THE STRAUSBAUGH FAMILY HISTORY CHAPTER 1-1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STRAUSBAUGH FAMILY HISTORY ORGINIZATION OF THE HISTORY The Strausbaugh Family History is divided into four major parts as follows: Part 1 - Nicholas Strausbaugh the Immigrant This part provides general information concerning the origin of the family, the family name, the journey to America, and the history of the immigrant ancestor, Nicholas Strausbaugh. Part 2 - Nicholas Strausbaugh Branch This part covers the history of Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr., the oldest son of the immigrant, and his known descendants. Part 3 - Michael Strausbaugh Branch This part covers the history of Michael Strausbaugh, the youngest son of the immigrant, and his known descendants. Part 4 - The Daughters of Nicholas Strausbaugh This part covers the history of the seven daughters of the immigrant and their known descendants. Part 5 - Unidentified Strausbaugh Families This part covers some Strausbaugh families which are probably descendants of Nicholas Strausbaugh, but which have not been identified with a specific family. Part 6 - Associated Families This part covers the ancestral origins of some of the spouses of the early Strausbaugh families. EARLY SETTLERS AT PIGEON HILLS WHO CAME ON THE SHIP PRINCESS AUGUSTA INTRODUCTION The following genealogical report discusses origin and settlement in America of a group of families who came to America from Rotterdam, Holland, on the ship Princess Augusta, arriving at Philadelphia on September 16, 1736, and who made their first settlement of any permanence along the branches of Beaver Creek, north of the Pigeon Hills, in Lancaster County, now York and Adams Counties) Pennsylvania. These were the Strasbach, Noel, Delon, Christian, and Ory fanilies. They were Catholics, were German speaking, with some branches using German in the homes for several generations, and have been said to have come from France. They were probably the first settlers of what some early writers called the "French Colony" at Pigeon Hills. Some historians have questioned whether such a colony really existed. The following study indicates that such a colony did exist, the first Catholic settlers of the colony were probably the above families, but "French" was probably a misnomer as these families were more likely Alsatians. LAND MAP OF EARLY SETTLEMENT Along with this document, a land ownership map is provided which shows the earliest known holders of the land around Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, partic- ularly, the area to the south between Abbottstown and the Pigeon Hills. The main East-West Road through Abbottstown is now U.S. Highway 30, the North-South road through Abbottstown is now Pennsylvania Highway 194, and the North-South road at the left of the map, crossing Highway 30 at Cross Keys is Pennsylvania Highway 94. Each land parcel has been given a reference code number. The parcels of land settled by the Princess Augusta families are identified with dark circles* It is seen that their lands located between Abbottstown and the Pigeon Hills formed an almost contiguous group of land parcels extending more than half way around the future site of Abbottstown. The present bound- aries of Abbottstown are shown on the map) however it did not really exist as a town until about 40 years after these families arrived in the area. In 1749 this area became part of newly formed York County, Pennsylvania. The east branch of Beaver Creek became the boundary between Paradise Township on the east and Berwick Township on the west) thus dividing the settlement into two townships. In 1800, Adams County was formed from York County and the settlement area was then separated into two different Counties, Paradise Town- ship being in York County, and Berwick in Adams County. ORIGINS OF PRINCESS AUGUSTA FAMILIES The Princess Augusta Families arrived in Philadelphia September 15, 1736, from Rotterdam, Holland, suggesting they came from one of the lands along the Rhine River, or one of its tributaries. They spoke German as their common language, and at least those who were literate could also speak French and signed their names with French spellings on the passenger lists at Philadelphia. In those times, this particular bilingual language characteristic existed along the Rhine River only in Alsace, and that portion of the Duchy of Lorraine now located within the French Department of Mosel and stretching along the border of German Saarland. From southern Mosei on south through Lorraine the language was a local dialect of French. Historically, the people of Alsace, the Alsatian speaking people of the Mosel region of Lorraine, the German Swiss, and the people of Baden across the Rhine River from Alsace, were of the same origins. These peoples were descendants of the Alamanni, a Germanic tribe who conquered the lands of the upper Rhine Valley in the 5th Century, and drove out the earlier Celtic tribes and Roman settlers. Their language is the Alemannic dialect of High German, and in France is commonly called Alsatian, whether spoken in Alsace or Lorraine. The lands on the west side of the Rhine came under the control of France in the mid 17th Century and French became the language of government, and thus became a second spoken language, although Alsatian German continued as the most common spoken language of Alsace and Northeastern Mosel even into the 20th Century. In the early 1700s, use of French as a second language by the Alsatian speaking people of Alsace and parts of Lorraine, linguistically separated these peoples from those of Baden and the German Swiss. The people who emigrated from Rotterdam can be divided linguistically as fol- lows. The Dutch and Germans of the lower Rhine spoke Low German. The people east of the upper Rhine and the German Swiss spoke High German. On the west side of the upper Rhine above Koblenz the people spoke High German except many Alsatians spoke French as a second language. Of the people coming down the Mosel tributary to Koblenz, those coming from what are now Luxembourg and German Rheinland-Pfalz and Saar spoke High German. Those from the Northeastern Mosel region of the Duchy of Lorraine spoke Alsatian and French. Those of the remainder of the Duchy of Lorraine spoke French. Other emigrants who came down the Rhine who spoke French were most usually French Huguenots. These were French Protestants who had fled overland to the Rhine Valley to escape persecution in Catholic France. Some had lived among the Germans long enough to speak German as a second language. In summary, almost all bilingual German-French speaking people who came down the Rhine were either the Alsatian