Risso
Bar-554 and Bar-235 appear to represent the same person because: I’m proposing merges of the profiles at Hans Heinrich Bar (abt.1688-abt.1738), John Henry Baer (abt.1688-bef.1738) and John Henry Bear (abt.1685-1738) into Hans Henrich (Bar) Bär (1688-1738), after first disconnecting two of them from incorrect father [[Bär-305|Hans Bär (1648-1715)]. I think this man’s father can be shown (tentatively) to be Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731). Although maybe not proven conclusively, both men lived in Earl, this man was called Henry Jr. on the 1721 tax assessment for Lancaster County, they owned land near each other, and they were both in Earl at an early point when there were not other good alternatives for his father. More explanatory info is on the various profiles.

The idea that his father was Hans Bär (1648-1715) came from Jane Evans Best, but having looked into it, I’m confident that that is not correct – or at least there is no evidence that their son Henry baptized on February 29, 1688 ever came to Pennsylvania.

Any concerns or additional info welcome.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Olsen-10349 Julia Olsen
FWIW, I have been doing research on the Wenger/Winger side of the family, and have come across the Bär family in Fetzer J. (1971). The Men from Wengen and America's Agony. John E Fetzer Publications. Pages 183ff.

The author notes how difficult it is to trace the families that emigrated. He does list some family of Jacob (Joss) Bär b 1647 and there were two grandsons, Heinrich Bär and John Heinrich Bär who emigrated in 1739. Probably not useful info for this profile although the ancestry is taken back to about 1610. The author states he has spent quite a bit of time and effort in European archives.

Are you familiar with this book? I have it for a few weeks on an interlibrary loan through my University.

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Julia Olsen
Collins-3637 Betsy Collins
"Adelshofen, Bad Wurzach, Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany," is shown on FamilySearch/tree as standardized location, for that database, with no date range as a 'populated place' . . . as we know, Germany was not a jurisdiction for the dates of interest . . .

Dühren, Sinsheim, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany," . . . same situation

Ittlingen - "Ittlingen, Ittlingen, Amt Eppingen, Baden, Germany," in the same context shows as 'town' from an unknown date to 1871

b

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Betsy Collins
Frederick Hebel
A majority of the above named places became part of the Grand Duchy of Baden first on 27 Apr 1803/1806. Prior to that date they were not part of the Grand Duchy of Baden, Bad Wurzach and Ravensburg, are not in the Palatine area at all.

Fred

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Frederick Hebel
Ann Risso
Are there objections to disconnecting this Henry from parents Hans Bär (1648-1715) and Barbara (Hauser) Bär (abt.1654-1709)? Those parents were the conclusion of Jane Evans Best, but none of her articles seem to provide evidence that that couple were the parents of ANY of the Lancaster County Bars/Baers, and there is some evidence to the contrary. First, it would be relatively uncommon for two brothers named Henry to have survived to adulthood, as she shows. Second, there is evidence that the other Baers who came to Pennsylvania early on (1717-1719) (Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750), Hans Jacob (Bar) Bär (1677-1759), Hans Michael Baer (abt.1686-bef.1741) and Martin Bär (abt.1680-bef.1758)) had been in Baden for some time (Adelshofen, Duhren and Ittlingen). Although this profiled Henry may have come from a different place entirely, Baden would seem to be a more likely place to look for his parents, since there are some indications that all of these men were from one extended family – they all lived very close to each other, immigrated at roughly the same time and all gave their children the same names. I think the current linkage to the parents shown (although ultimately possibly correct) has caused a lot of confusion, and separating them may help to sort them. Also, it would enable us to merge him with the other profile for him at Henry Y. Bear (1690-bef.1749). That man is presently shown as the son of the Henry who died in Earl, Lancaster County in 1731 (Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731)), which is also unproven, and he may have had a different son named Henry. But we could leave (Hans Heinrich Bar as this man’s his father, marked uncertain, pending further research. Thoughts?
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
edited by Ann Risso
Frederick Hebel
Adelshofen, Duehren, and Ittlingen, they were really not Baden at thi time in history, only since the end of WW II, they were Palatine/Pfalz (possibly Kurpfalz, I'm not sure) at that time.

Fred Hebel

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Frederick Hebel
Ann Risso
Thanks, Fred. Those place names are so confusing. From Wikipedia:

Ittlingen: "From 1355, Ittlingen was a possession of the Lordship of Gemmingen [de]. Their rule ended in 1806, when the Gemmingens' properties were mediatized to the Grand Duchy of Baden."

