This report was started decades ago and is written over a period of many years and thus reads like an unfolding narrative describing my initial mistakes and ultimate correct answers. So please understand that what I know now is not what I knew when I started researching my mother's Laudenslager family ancestry over 50 years ago. I hope you find the information posted in this web site useful. If you have additional information on this family name, or if you find typos or other errors, please contact me and let me know so I may update this site and provide useful, accurate information to online researchers of this surname. And if you use information from this report and my research, please give appropriate credit to this source.

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---

ANCESTRY OF LAUDENSLAGER FAMILY
(of Lehigh County, Pa.)



-- plus --

connections to early families

of

Agel, Jockel, Jäckel, Reber, Jarret, Wetzel, Hamman,
Stoudt, Kemmerer, Keck, Ritter, Roeder, Fink,
Horn, Correl, Ettinger, and Fehler.



by: Charles F. Kerchner, Jr., P.E. (Retired)



Member:
Lehigh County Historical Society
Macungie Historical Society
Lower Macungie Township Historical Society
Upper Milford Township Historical Society
Berks County Genealogical Society
Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center
Sons of the American Revolution


Research Started: 1975
This Report Written: Nov 29, 1993
Webpage Created: Sep 01, 1996
Latest Revision: Jul 28, 2026

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 2

Also, when researching German families of the 1700's one must understand a very common naming custom practiced by the German's of those times. When baptized, the child was given a spiritual church name in addition to their given secular name. This spiritual name was recorded as their first given name in the baptismal record. What we would now call the person's middle name was actually their secular second given name. Thus a person baptized Johann George Lautenschlager was known to the secular world only as George Lautenschlager. You would only see the spiritual name of that person used by that person, if used at all after baptism, at important religious events such as confirmation or marriage. Sometimes the person may have used the first initial with his legal secular name such as J. George Lautenschlager. Many families used the same spiritual name for all their children. Thus all the male children were Johann this or spelled slightly differently, Johan that. And all the females would be Anna Maria this or Anna Maria that. So remember this when researching early German family names.

How do we start the search. The first place researched was the family and family oral history. The next place I looked to was the 1914 county history and other historical books found in the Trexler Library of the Lehigh County Historical Society. Then of course field trips to local churches and cemeteries. And snail-mail letter writing to people. My early research years were all before computers, email, and the internet. Ultimately after many years my research took me to Germany and German Church records.

The Laudenslagers of Lehigh County PA, according to family tradition and a short genealogical report in the History of Lehigh County, by Roberts, published in 1914, were alleged to have emigrated in the 1770's from Germany. The article on page 790 of the History of Lehigh County reports that they arrived about 1776 (which could not be correct). No ships carrying immigrants from Germany arrived in that year due to the on-going Revolutionary War and the blockade of trade and further immigration to the colonies by the British. Also there were several errors in that county history genealogical account as it intermixed children from two different immigrants (brothers) who had descendants living in Lehigh County PA in the 1912/1914 time frame.

My early research concluded that our direct progenitor named George emigrated in the year 1771 from a forested mountainous area known as the Odenwald, Hessen, Germany which is in an area east of the cities of Darmstadt and Heidelberg. They were "Evangelisch" which in German means they were Protestants as compared to Roman Catholic. They were of the Lutheran religion but later generations were also associated with the German Reformed Church congregations in Allentown PA. Immigrants from this region of Germany were all known as "Palatines" even though many were not from the Reich State of Palatinate. Many were from the states of Hessen and Baden-Wuerttemburg. The immigrants came to America because of religious persecution, political tyranny, poor economic conditions, and frequent wars, all of which were the rule rather than the exception in this area during the 1600's and 1700's. Roman Catholic monarchs and electors fought Protestant princes and electors to gain control of this area of Germany.

The "Thirty Year War" (1618-1648) destroyed most of this area and much of Europe. Over 70% of the population of the Palatinate was lost in this struggle. The Thirty Year War ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. The treaty guaranteed peaceful co-existence between all religious denominations. However peace did not prevail. Many politically motivated religious wars occurred in this area of Germany in the late 1600's and early 1700's. During the last decade of the 1600's, King Louis XIV, the ruthless Catholic monarch of France, succeeded in the destruction of the Palatinate. He wiped out it's military power and installed Roman Catholic control in the area. This, plus the unexpected conversion to Roman Catholicism (for political reasons) of Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony, had reduced German Protestant political and military power to a low point.