speaking people of Alsace and the Mosel region of Lorraine, or French Hugenots, some of whom could speak German. Both Catholic and Protestants emigrants came from the Alsatian speaking group. The Princess Augusta families who came to the Pigeon Hills area were Catholic and were evidently bilingual and thus most likely either came down the Rhine River from Alsace, or down the Mosel and Rhine Rivers from the Alsatian speak- ing part of northern Lorraine. On the Princess Augusta, the ship's Captain Marchant, a name of French origin, In his ships records, singled out seven families and treated these differently than the rest. These were the families of Nicholas Strasbach, Joseph Noel, Eneas Noel, John Francis Christian) Peter Delon) Nicholas Gerard, and Francis Ory and his adult son Nicholas. Of 330 passengers on the ship, these were the only families for which the captain made an addition to his ship's passenger list which indicated whether the male passenger had brought a wife and also included a tabulation of the number of children in each family. One can only speculate as to the reason the captain did this. It is suspected that these may have been the only families aboard who could communicate in French and thus perhaps the only passengers with whom Captain Marchant could easily converse. When the males of the Princess Augusta appeared before the Philadelphia Court for clearance) the following of this group signed in their own handwriting: Francois Ory, Nicolas Ory, Jean Francois Chretien, N Gerard, Pierre Dulon, and Joseph Noel, obvious French spellings. Nicholas Strasbach could not write and his name was recorded on the Court's list as heard by others as Collas Drasbart and Collas Prasbart. On the Captain's lists his name was recorded as Nicolas Trasbart and Nicollas Drasbart. The other males of this group who did not write their own name were Peter Noel, 16 year old son of Joseph, and Eneas Noel, whose relationship to Joseph is unknown. This group of passengers of the Princess Augusta signed their names in French, found rapport with the captain of an English ship who was probably of French origin, assimilated easily into a German culture on the Pennsylvania frontier, spoke German in their homes and with their German neighbors, in Pennsylvania records were called by the English or German versions of their names, were called French by their descendants, were probable founders of what early writers of the area called a "French Colony", and were Catholics who seem to have gotten along well with their German Protestant neighbors. The preceding statement seems quite contradictory, but it is these very contra- dictions that uniquely identifies their origin as either Alsace or the Alsatian speaking part of Lorraine. The preceding and other traces of information after their arrival in America can only be considered circumstantial evidence. The proof probably lies in Catholic Church records in one of the two named areas. Some additional found circumstantial evidence concerning their origins has been found in searches of their descendants and other associations and are discussed hereafter. Of these families, those of Joseph Noel, Peter Delon, John Francis Christian, Nicholas Strasbach, and Nicholas Ory, came on to the settlement north of Pigeon Hills as their first place of settlement of any permanence. Nicholas Ory is the only one of his family known to have come to the Pigeon Hills, however not long after arrival in America, he married the oldest daughter of Nicholas Strasbach. The relationship between Eneas Noel and Joseph Noel Is unknown. It is believed that Eneas settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania. What happened to the rest of the Ory family and Nicholas Gerard is unknown. Searches have made of family histories and other sources for family traditions that might shed light on the origins of these families. It has generally been found that most modern descendants of these families have no idea where their ancestors came from. Some descendants believe they were from France, but it appears this may have been learned from histories written during the 19th Century. A few cases have been found where it has been suggested these ancestors may have come from Alsace. In most of these cases It appears that a researcher suspected Alsace as place of origin but when tracing only one of these families could not find enough evidence to support such a conclusion. This writer was informed by one correspondent, that it had been passed down through their family that their ancestor Catherine Strausbaugh was of Alsatian ancestry. At the time of the first contact with this branch of descendants they did not know the parentage of Catherine, only that she and her husband William Cobb had come from Adams County, Pennsylvania. This family had been isolated from other Strausbaugh descendants for about 130 years. The contact was actually made with this family while seeking information on another common ancestral family. Catherine was the daughter of Peter Strasbaugh and Barbara Noel, and granddaughter of both Nicholas Strasbach Jr and Peter Noel, son of Joseph, and thus descended from two of the Princess Augusta families. A second Dellone immigrant came to America 14 years after the Princess Augusta families. This was Nicholas Dellone, who also eventually came to the Abbottstown area and whose descendants remained in the Abbottstown area after those of Peter Delon left the area. Nicholas Dellone was also called "of France", but he was from Alsace and returned to Alsace on several occasions, reportedly once to settle his father's estate. Some historians have suggested the possibility Nicholas was a relative of Peter Delon, however, that they were related, or the degree of relationship, are unknown and unproven. Nicholas Ory moved from Beaver Creek to Maryland about 1751. In Maryland, he married as a second wife, a French Arcadian. They and part of his family even- tually made their way to Louisiana where they settled in the St. Johns Catholic parish. The captain of the ship on which they sailed from Baltimore to Louisi- ana listed Ory as a German family. The majority of the passengers were Aca- dians The 1774 marriage record of Mathias Ory, states he was a native of Frederick County, Maryland) son of Nicholas Ory and Anna Strassbach. In this French parish, the Ory family were considered Germans. This is another indi- cation of the unique origin and bilingual nature of these families. The statements that these families were from France, at least support they were from the west side of the upper Rhine. However, by the time these statements were placed in writing, Alsace and Lorraine had been fully incorporated Into France. At