Duhren: "During the Thirty Years' War, Dühren was often affected by marches and billetings and was almost depopulated by the end of the war. The Lords of Venningen settled the town with Mennonites from Switzerland who had already fled to Alsace and also protected them against attempts to expel the Mennonites from the Palatinate. In 1710 there were 170 Lutheran and 60 Mennonite residents. Around this time, after the previous Lutheran local lords died out, Dühren fell to a Catholic Venningen line, which also increasingly settled Catholics, which led to religious tensions in the town throughout the 18th century. From 1806 Dühren was an independent municipality within Baden."

Adelshofen: "From the 16th century, Adelshofen belonged to the Adelshofen line of the Lords of Neipperg until this line died out in 1708 and the property reverted to the main Schwaiger line...From 1806 Adelshofen was an independent municipality within the Grand Duchy of Baden."

For people born in these towns, should we just use the town name and Heiliges Römisches Reich?

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Hearing no objections, I'm disconnecting them and proposing a merge with the other Henry who died in 1749. If documentation shows up to the contrary, I can undo it, but don't think it will.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
I completely agree, Ann. When we do merge these Bare, Bear, Baer, Bär profiles, at least those who are early, German speaking folk, I do think we should limit the LNAB to Baer (the English equivalent of Bär, without the typing issue for the uninitiated) My Heikes ancestors were speaking German well into the 1860's and they had been in America since 1730! At least the names will be close to the original German. All the Bare, Bear, etc spellings can go into the other last names field. Thanks for working on this, Ann!
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
edited by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Vernon-3043 Greg Vernon
We should probably stick with having the umlauts. It's not so hard to do compose keys to do the umlauts. I don't use windows, so I don't know how to do it there. On the mac it's just <option>-U, and then the letter you want the umlaut over. On windows I think it is something similar.

And if someone is working with a lot of ancestors who were German speaking, it's something they should learn.

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Greg Vernon
edited by Greg Vernon
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Of course, I agree. I just use a multi-language keyboard option on my tablet. It works to change the LNAB to Bär during the process of a merge, I think. Normally we want to avoid lots of changes to the LNAB so there are not multiple redirects for the same profiles. We probably need a decision on this, as NONE of the original immigrants would have spelled their names Baer....
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Ann Risso
Thank you both! I am happy to change the LNAB to Bär if that's the final decision - I'm just fairly new at this and am not sure how we'll make that decision. I trust whatever you all decide. Determining LNAB is not easy sometimes.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Vernon-3043 Greg Vernon
It's fairly certain that the LNAB will have an umlaut with a German language name that has the following letter combinations in it: [ae,oe,ue]. We have sometimes seen some ÿ in Emmental, which is a bit strange.

That said, there are exceptions. For example, in kt. Schwyz, there is a cheesemaker named Baer (add .ch to it in a web browser and you can see their website).

Maybe, in this case Baer does make sense.

Schweizerdeutsch ist schwierig als es gibt etwa 26 verschiedene Dialekten. ;)

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Greg Vernon
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
It's scary that I could read that German re: the difficulty of Swiss German due to the 26 various dialects! I'll see what Dave and Gina think.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Vernon-3043 Greg Vernon
I think they'll also agree that Swiss-German is difficult to learn. ;)

It's sometimes challenging, especially with those families who fled from other parts of Switzerland into the Emmental. I think they were often trying to hide, so it didn't matter if the names ended up changing. They would add/remove umlauts, ess-tzets, etc. just to cover their tracks a little bit.

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Greg Vernon
Ann Risso
Bear-1348 and Baer-96 are not ready to be merged because: These two profiles appear to represent the same man, but before they can be merged, his parents need to be sorted. I don't think there is persuasive evidence that he had any of the parents shown on the two profiles.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Bear-1348 and Baer-96 appear to represent the same person because: There is not much information on either profile, but the time frame and place of his death are the same.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Bear-1348 and Baer-96 are not ready to be merged because: These two profiles represent the same person, but based on new information (to me), I’m resetting them to Unmerged Match, because there are also additional profiles for this man. A three-generation record in a family Bible referred to in the July, 2019 issue of Mennonite Family History, p. 103, makes it clear that the Henry who died in 1738 is the same man who left Orphans Court records in 1749. So there are at least six profiles for this man. They should probably all be merged into Bar-235 (based on the discussed idea that first generation Pennsylvania immigrants in this family should use the spelling Bär, for consistency – the umlaut would have to be added by one of the profile managers, if desired).

