Abraham LaBarre (abt. 1702 - 1800)

Born about 1702 in Barbelroth, Bergzabern, Palatinate

Ancestors

Husband of Anna Christina Stribia — married 1730 in Smithfield and Delaware Water Gap, Monroe, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 1800 at about age 98 in Delaware Water Gap, Northampton, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Gail Cox [send private message], Suzanne Bennett [send private message], Paul B. Irvin [send private message], and Patrick O'Brien [send private message]

Biography

The history of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania, pages 1082-1083 has to say about the three brothers:^[1]

The first representatives of the family in this country were Peter, Charles and Abram LaBar, who emigrated about 1730, and landed at Philadelphia. After a few days of rest they determined to follow up the Delaware River, and make a settlement on the very outskirts of civilization. In three days they arrived at the forks of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, which was then the principal white settlement, the present site of Easton being occupied by an Indian village. Continuing their journey, they at length came in view of the Blue Ridge barrier. There were some small settlements back from the river, but none on the river above Williamsburg, except that of Nicholas Depui, who was comfortably planted at what is now Shawnee. After viewing the country between the river and the mountain for a day or two, they pitched upon a site for their cabin) about three-quarters of a mile from the river, on a somewhat elevated spot, in what is now Mount Bethel township, Northampton County, and soon had their primitive homestead erected. The Indians were their only near neighbors, and these they managed to make their true friends by many little acts of kindness. Here they dwelt together a number of years, engaged in the various occupations of pioneer life, until finally, as the tide of emigration from the north and south began to reach them, they each married a German or Dutch wife, and found it advisable to separate.

Charles remained in the old cabin homestead in Mount Bethel. Peter pushed a little farther on and bought a tract of land above the mountains of the Indians, southwest of where Stroudsburg now stands, and adjoining a tract Colonel Stroud purchased some time after. Here he cleared up a good home, after many years of hard labor, and raised a large family of children. Abram planted himself above the Delaware Water Gap Notch, not far from the Delaware Water Gap depot, where he lived many years and raised a large family. He cleared the island just above the Gap, which, with the garden flat around his house, made quite a snug farm. He lived there in 1741, when the Governor sent Nicholas Scull up to look after the state of things in the Smithfields.

Note on his Origins and Death

Abraham La Bar (De La Barre) was born about 1702, probably in Barbelroth, the Palatinate, a geographic region at the southwest corner of modern Germany, 10 km from the present border with France, situated about halfway between Mannheim and Strasbourg, France. He was the son of Daniel De La Barre. The identity of his mother varies among secondary sources.

Currently on Wikitree, his birth location is set to Alsace, France. Historically Alsace region and the Palatinate have been the subject of repeated wars and alternating political control; during the time of Napoleon, the area was incorporated into France.

Immigration: No source for the immigration ship (arriving ~1730 in Philadelphia) is found on any of the secondary profiles.

About 1719, Abraham married Unknown. The couple had the following children:

1. Daniel (1720-1795) m1 Anna Mararetha Crowner, m2 Cornelia Decker
2. Jeanne (1725- )--said to be a twin with Daniel, but different birth year??--m Thomas Ross
3. Abraham (1730-1791) m Rosanna Rothrock (~1730-1807)
4. George (1732- )
5. Jacob/Jacques (1734- )

Research Notes

In his profile at Geni, he is said to have been born in Barbelroth, Rhineland-Palatinate, German. However, in the same profile, in the text of biography, Abraham is said to have been born in France. This discrepancy might be explained by the movements of his parents, who are said to have settled in the French colony of Prenzlau in the Uckermark, Prussia. According to Wikipedia:

The Prenzlau and the Uckermark region were devastated during the Thirty Years' War. From the late 17th century onwards, French Huguenot refuges settled here and an economic recovery started.

However, Prenzlau, Prussia and Barbelroth, Rhineland-Palatinate are 830 km apart! In summary, the various secondary sources have this family moving almost 1000 km across Europe. This is a very unlikely scenario, and the correct geographic locations require clarification.