the time of emigration of these families, Alsatians considered themselves neither French or German. The French were occupying their land against their will) although the French had originally been invited in by the Alsatians for assistance in repelling neighboring German armies. This group of families were almost certainly from the Alsatian speaking area. The probability Is greater that they were from Alsace simply because many more Alsatians came to America than did people from Lorraine, together with the fact the great majority of Alsatian speaking people were from Alsace. Based on preceding and the other circumstantial evidence, this writer believes It is reasonable to assume these families were from Alsace. EARLY SETTLEMENT AT BEAVER CREEK It is not known when these Alsatian Catholic families first arrived at Beaver Creek. This is difficult to tell from land records. When these early settlers found an unoccupied piece of land on which they wish to settle, it was normal practice for them to simply squat on the land, stake out a claim, and to proceed with development of the land and building of primitive homes and farm buildings. These claims were not recorded. In those early times the land remained the property of the English Crown. The Penn family had been given proprietary rights to the lands of the colony. The Proprietaries in turn sold rights to occupy and use the land subject to a yearly quitrent. The settlers acquired the permanent right to occupy this land by obtaining a patent deed from the Proprietaries or their agents. The process was for the settler to find and claim a desired land parcel, and then obtain a warrant for the described land. Next an official survey was made to define the location and determine the amount of land, and finally a patent deed was obtained for the property. The quit rent was usually retroactive to the time the settler started his improvements to the property. The warrant, survey, and quit rent required cash payment, something many of the early settlers did not have. Therefore it was common for the settler to squat on the land until he could afford the payments. The need for this delay in obtaining warrants was apparently recognized and the officials more or less permitted a grace period before enforcing the legal process for land acquisition. This unofficial grace period seems to have been about seven years. However, many settlers took no action toward obtaining a warrant for their claimed land until they were threatened with loss of the land, or they had a need of their own to obtain a legal patent deed for the land. It was said by one early official, the Germans would squat on the best lands and never paid anything until made to do so. The Lancaster County lands across the Susquehanna River In the Beaver Creek area were not officially opened for settlement until 1736 when the Penns pur- chased these lands from the Indians. There may been some unauthorized settlers in the area before then. The earliest found evidence of a settlement at Beaver Creek was a land warrant to Jacob Eyler (L12) in 1738. He was not the only one there, as he indicated the land was next to that of "old Cope" and "old Lexon". Cope may have been the father of Jacob Shope. Jacob Shope was to became a son-in-law of Nicholas Strasbach. Who Lexon was is unknown, but study of the lands surrounding that of Jacob Eyler as shown on the Land Map, suggests he may have been the first settler on the land acquired by John Abbott (J13). The first of the land warrants obtained by one of the Princess Augusta families was that of John Francis Christian (Ll4) in 1744. His land was surveyed in 1745 and showed Strasbaugh (L12) as a neighbor. In the same year the survey draft of John Bready's land (M14) also showed Strausbaugh as a neighbor. There appears to have been little land record activity in this settlement prior to 1750. The warrants prior to 1750, found to date include: 1738, Jacob Eyler (L12); 1743, John Bready (Ml4); 1744, John Francis Christian (Ll4); 1745, John Bready (K19), 1746, James Reed (H5 & J5), Mathias Bowser (Fl6). The officials must have then caused some activity. Warranted 1750, Nicholas Strasbach (M12), Nicholas Noel (Kll), Peter Noel (J15), John Nagle (E16), Jacob Eyler (M8); 1751, Melchor Kerbach (Ml6), Nicholas Shearer (Mil), John Hun- singer (NIO), John Noel (MIO); 1754, Frederick Shulla (N13); 1756, Jacob Giles (018); 1762, Peter Delon (K7), John Noel (Hl7 & Gl8); 1765, John Grove (G19). Land surveys for the Alsatian families were made in 1745, John Francis Chris- tian; 1751, Nicholas Strasbach; 1753, Nicholas Noel; 1764, John Noel; 1766, Peter Noel, Peter Delon, Nicholas Strasbach Jr, 1767, Nicholas Delon. Nicholas Ory (NIO) and Jacob Shupe (Mil) apparently left the area about 1751 without ever obtaining warrants for their claims. Joseph Noel probably died before 1750 and his land warranted by one or more of his sons) Peter, John or Nicholas. No land records have been found for his younger sons Andrew or Joseph Jr in this area. The land (Hl7 & G18) north of York Road, John Noel warranted in 1762 is somewhat of a puzzle. John obtained a deed to this unwarranted land from Hans Hamilton in 1761. The Hans Hamilton family were on west in Manor of Maske by 1741. Perhaps they settled on this land prior to moving on to Marsh Creek, and the Noel family then occupied the land. Perhaps the deed was needed to obtain clear title to the land which the Noels may have been occupying for 20 some years. Philip Noll and his sons John Yost and George Noll, who later acquired land in the area were not of Joseph Noel's family. Philip immigrated in 1751. When they arrived in the area is unknown. They appear to have been Protestants. Nicholas Noel was another son-in-law of Nicholas Strasbach. John Heidler, another son-in-law of Nicholas Strasbach, inherited land from his brother Jacob in 1760. John didn't have this land surveyed until 1797. Nicholas Strasbach inherited his fathers land (M12) in 1753. He acquired another property (J5) out by Cross Keys in 1765, which he had surveyed in 1766, and in 1768 sold to George Noll. This was a part of the land warranted by James Reed in 1746. Not long after 1768, Nicholas and his son Peter relocated to Buchanan Valley in that part of York County which later became Adams County. Michael Strasbach, youngest son of Nicholas Sr) acquired land south of Pigeon Hills and off the area covered by the Land Map. Most Strausbaugh families of York County and eastern Adams County, descended from Michael Strasbach. It should not be construed from the preceding, that these families straggled into this area over a period of time. Study of various records provides evidence the better lands