Once merged, I’ll update the final profile.

posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Ann Risso
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Based on all the previous discussion, I think we do need to change the LNAB of the final Henry... now concluded to be Bar-235 to use the spelling that include the umlaut. The change can be made by the Project, particularly since there has been extensive discussion of the proper Swiss German spelling. Seeing no previous objections or input regarding a use of Bär for original immigrants, I'll make the change and PPP the profile for direction of the merge if needed.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Ann Risso
Bear-1351 and Baer-54 are not ready to be merged because: Although these two profiles appear intended to represent the same man, before merging them (and others with similar information), the identity of the parents of the Earl man needs to be considered. Best concluded that he was the twin baptized to Hans Bär and Barbara (Hauser) Bär on February 29, 1688. But the evidence is not strong, and there some evidence to suggest that he was the son of Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731) as noted on Bear-1351. Also, if possible, the final last name at birth of the Earl man should be Bär, based on discussion that, in general, ideally the last name of the first generation of immigrants should use that German spelling.
posted on Baer-54 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Baer-1665 and Baer-54 do not represent the same person because: Although easily confused, there is land and other evidence that these were two different men - one lived in East Hempfield, had wife Barbara Witmer and died with a will probated in 1750. The other lived in Earl, died with a will (not found) sometime between 1736 and 1738. He likely had wife Barbara Eby. Both men had sons named Martin.
posted on Baer-54 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Baer-54 and Bar-235 are not ready to be merged because: These two profiles appear to be for the same man, but review by the profile managers is needed. See Research Notes on the profile for Baer-54.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Baer-54 and Bar-235 appear to represent the same person because: I’m proposing merges of the profiles at Hans Heinrich Bar (abt.1688-abt.1738), John Henry Baer (abt.1688-bef.1738) and John Henry Bear (abt.1685-1738) into Hans Henrich (Bar) Bär (1688-1738), after first disconnecting two of them from incorrect father [[Bär-305|Hans Bär (1648-1715)]. I think this man’s father can be shown (tentatively) to be Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731). Although maybe not proven conclusively, both men lived in Earl, this man was called Henry Jr. on the 1721 tax assessment for Lancaster County, they owned land near each other, and they were both in Earl at an early point when there were not other good alternatives for his father. More explanatory info is on the various profiles.

The idea that his father was Hans Bär (1648-1715) came from Jane Evans Best, but having looked into it, I’m confident that that is not correct – or at least there is no evidence that their son Henry baptized on February 29, 1688 ever came to Pennsylvania.

Any concerns or additional info welcome.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Baer-54 and Bar-554 are not ready to be merged because: These two profiles appear to be for the same man, but review by the profile managers is needed. See Research Notes on the profile for Baer-54.
posted on Bar-554 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
Baer-55 and Baer-54 are not ready to be merged because: These two profiles appear to be for the same man, but review by the profile managers is needed. See Research Notes on the profile for Baer-54.
posted on Baer-54 (merged) by Ann Risso
Ann Risso
I set up a bare-bones free space page at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Bear/Baer/Bar_Family_of_Lancaster_County%2C_Pennsylvania. Now would be a good time to change the structure if there is a better way to do this - completely fine with me. Among the next things we could do would be to add Wikitree profile numbers that seem to be associated with the various Lancaster residents, and add references to Best's numbering system to make it easier to find people in her articles.

Since I wrote the comment, I found the Groff Book online, and it does seem to go a very long way to answering my questions. But there is a ton of sorting and merging that is needed.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
edited by Ann Risso
Meyers-3406 Gina Meyers
I've looked at some of those profiles and wanted to try to sort them out, but it's a daunting task. I'd be happy to chip in.

Would it help to have a separate free-space page to keep track of which branches belonged where? When we were working to disentangle the Meyer immigrants we had a collection of documents we kept offline to "map" the branches (maybe as Julia was suggesting below) - family tree diagrams, lists of sources, lists of knowns and unknowns, etc. It helps to have discussion in one place rather than spread across different profiles.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Gina Meyers
edited by Gina Meyers
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
A Free Space page is a great idea, Gina. There is a LOT of sorting to be done in this family and I see, just at first glance, multiple merges are needed. I've worked on the Bär family off and on. It is a tall task, but necessary... I'll help.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Ann Risso
Gina, I agree this is a great idea. Thank you all for your quick responses! In a few days I may have some time to look at this family and maybe take a first stab at setting up a page. Would be good practice for me also.
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
Olsen-10349 Julia Olsen
Hi Ann I am a descendant of Heinrich Bär via his daughter Anna Bär and Abraham Herr. I have been intending to do some work on this branch of the family for some time, so maybe I can help! What exactly do you need? I have the family partially mapped out trying to make sense out of the family info. it doesn't make the task any easier that these early ancestors kept recycling first names amongst the next generations!!!
posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Julia Olsen
Vernon-3043 Greg Vernon
I just saw this on the Palentine emails. It turns out that the Swiss still keep recycling the first names through the generations.

