Private William Henry Christman
First Person Buried in Arlington National Cemetery

From research and database of:
Charles F. Kerchner, Jr., P.E.
Commander USNR (Retired)
Emmaus PA 18049-1544
(a Jacob Christman descendant)

Christman Research started: 1975
Initial Christman Page Posted Online: 16 Jul 2001
Last Updated: 21 Nov 2007


An interesting Christman tidbit.
 Private William Christman
The first soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetry.

Death and Internment record of Private William Christman

Research note: In February, 2003, I found the Arlington National Cemetery webpage online about Private William Christman being the first soldier buried there and added the link in my Christman webpage. In the spring of 2006 David Christman contacted me about helping him with his personal Christman genealogy puzzles. I subsequently linked him to Jacob Christman's line. Since David Christman is retired from the U.S. Army, he also had a great interest in Private Christman. We then collaboratively started researching Private Christman and in June 2006 I concentrated in earnest on finding his exact lineage. Amongst the clues to his lineage was that his mother's name was Mary A., which David Christman found online. That led to finding the correct family group in Monroe County PA. And with that information, I deduced that Private William Christman was William Henry Christman, the son of Jonas and Mary Ann Christman originally of Lehigh County PA, last of Monroe Co PA. And that Jonas Christman per my many years of Jacob Christman genealogy research was the son of George Christman and Sarah Fegely, of Macungie Twsp, Lehigh County PA. This George Christman was a direct descendant of our Jacob Christman, born c1711. Thus Private William Christman was not related to the other early immigrant Henry Christman family which originally settled in what is now Monroe Co PA. Nor was this Jonas Christman family related to the immigrant Daniel Christman family of what is now Montomery Co PA. Private William Christman was the great-great-grandson of our Jacob Christman, the immigrant, born c1711 somewhere in Europe, likely in what is now Germany, died 1761 in Upper Milford Township in what is now Lehigh County PA. Private Christman's direct line goes as follows: Jacob, Henry, Johan George, Jonas Christman who married to Mary Ann (maiden name unknown at this time), to Private William Christman. Private William Christman is my third cousin, three times removed. Our common ancestor is the immigrant, Jacob Christman (c1711-1761). My direct early line in the above chart is Jacob, Philip, Johan Henry, Anna Maria aka Polly Christman who married Johannes Frederick Kerchner. Copies of the the survivor's pension application filed by his mother were ordered in collaboration with David Christman in July 2006. Those records when received in early August 2006 conclusively proved that my prior research was correct and that the lineage above for Private William Henry Christman is correct. Private William Christman and I are 3rd Cousins, 3 steps removed.

Visit to Private William Christman's Grave at Arlington Cemetery by Charles Kerchner on 7 Nov 2009

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have corrections or more information to share with me about this family.

Charles F. Kerchner, Jr., P.E.
3765 Chris Drive
Emmaus PA 18049-1544 USA
E-Mail: Contact Me

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Charles F. Kerchner, Jr., P.E.
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Pages Created: 17 Jul 2001
Last Updated: 08 Nov 2009