in this settlement were occupied by 1741. Lands taken by Princess Augusta families were some of the best. In order to acquire an almost contiguous group of these prime properties, immediately surrounding the land John Abbott and Jacob Eyler, the whole group of these families must have arrived within a very short period of time, probably in 1738 or 1739, certainly not later than 1740. They were the original warrantees of most of this land. The Strasbach (Strausbaugh), Noel, and Delon (Dillon) families stayed in this settlement for some time and descendants of the Strausbaugh family still live in surrounding areas. Part of the Strausbaugh, Noel and Dillon families moved to Buchanan Valley in Northwest Adams County and descendants of these Straus- baugh and Dillon families still live in that area. Some of the second generation of these families were born in the settlement, essentially all reached adulthood and married here. The only marriage between the second generation of these families that might have occurred before they reached the Pigeon Hills was that of Nicholas Ory and Anna Strasbach. The Strausbaugh Family History Working Copy written by Don Osborn, 1983-1985 Scanned and edited, Barbara Brady O'Keefe, 1998 The Strausbaugh Family History Part 1 Nicholas Strausbaugh, the Immigrant Part 2 Nicholas Strausbaugh, Jr. Branch Part 3 Michael Strausbaugh Branch Part 4 Daughters of Nicholas Strausbaugh, Sr. Part 5 Unidentified Strausbaugh Families Part 6 Associated Families INTRODUCTION The Strausbaugh Family of York and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania The Following material was prepared by Don Osborn, Muscatine, Iowa. We corresponded for years, and then we lost touch and have not written one another for years. I understand Don moved from Muscatine to another city in Iowa, but I do not have the address. Don was a wonderful thorough researcher, and a good friend. I am attempting to get these pages into one compilation, and dedicate it to him. I hope it has not been published or under copywrite, but I'm sure Don would not mind, in the interest of genealogy, and Don definitely is an avid one. Barbara Brady O'Keefe, Miami, Fl, 1998 Feb 2 83 THE STRAUSBAUGH FAMILY HISTORY PART 1 NICHOLAS STRAUSBAUGH THE IMMIGRANT CHAPTER 1-1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STRAUSBAUGH FAMILY HISTORY SYNOPSIS This is the history of the Strausbaugh families descended from the immigrant, Nicholas Strausbaugh, who in the summer of 1736, sailed from Rotterdam, Hol- land, with his wife and family , and arrived in America at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 16, 1736, and eventually settled in Paradise Town- ship, York County, Pennsylvania, where he died in the year 1753. Nicholas Strausbaugh arrived in America with six children. At the time of his death, there were ten known surviving children, three sons and seven daughters. Of the three sons, the second son died shortly after his father, without heirs, thus the decendants of the name are either from the eldest son, Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr, or from the youngest, Michael Strausbaugh. Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr. lived in a number of locations, including what is now Menallen Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. Most of the Strausbaugh fam- ilies who lived in, or migrated out of the western half of Adams County, are descended from Nicholas Jr. Michael Strausbaugh lived in Paradise Township, York County, and Pennsylvania. Most of the Strausbaugh families who lived in, or migrated out of York County and the eastern portion of Adams County, Pennsylvania are descended from Michael. The seven daughters of Nicholas Strausbaugh all married and had descendants. These sisters, Anna Strausbaugh Urigh, Mary Ann Strausbaugh Decker, Barbara Strausbaugh Hinds, Margaret Strausbaugh Noel, Matalena Strausbaugh Gogh, Cath- erine Strausbaugh Schoff, and Judith Strausbaugh Heidler, together with their brothers Nicholas and Michael Strausbaugh were the ancestors of many of the old families of York and Adams Counties. Some Strausbaugh families still reside in the general area of the original settlement in York and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania, however, most have scat- tered to other places. About 1810 some of the descendants started moving westward, particularly into Ohio. Today, descendants are found spread through most of the states of United States. It is believed that the great majority of the Strausbaugh families of various spellings, now living in the United States are descended from this immigrant ancestor, Nicholas Strausbaugh. THE STRAUSBAUGH FAMIIY NAME In the 20th Century, Strausbaugh appears to be the spelling of the name most commonly used by the descendants of the immigrant, Nicholas Strausbaugh. The second most common spelling is Strasbaugh. A few other variations of the spel- ling still exist. In the early years the family was in America, many variations of spelling were used. In this family history, Strausbaugh is used as the general purpose spelling. Other spellings are used when quoting a specific record, or in reference to such a record, and elsewhere when appropriate. While the Strausbaugh spelling is common today, this was not always the case. This spelling has evolved as such in the last 100 years of the almost 250 year history of the family in America. During the first 100 years, Strasbach was the most common spelling, but it was just one of many. Essentially nothing is known concerning the original European spelling or pronunciation of the name. The immigrant, Nicholas, could not write his name. On the first day that he was in America, his name was written into the Pennsyl- vania Provincial records four times, with four different spellings. It was recorded probably by Englishmen, who wrote it down as they heard it spoken in a foreign tongue, and then Nicholas signed with his mark. In later years, re- searchers studying these ancient documents have transcribed and published their interpretations of these old hand written spellings. To date, published trans- criptions have been found which provide five different spellings of his name as it was recorded on his first day in America. These are: Nicolas Trasbart, Nicollas Drasbart, Collas Drasbart, Colas Drasbarb, and Collas Prasbart. It takes a little imagination to relate these to the modern spelling. Thus, it is seen that the name Strausbaugh is probably an American invention or an evolutionary derivation from the original, whatever that may have been. The names Strausbaugh and Strasbach appear to be typical German names, but it is doubtful that Nicholas was even German. He did