BTW, Barbara, his second wife, is my 1st cousin 8 times removed, and is from Eggiwil. Hans Heinrich almost certainly traveled through Eggiwil in the Emmental before leaving Switzerland. I can dig through the Eggiwl records to see if I can find a date of the marriage.

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Greg Vernon
Ann Risso
Can anyone help sort through a confusing bunch of records for at least three men named Henry Bear/Baer or similar, who were among the earliest Bears in Lancaster County? The various relevant profiles seem very confused at the moment (hope it’s not just me). There were at least three men, because one died in Earl in 1738 (per estate inventory); one had four minor children who were given guardian Andrew Schultz on December 5, 1749 in Lancaster County; and one had a will probated in 1750 with different children. I’ve seen some, but not all, of Jane Evans Best’s articles, but so far they don’t seem to answer the questions definitively. This may be a tall ask, but it would be great to be able to chip away at these profiles.
  • May 10, 1718. Warrant to Henry Pare for 300 acres in what is today East Hempfield (info on the East Hempfield Warrant Map, no survey found). On February 20, 1735/36 the abutting parcel was surveyed for Henry Bear, showing the owner of the original parcel as also Henry Bear (Survey A84-170).
  • December 26, 1738. According to Wikitree profile at Hans Henrich (Bar) Bär (1688-1738): “Inventory 26 DEC 1738, Settlement 1746, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Residence: of Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany. Mennonite Heritage, Jan 1999, v 22, #1, p 26-32.”
  • August 5, 1743. Patent to Henry Bear of property in today’s Ephrata Township. Previously surveyed for Samuel Bear on August 13, 1734, probably his brother, who was probably the man with profile at Samuel (Bar) Bear (abt.1683-bef.1743) (at least one other profile also).
  • May 26, 1743. Henry Bear was named Executor of the will of his brother Samuel. Will proved September 16, 1743.
  • February 27, 1749/1750: Will of Henry Bare of Hempfield Twp, Lancaster County, proved July 18, 1750. Pennsylvania Probate Records Vol I page 12 (found on page 7/786). Wife Barbara, Son: Benjamin children: Magdalena, Anna, John, Henry, Benjamin, Barbara, Fronica, Mary, Martin, Elizabeth. Exec: son John Bare, Henry Neff and John Witmer (thought to be his b/l but was he?). The son Benjamin was b. February 16, 1727 per his grave, so this Henry was presumably married before then. Was his wife Barbara Eby, See profile at Barbara D. (Eby) Baer (1706-1744) (other possible profiles too) or Barbara (Widmer) Baer (abt.1698-abt.1781) (sister of the executor of his will, who did have a sister named Barbara)?
  • December 5, 1749: Lancaster County Orphans Court. Estate of Henry Bare, deceased. Minor children John and Christian Bare over 14 choose Andrew Shultz as their guardian. Minor children Michael and Elizabeth (age not given but must be under 14 since guardian appointed) appointed same guardian. Town not given. Maybe Andrew was Andrew Shultz (1722-1789) of Lampeter.

Profiles that appear to represent these men at:

Hans Heinrich Bar (1663-1731) (lived in Earl)

Hans Henrich (Bar) Bär (1688-1738) (lived in Earl)

John Heinrich Baer (-1738) (lived in Earl)

Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750) (lived in Hempfield)

Hans Heinrich Baer (1692-1749) (lived in Hempfield)

Henry Y. Bear (1690-bef.1749) (Lancaster, not sure if town or county)

posted on Bar-235 (merged) by Ann Risso
edited by Ann Risso
Anke (Meyer) Frehse
Behr-765 and Baer-55 do not represent the same person because: die Daten sind unterschiedlich
posted on Baer-55 (merged) by Anke (Meyer) Frehse
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
This man evidently died the same day he was married. It seems like there is a mistake somewhere.
posted on Baer-55 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Entrikin-5 Kie (Entrikin) Zelms
Baer-634 and Baer-96 appear to represent the same person because: Clear duplicates. Same birth and death dates. Hans Heinrich is a more accurate given name. Spouses are curious. Discrepancies can be addressed after the merge.
posted on Baer-96 (merged) by Kie (Entrikin) Zelms

Rejected matches › Hans George Bär (abt.1687-) › John Bowyer (1726-aft.1769) › Hans Erhard Beyer (1657-1739) › Hans Hinrich Behr (abt.1846-) › Heinrich Baer (1695-abt.1750)

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Categories: Palatine Migrants