This may not be as unlikely as it seems as there was migration between far-flung Huguenot communities, especially preceding trans-Atlantic migration. However sources and attribution is required and trees of Huguenot and Palatine (or presumed Huguenot/Palatine ancestors) often end up being arbitrarily assigned regional origins based on ethnicity or unreliable oral tradition.

Concerning the identity of his wife or wives. If he arrived in Philadelphia about 1730, then his first 3 children (at least) were born in Europe to a European mother and arrived with the family during immigration. If he had a second (possibly Native American) wife, the union would have had to occurred near Delaware Water Gap after 1734 (Abraham was still paying rent in Philadelphia in 1734). The woman claimed to be his second wife is Anna Christina Stribia, said to be born about 1697 to the Lenni Lenape (Unami) Tribe near Smithfield and Delaware Water Gap. On the other hand, the excerpt from the biography states that all 3 LaBarre brothers married Dutch (German) women.

Emigrated from France with two brothers Peter and Charles. Arrived at Philadelphia, the year never having been determined exactly, but is typically given as 1728 or 1730. Records show that he paid "quit rent" on 100 acres in Philadelphia County in 1734. From Philadelphia he emigrated to the Stroudsburg/Easton area. Other accounts imply that the three brothers, after arriving in Philadelphia, walked up the river to a point between Portland and Slatford, where they built a cabin. All three were said to have married Dutch (German) women. Charles remained at the original cabin, but Peter bought land from the Indians southwest of the present Stroudsburg and raised a large family there. Because of Indian troubles, Peter's house was enclosed by a fort, named Fort Hamilton, which eventually became part of Stroudsburg. The other brother, the subject Abraham, moved from the original cabin to a point near Delaware Water Gap and farmed the flats and islands there.^[2]

Birth date based chart of Daniel E LaBar, RIN #179, which says "born about 1705 probably."

An extensive biography for his grandfather Abraham deLaBarre (1654-1699) can be found at his profile at Geni. The biography explains the origins of the family name ("dearly beloved"), and includes other information about the family.

On Wikitree, his death location had previously been set to Gap, Lancaster, Pennsylvania without sourcing, which was almost certainly an error from name confusion or autocompletion; Gap in Salisbury Township, Lancaster is named for a gap in the Mine Ridge, and has nothing to do with the Delaware Water Gap where Abraham lived; moreover, the Delaware Water Gap should not be confused with the borough of Delaware Water Gap municipality nearby in present-day Monroe County; there are no sources places Abraham's residence or place of death in the borough proper, though the reference to him living near the depot suggests he was not far from there.

Sources and Links

It is difficult to find sources on Abraham and his children. I did find: From “History of Monroe County Pennsylvania” by Robert Brown Keller......pub 1927)

“Three brothers, Abraham, Peter and Charles LaBar or LaBarre came from France to this country about 1730. Daniel LaBar, son of Abraham, owned property where the Water Gap Station (Delaware Water Gap) is located and is said to have cultivated, besides this plot, islands in the Delaware.

This book can be found at http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/digitalbks2&CISOPTR=18388&REC=14

The family Bible transcribed by Catherine Bush Eilenberger in 1923 lists family to Daniel who is Abraham's son.

Abraham was born about 1702. He passed away in 1800. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ History of Northampton County Pennsylvania and The Grand Valley of the Lehigh under the supervision and revision of William J. Heller, 1920, published by the American Historical Society of Boston, New York and Chicago. Pages 546.
2. ↑ Mrs. Horace G. Walters, curator of Monroe County Historical Society, letter to Eleanor Smith LaBar dated March 20, 1964. Letter is well documented.
3. ↑ Unsourced family tree Sari (Stupka) Preeper.

• Geni profile
• "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:SRZ1-XKT : accessed 21 June 2018), entry for Abraham De /La Barre/; file (2:2:2:MM3G-36L), submitted 12 May 2011.
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KP7R-B2X

Acknowledgements

• LaBarre-31 was created by Patrick O'Brien through the import of Pat O'Brien Ancestors Descendants 2016-07-16.ged on Jul 17, 2016.
• Labar-37 (now merged) was created 15 Dec 2011