settle in an area of Pennsylvania which soon became predominately German in heritage. Thus it is possible that with time the original name became Germanized as well as Americanized in both pronunciation and spelling. It must be remembered that for the greater part of the 250 years that the family has been in America, the name was written down by record keepers as they heard it, or as they thought it should be spelled. In many instances this was true even when the person could write their own name. Written signatures were most often used for signing legal record documents. For these documents, if the person could not write, he made his mark along side his name after it was written by others. Following are various spellings found during family research: Drasbart, Dras- barb, Prasbart, Trasbart, Trasbach, Trasback, Trasbaugh, Tresback, Treshback, Trosbach, Trosbaugh, Trospaugh, Stars bach, Strasbach, Strasback, Strasbaugh, Strawsbach, Strawsbaugh, Strawsbauch, Strawsbauck, Strassbach, Strasbock, Strassbaugh, Strosbach, Strosback, Stroosbaugh, Strausbaugh, Strausbough, CHAPTER 1-2 NICHOLAS STRAUSBAUGH THE IMMIGRANT FIRST GENERATION 100 -1 NICHOLAS STRAUSBAUGH Born: c 1696 Northcentral Europe, possibly Alsace-Lorraine Died: c 1753 Paradise Twp, York Co, PA Immigrated: 16 Sep 1736 Rotterdam, Holland to Philadelphia, PA Ship: Princess Augusta, Samuel Marchant, Master Resided: c 1738-c1749 Lancaster Co, PA C 1749-c1753 Paradise Twp, York Co, PA Parents: Unknown Married: c1718 Spouse: Name unknown Born: Europe Died: p1753 PA Children: 3 sons and 7 daughters known, order of daughters unknown 201-1 Nicholas Jr c 1721 Northcentral Europe 211-2 John 173- died prior to 1763, without heirs 221-3 Michael c 1742 PA 231-4 Anna c 1719 Northcentral Europe 241-5 Mary Ann 172- Northcentral Europe 251-6 Barbara 172- Northcentral Europe 261-7 Margaret 17-- Northcentral Europe 271-8 Matalena 173- probably Europe 281-9 Catherine 173- probably PA 291-10 Judith 173- PA * The proper order of the children is not known Nicholas Strausbaugh, the immigrant ancestor, was 40 years of age when he arrived in America in the year 1736, indicating that he was born about the year 1696. Essentially nothing is known concerning his parentage, birth place, marriage, or his early life in Europe. Because of the religious preference of the majority of his children and grandchildren, it is assumed that Nicholas was of the the Roman Catholic faith. Based on somewhat flimsy circumstantial evi- dence, it appears that his origin may have been in the Alsace-Lorraine region of Northcentral Europe, and that he and his family traveled down the Rhine River with a small group of Catholic families from that area, who were bound for America. From wherever he may have come, the termination of the European portion of the journey was at Rotterdam, Holland, located at the mouth of the Rhine River. Rotterdam was the principle port of embarkation for those emi- grants who came down the Rhine. In the summer of 1736, Nicholas Strausbaugh, his wife and six children, boarded the ship. Princess Augusta, captained by Samuel Marchant, which sailed from Rotterdam, Holland, made a stop for provisions at Cowes on the English Isle of Wight, sailed across the Atlantic to Philadelphia, arriving on, or shortly before, September 16, 1736. The trip across the Atlantic could not have been an easy journey. From Captain Marchant's manifesto, it is learned that there were approximately 330 passen- gers crowded into the sailing vessel. Of these, 112 were males over 16 years of age, the remaining 218 were women and children. Two male passengers are known to have died during the journey and the number of women and children who shared this fate is unknown. Five of the male passengers were too sick to make the appearance before the Philadelphia Court upon arrival. Captain Marchant's manifesto indicated that the passengers were from the Pala- tinate and other places. This suggests that the majority of the passengers were from the Palatinate* However, there is reason to believe that Nicholas Strausbaugh was not included in this majority. On September 16, 1736, Captain Marchant and the male passengers appeared before the Philadelphia Court for qualification as required by the laws of the Pro- vince of Pennsylvania. The captain presented to the court his list of male passengers over sixteen years of age who were transported to Pennsylvania on the Princess Augusta. The Court prepared two lists on which the passengers either signed their names, or if they could not write their name, they signed with their mark alongside the name as it was written down by the Court's recorder. Thus, for those who could not write, the name was written with a phonetic spelling as heard by the recorder. These three lists, which are extant, contain essentially all the known informa- tion concerning Nicholas Strausbaugh prior to his arrival in America* These three lists are published in "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" by Strasssburger and Hinke and are identified as lists A, B, and C, List A being Captain Mar- chant's list, and Lists B and C being the two lists prepared by the Philadel- phia Courts. List A is of the most importance to the Strausbaugh history as it gives Nicholas's age and the number of persons in his family. The other lists are of interest as they indicate which of the passengers signed their own names and which signed with their mark. Nicholas Strausbaugh signed with his mark. Nicholas's name appeared twice on List A, thus from the three lists, there are found four phonetic spellings of his name. None of the four are identical. On List A, Nicholas is found as "Nicollas Drasbart and Nicolas Trasbart", on List B as "Collas (+) Drasbart" and on List C as "Collas (+) Prasbart." The (+) indicates Nicholas's mark. Some of these differences in name spellings may be due in part to difficulty in reading the deteriorated original documents and in deciphering the ancient handwriting. It must also be remembered that the documents were prepared by probably at least three different persons whose spelling proficiencies undoubt- edly varied and for those passengers who could not write, the phonetic spel- lings might vary considerably, depending on the familiarity of the recorder with the language or dialect in which the name was pronounced. An analysis of how Nicholas's name was written by others suggests the following concerning the pronunciation of his name. The absence of the "S" indicates that it was either missing or was very soft and followed by a harsh consonant which made the "S" insignificant, also that it was hard to distinguish whether the consonant was a "t", "d", or "p". The dropping of the "Mi" from Nicholas suggests a French rather than German pronunciation, Ni-kol'as, with a soft first syllable, rather than Nik'o-las* The preceding suggests the possibility that the Nicholas Strausbaugh family was from one of the French provinces along the Rhine River, rather than from one of the German provinces. While there were numbers of French refugees in the German Palatinate and also in Holland, these were predominately Protestant Huguenots rather than Catholics. Captain Marchant's list contains an oddity which indicates that research re- lated to the origins of some of the other families aboard the Princess Augusta might possibly provide information concerning the origin of the Strausbaugh family. Following his list of the 112 males over 16 years of age. Captain Marchant also provided a listing of a few of the families aboard the Princess Augusta. In the following table, the first column is Captain Marchant's family list, the remaining three columns give the names as spelled on Lists A, B, and C: Family List List A List B List C Francis Ore, a wife Francis Ory *Francois Ory *Francois Ory 3 children age 56 Nicholas Ore Nicholas Oree *Nicholas Ory *Nicholas Ory Age 26 Nicolas Trasbart, Nicollas Drasbart Collas Drasbart Collas Prasbart Wife, 6 children Pierre Dilon,wife Petter Delo *Pierre Dulon *Pierre Dulon 4 children age 40 Nicolas Gerard, Nichols Gerrard *N Gerard *N Gerard a wife age 30 Jean Francois Chretien Francis Christian *Jean Francois *Jean Francois a wife, 1 child age 40 Chrestien Chrestien Eneas Newell, Ennos Newell Enoas Nowell Ennos Newell a wife, 1 child age 36 Joseph Newell, Joseph Newell *Joseph Noel *Joseph Noel Wife 6 children, age 56 of whom Pierre Petter Newell Peter Nowell Pieter Newell Newell is one age 16 In the above lists, the names preceded by * are those which were written in the person's own hand. One can only speculate as to why Captain Mar-chant, with 330 passengers on his ship, chose to prepare such a listing for 6 family groups with a total of only 36 passengers. Were these families of a higher class distinction than the others? Where the heads of these families better known to the captain, and possibly were those who shared the captains table? Had they paid for better quarters for their families? Was the captain more conversant in their language or dialect than the others? From the lists, it is surmised that, particularly for those who signed their own names, the spellings generally appear to be French rather than German. Nicholas Ory appears to have been the son of Francis Ory. Joseph, Ennos, and Peter Noel appear to have been of the same family. Joseph was 20 years older than Ennos, and Ennos 20 years older than Peter, however Peter was the son of Joseph, therefore Ennos was probably either an older son or younger brother of Joseph Noel. At the time of this writing, comprehensive research on these other families has not been done. However, information has been found which pertains to a con- tinuing relationship between the Strausbaugh (Trasbart), Urigh (Ore), Delone (Dulon), Noel, and Krichten (Chrestien) families extending through several generations. This suggests an association of these families from the time of boarding the Princess Augusta at Rotterdam and perhaps even earlier. Presently no information is available directly related to the religious beliefs of the immigrant families. However based on the church associations of their children and grandchildren, it is believed that the Strausbaugh, Delone, Noel, and Krichten families were Catholic while the Urigh family was Lutheran. This suggests a different type relationship between the Strausbaugh family and the Urigh family than with the other families. Information concerning the origins of the Delon, Noel, and Krichten families of the Princess Augusta is no better than for the Strausbaugh family. However, later immigrations of other Delone and Noel families from Alsace and Lorraine, who were possibly related to the Princess Augusta families, does suggest the Alsace-Lorraine region as a place of origin. For centuries these adjoining principalities were pawns of the wars between the French and Germans. They were exposed to the language and heritage of both. In the early 1700s many were bilingual, speaking both German and French, with French being the language of the courts and business and the most commonly written language. While this is highly speculative, the Alsace-Lorraine region appears to fit this small group aboard the Princess Augusta better than most other regions along the Rhine. The first record of Nicholas Strausbaugh after arrival in Pennsylvania is found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where, on September 1, 1738, Nicholas Stars- bach and Nicholas Orie each secured a warrant for one hundred acres of land in Conestoga Township. Neither a survey or a patent deed followed for either of the properties, suggesting that they soon moved on to other parts. Francis Ore, father of Nicholas, apparently settled in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, and records of some of his children are found in the regis- ters of the Lutheran Churches of the area. However, his son Nicholas followed the Strausbaugh family, first to Conestago Township, Lancaster County and eventually on to Paradise Township, York County, Pennsylvania. The reason for this becomes finally apparent in the administration of the estate of Nicholas Strausbaugh where it is learned that Nicholas's daughter Anna married Nicholas Urigh. The Strausbaugh family may also spent time in Cocalico Township and Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr may have resided there as late as 1755. Sometime, about 1748 or 1749, Nicholas Strausbaugh and Nicholas Urigh crossed the Susquehanna River into that part of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which in 1749 was to become York County. On September 10, 1750, Nicholas Strasbach was granted a patent for 100 acres of land in Paradise Township, York County, adjoining the land of Nicholas Oury and Gotlib Breigner, including his improvements, for which he agreed to pay the rate of 15 pounds, 10 shillings, with lawful interest for the same, and a yearly quit-rent of one-half penny Sterling for every acre thereof. It is not known when Nicholas Strausbaugh and Nicholas Urigh first settled on this land in Paradise Township, or when Nicholas Strausbaugh made the original application for a warrant, however, since the land then included his improve- ments, it can be assumed that he had been there for some period of time. Although Anna Strausbaugh and her husband Nicholas Urigh moved along with the Strausbaugh family, rather than remaining in the same vicinity as the other Urigh families, they appear to have followed the Lutheran faith. Presently, the routes taken from Philadelphia to York County by the immigrant Delone, Noel, and Krichten families are unknown, but they, or at least some of their children ended up settling in in York County in the area surrounding Conewago Chapel. This was then a small Roman Catholic log mission house, established in 1741 by Jesuit missionaries sent out from Baltimore, Maryland. This site is now occupied by the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is still commonly known as Conewago Chapel, and is a well known Pennsylvania historic religious shrine. Conewago Chapel is located in what is now Conewago Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, and about three miles west of Hanover, Pennsylvania. The presence of this Catholic chapel was probably what drew the Strausbaugh, Noel, Delone, and Krichten families to the Conewago area. In 1736, when these families arrived in America, there were few Catholics and few Catholic Churches in Pennsylvania. While Pennsylvania was one of the few colonies which professed to have freedom of religion. Catholics were not wel- comed with open arms by the general populace. Thus the existence of a Catho- lic church and congregation on the western frontier of Pennsylvania was un- doubtedly an attraction to these Catholic families. The extant records of Conewago Chapel do not begin until about 1791, therefore they do not provide any assistance in researching the early years of these families. However records of later generations of all four of these families are to be found in the registers of Conewago Chapel. Intermarriages between the Strausbaugh, Delone, and Noel families occurred for a number of genera- tions. It appears that some of the Krichten family settled in the immediate vicinity of Conewago Chapel, in what is now Conewago Township, Adams County. Some of the Noel family and possibly some of the Delone family settled a few miles north in the Pigeon Hills in what is now Berwick Township, Adams County, and Nicholas Strausbaugh and Nicholas Urigh settled to the east of the Pigieon Hills, across Beaver Creek into what is now Paradise Township, York County. At the time of their settlement this whole area was a part of Lancaster County, the entire area became part of York County when it was formed from Lancaster County in 1749, and the area was split when Adams County was formed from York County in 1800. Thus, in the early years, these families were located relative- ly close together and close to Conewago Chapel. The dates of arrival of each of these families into the Conewago area is not known. It has been said that the so-called French settlement in the Pidgeon Hills, was started about 1749. The Noel family supposedly was one of the early families in this settlement. Perhaps the Strausbaugh family, Nicholas Urigh, the Delones, Noels, and Krichten families all came into the Conewago area shortly before 1750, from some previous common settlement in Lancaster County. Essentially nothing is known concerning the life of Nicholas Strausbaugh during the period that he lived in Paradise Township, York County, Pennsylvania. The only found records concern the administration of his estate. Nicholas Strausbaugh died during the year 1753, at an age of about 57, as on October 25, 1753, letters of administration for the estate of Nicholas Strausbaugh were granted to his oldest son, Nicholas. Nicholas Jr. rendered his account of administration on everything but the real estate on January 2, 1755. On March 26, 1755, Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr. declared in Orphans Court that the property of his father could not be divided equally among the heirs. He asked the Court to summon an inquest to place a value on the real estate in prepara- tion for its disposition. On the same date he gave a bond for the faithful performance of his duties as the executor. This was necessary because he was then living outside the province, in Frederick County, Maryland. Also on the same day, Nicholas Strasbach of Frederic County, Maryland, sold for 100 pounds, to F. Jollah and Godlip Briegner of Paradise Township, lands formerly of his father, Nicholas Strasbaugh, deceased. The final episode in the settling the estate of Nicholas Strausbaugh did not occur until March 1763. Apparently the inquest requested in 1755 never func- tioned and the Court ordered a second inquest. The property of Nicholas Strausbaugh, deceased, was appraised at a value of 128 pounds, and was to be divided as follows: Nicholas, the oldest son, to keep his share and that of his brother John, deceased at full age, since the death of his father; and the rest to be divided equally between the rest of the heirs. The other heirs were listed as: Anna, wife of Nicholas Urigh; Mary Ann, wife of John Decker; Bar- bara, wife of Anthony Hidsman (Hinds); Margaret, wife of Nicholas Noel; Lena wife of George Gogh; Catherine, wife of Jacob Schoffin (Schoff); Judith, wife of John Heidieren (Heidler); and son Michael Strasbach. The places of burial are not known for either Nicholas Strausbaugh, the immi- grant, or his wife. His wife, whose name is unknown, was not mentioned in the administration of his estate and it is assumed that she died before Nicholas. INDEX OF NAMES AND GENEALOGICAL NUMBERS 100-1 Nicholas Strausbaugh, Immigrant 201-1 Nicholas 211-2 John 221-3 Michael 231-4 Anna 241-5 Mary Ann 251-6 Barbara 261-7 Margaret 271-8 Matalena 281-9 Catherine 291-10 Judith 201-1 Nicholas Strausbaugh Jr and Matlena 301-1 Peter and Barbara Noel 401-1 Michael 402-2 Catherine and William Cobb 502-1 John 502-2 William 502-3 Mary Ann 502-4 Abraham 403-3 Susanna 404-4 Elizabeth and Peter Delone 504-1 Maria 504-2 Joseph 504-3 Unknown 504-4 Barbara 504-5 Samuel 405-5 Joseph and Christina Berger 505-1 Elizabeth and John Hull 505-2 Peter and Sophia Grim 605-11 Sarah Ann 605-12 Esther 605-13 Matilda 605-14 Abraham 605-15 Catherine 605-16 Sophia 505-2b Peter and Elizabeth Devault 605-17 Amos B. 605-18 Lydia Ann 605-19 Nancy Jane 605-20 Peter 605-21 Sophia 605-22 Clarisa 605-23 Lafayette 605-24 Rebecca 505-3 Valentine and Barbary Barger 605-25 Margaret 505-3b Valentine and Mary 605-26 Ellsworth 505-4 Barbara and Henry Barger 605-27 Christina 605-28 Nancy 605-29 Jane 605-30 Eliza 505-5 Michael and Mary Morehead 605-31 David 505-6 Susanna 505-7 Nancy 505-8 Margaret and Samuel Devault 605-41 Mary E 605-42 Joseph 605-43 Samuel 605-44 Christina 605-45 Barbara A 605-46 Lewis 505-9 Joseph and Rebecca Devault 605-51 Caroline 605-52 Ephriam 605-53 Almond 605-54 Rachael 605-55 Hiram 605-56 Sylvester 605-57 Emma 505-10 Ephriam and Jane Barger 605-61 Henry B. 605-62 Martha J 605-63 Margaret 605-64 John A 505-10b Ephriam and Catherine Strausbaugh 605-65 Clarence 505-11 Christina 406-6 Margaret 407-7 Jacob and Mary Beamer 507-1 Peter and Elizabeth Pollock 507-2 John and Sarah Smith 507-3 Samuel and Mary 607-1 Jacob 607-2 Elizabeth 607-3 Mary 507-4 Barbara 507-5 Mary Magdalen 507-6 Jacob and Mary Heist 408-8 Joanna 409-9 Barbara and John Weaver 509-1 Barbara 509-2 Elizabeth 509-3 John 509-4 Anna 509-5 Henrietta 509-6 Magdelena 509-7 David A 509-8 Margaret 509-9 John 410-10 John 411-11 Peter and Catherine Berger 511-1 Valentine and Anne 611-1 Lucindia 611-2 George 611-3 Catherine J 511-2 John and Jane 611-11 Joseph 611-12 Nancy 611-13 Nellie 511-3 Hannah and William Dewalt 511-4 George and Mary Elizabeth Smith 611-41 Malinda 611-42 Son 611-43 Elizabeth 511-5 Daughter 511-6 William and Jane T Busby 611-61 John ` 611-62 Henry B 611-63 Isaac 611-64 Delilah 611-65 Abraham 611-66 Jacob 611-67 George 511-7 Michael and Christina Strausbaugh 611-71 Rosanna 611-72 Mary M 611-73 Leletha 611-74 Hannah 611-75 Sarah C 511-8 Daughter 511-9 Son 412-12 Abraham and Catherine Bittinger 512-1 Anna Johanna 512-2 Abraham Samuel 512-3 Charles Abraham and Mary 612-1 Mary M 612-2 Catherine J 612-3 Louisa 512-4 William 512-5 John and Maria 612-10 James 612-11 Susanna 612-12 Augustin 512-6 Jacob Francis and Mary 512-7 Adam 512-8 Josephine 413-13 Anna 414-14 George and Elizabeth Bittinger 514-1 Nancy and George Cole 614-1 Jacob J and Josephine Rider 714-1 Edward J 714-2 Francis I 714-3 Mary J 714-4 Ellen C 714-5 Flemming C 714-6 Joseph K 714-7 Thomas J 714-8 Sara M (Pearl) 614-2 Josephine E 614-3 Mary E 614-4 Sarah J 614-5 Nancy J 514-2 Sarah and John Cole 514-3 Margaret and William Shepard 514-4 Lucy Anne and Joseph Warner 514-5 Mary Elizabeth and John McKendrick 514-6 Susanna and Vincent Childers 514-7 John William 301-2 John 211-2 John, died without issue 221-3 Michael Strasbach Sr and Eva Catherine Staub 321-1 John 421.1 Frederick 421-2 John and Sally Maurer 521-1 Andrew 421-2b John and Mary Blair 521-2 Margaret 521-2 Ambrose Anthony 521-4 John Frederick 421-3 Margaret 421-4 Catherine 421-5 Mary Magdalena 421-6 Anthony and Anna Nancy Magers 521-5 Mary Isabella 521-6 William 521-7 Martha Berlinda 521-8 Lewis 521-9 Daughter 521-10 Edmund 521-11 Mary Agnes 521-12 Thomas Augustine 521-13 Joseph Alexius 521-14 Alexius Miles 421-7 Jacob and Dorothy Bahn/Bohn 521-71 Matthias 521-72 Anne Marie 521-73 Catherine 521-74 Lucy 521-75 Emos Henry 521-76 Susan 421-8 Susan and Samuel Allwine/Alwine 521-81 Thomas F John 521-82 Joanna Mary 521-83 Margaret Eliza 521-84 Mary Anna 521-85 Pius 322-2 Michael Jr and Margaretha 422-1 Catherine "Kitty" and Michael Noel 522-1 Benjamin 522-2 Joseph Elias 522-3 Mary 522-4 Catherine 522-5 Michael 522-6 Margaret 422-2 John Michael and Margaret Elizabeth Marks 522-11 George 522-12 Henry 522-13 Elizabeth 522-14 Magdalen 522-15 Joseph 522-16 Anthony 522-17 Mary Anna 522-18 Sarah 522-19 Catherine and Joseph Bracht 622-191 William F 522-20 Michael 522-21 Agnes 422-3 Polly and Jacob Noel 522-25 Margaret 522-26 Jacob 522-27 Andrew 422-4 George and Mary Catherine Rutlege 522-31 Mark Soloman 522-32 Ismael 522-33 Mary 522-34 Laurence 522-35 Anastasius 522-36 Eva Catherine 522-37 Francis Xavier 422-5 Samuel and Margaret Topper 522-51 Elizabeth 522-52 Susan 522-53 John 522-54 Samuel 522-55 Michael 522-56 Mary Margaret 522-57 James Peter 422-6 Henry and Elizabeth Winters 522-61 Susan 522-62 Elizabeth 522-63 Margaret 522-64 Rebecca 522-65 Michael 522-66 Anthony (Henry) 522-67 Mary 522-68 Louise (Lucy) 522-69 Matthew 522-70 Joseph 522-71 Sarah Agnes 422-7 Peter and Dorothy Bower 522-72 Anna Mary 422-8 Jacob and Margarethe Flanagan 522-81 Michael 522-82 Susan 522-83 Joseph 522-84 Jacob Henry 522-85 John Francis 522-86 Mary Elizabeth 422-9 Margaretha 323-3 Catherine 324-4 Magdalena 325-5 Peter and Anna Maria Wans 425-1 John and Christina Ickes 525-1 Jacob 525-2 Mary Anna 525-3 Caroline 425-2 Son 425-3 Maria 425-4 Jacob and Margaret Ehedron (Eckenrode, BOK?) 525-31 Peter 425-5 Joseph and Margaret Weinbrenner 525-41 Anna Maria 525-42 Sarah 525-43 Amelia 525-44 Edward 525-45 Mary Ann 525-46 Louisa Appolonia 425-5b Joseph and Rebecca 525-47 Levi 525-48 Caroline 525-49 Harriett 425-6 Adam and Judith Klung/Klunk 525-51 Jerome 525-52 Mary A 425-7 Son 425-8 Theresa 326-6 Elizabeth 327-7 Jacob and Name Unknown 427-1 John and Sara Wans? 527-1 Mary 427-2 Peter and Martha Patterson 527-11 James 527-12 Anna Marie 527-13 Jeremiah and Mary Elizabeth Bishop 627-1 Emma 627-2 William O 627-3 Mary Susan 627-4 Charles 627-5 Luther G 627-6 Martha Jane 627-7 Edith 527-14 William 527-15 Anna Margaret 327-7b Jacob and Anna Nancy Bingham 427-3 Elias 427-4 Maria Anna 427-5 Henry 427-6 Tobias 427-7 Matilda Nancy 427-8 Cath. Magdalen 427-9 James William 427-10 Aloysius 427-11 Bernard Albert 427-12 Francis 328-8 Henry and Catherine Wagner 428-1 Benjamin Paul and Margaret Rebecca Noel 528-1 Catherine 528-2 Henry 528-3 Peter 528-4 Mary A 328-8b Henry and Maria Serf 428-2 Catherine and Daniel Saurbier 528-11 Francis Ignatius 528-12 Samuel Aloysius 528-13 James 428-3 Susan 428-4 Elizabeth and Peter Haefling 428-5 Charlotte 428-6 Mary Caroline 428-7 Rebecca and Joseph McMaster 528-41 James Henry 528-42 Levi Anthony 528-43 Mary Catherine 528-44 Gabrielle Joana 528-45 Rosa Ann Marg. 528-46 John Francis 528-47 Agnes 528-48 Sarah 528-49 Joseph Aloysius 329-9 Adam and Margaret Fissel 429-1 Adam and Rebecca Throne/Trone 529-1 Abraham 529-2 Sarah 529-3 Jonas 429-2 Jacob and Mary 529-4 Edward 529-5 Jacob 529-6 Lucinda 529-7 Caroline 529-8 Anna Mary 529-9 Amanda 429-3 Nicholas Abraham and Maria Kaltrider 529-11 Magdalene 529-12 Mandilla 529-13 Abraham 529-14 Adam 529-15 Laura 529-16 Meary (Mary?) 429-4 Margaret Anna 429-5 John and Sarah 529-31 Samuel 529-32 Jacob 529-33 Charles 429-6 Elizabeth 429-7 Joseph 429-8 Catherine 330-10 Nicholas and Catherine Sneeringer 430-1 Juliana 530-1 James Ambrose 530-2 Son 530-3 Daughter 430-1b Juliana and Henry Hart 530-4 Caroline 530-5 Matilda Elizabeth 530-6 Mary Magdalen 530-7 Henry Nicholas 430-2 Mary Elizabeth 330-10b Nicholas and Mary Magdalen Heidler 430-3 John 430-4 Josias 430-5 Son 430-6 Anna Maria 430-7 Mary Magdalen and Samuel Althoff 530-11 Louis James 530-12 Alexander C 530-13 Mary Elenora 530-14 John Samuel 530-15 Marsha Ann 530-16 Agatha and John Brady 430-8 Frederick 530-17 Emma Mary 430-9 Daughter 430-10 William 430-11 Daniel Andrew and Louisa Tyson 430-12 Henry 231-4 Anna and Nicholas Urigh/Ory 231-5 Mary Ann and John Decker 231-6 Barbara and Anthony Hidsman/Hinds 231-7 Margaret and Nicholas Noel 231-8 Matalena and George Gogh 231-9 Catherine and Jacob Schoffin/Schoff 231-10 Judith and John Heidler