Another war, the "War of Spanish Succession" (1701-1714), saw armies marching back and forth across this region. The "War of Polish Succession" (1733-1738), resulted in French armies again overrunning and occupying this area. Catholic French officers were forcibly quartered in Protestant homes. Protestant cities and churches were destroyed and the persecution and economic hardships became unbearable. This, plus the economic opportunities of the New World, set the stage for what was to become a massive emigration from the region.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 3

Another interesting side-note was that William Penn's mother, Margaret Jasper of Rotterdam, Holland, had German cousins. This may have also played a part in why Pennsylvania was offered as a haven for the religiously persecuted of Germany. Once it started, thousands of Germans traveled down the Rhine River to the ports of Holland such as Rotterdam, where they boarded ships for immigration to Pennsylvania. Some stayed in Rotterdam for awhile until they could earn enough money for their passage to America. Some traveled to England temporarily until transportation to the New World could be arranged. Upon arrival in Philadelphia they had to sign an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. Then they probably walked the six miles to Germantown, now part of Philadelphia, to be with their own kind. From here they settled in the inland counties now known as Lancaster, Berks, Lehigh, Bucks, and Northampton. These Pennsylvania Germans eventually became known as the Pennsylvania "Dutch" from a rendering of the German word "Deutsch" which means German. The Pennsylvania Germans also didn't discourage the confusion of their true nationality during the two World Wars with Germany when a public backlash against people of German sympathy and nationality occurred in this country. However it is clear we are of German heritage, not Dutch.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 4

     The following is a list of Laudenslager immigrants I have located, the
ship and date of arrival, and where I have found records of them residing:

                            Laudenslager Immigrants

Arrival Date           Name                Pa German Pioneers  Settled at
and Ship                                    or Indenture List

2  Sep 1749       Matthias Lautenschlager       Vol.1 p.394   Pennsylvania
Ship Chesterfield

2  Sep 1749       Philip Lautenschleger         Vol.1 p.395   Berks Co Pa
Ship Albany       Adam (x) Laudenshlager        Vol.1 p.395   Bucks Co Pa

15 Sep 1749       Johannes Laudenschlager       Vol.1 p.403   Phila Co Pa
Ship Edinburgh

24 Aug 1750       Johann Peter Laudenschlager   Vol.1 p.437   Berks Co Pa
Ship Brothers

24 Sep 1751       Henrich (+) Lautenschlager    Vol.1 p.468   Lehigh Co Pa
Ship Neptune                                                  & Berks Co Pa
                                                                 
25 Sep 1751       Michel Lautenschlager         Vol.1 p.470   Montgomery
Ship Phoenix                                                    Co Pa

4  Oct 1752       George (x) Lawtenschlager     Vol.1 p.493   Snyder Co Pa
Ship Neptune      Vallentin (x) Lawtenschlager  Vol.1 p.494   Snyder Co Pa

26 Sep 1764       Philipp Lautenschlager        Vol.1 p.693    
Ship Britannia

19 Nov 1771    2c Johann Lautenschlager         Vol.1 p.736      
Ship Tyger     1c Johann Henrich Lautenschlager Vol.1 p.736   Lehigh Co Pa 
                s Johann Georg Laudenschlager   Vol.1 p.737   Lehigh Co Pa
                s Johann Hennrich Lautenschlager Vol.1 p.737  Lancaster Co Pa
                s Johan Leonard Loudenslager    Indenture     Lancaster Co &
                                                 List         Lehigh Co Pa
                s Anna Barbara Loudenslager     Indenture     Phila Co &
                                                  List        Lehigh Co Pa

15 Sep 1804       Mary E. Lautenschlager        Vol.3 p.151
Ship Atlantic 


Source:   Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Strassburger & Hinke, pub. 1934
          Record of Indentures Bound Out As Apprentices, Servants, Etc. and
          of German and Other Redemptioners in the Office of the Mayor of the
          City of Philadelphia from October 3, 1771 to October 5, 1773,
          Genealogical Publishing Company; pub. 1973.

Note:     Individuals indicated with an "s" before their name in the
          1771 Ship Tyger list were siblings. Individuals with a "1c" or "2c"
          before their name were cousins to the noted degree of separation
          in relation to the four siblings on the ship, i.e., 1st cousin
          or 2nd cousin.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 5

When I started this research, all records indicated that the progenitor of this family was named Johann George Lautenschlager who arrived in the area of Macungie, Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in 1771. My research verified that and eventually learned he was born in 1743 in the village of Ober-Mossau, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Germany. Related and earlier Lautenschlagers are found in the villages of Guttersbach, Gunterfurst, Laudenau, or Reichelsheim in the Odenwald region, which is a forested and mountainous area located in the southern part of the state of Hessen, Germany. The church records for these Lautenschlägers are found at the Evangelische Church in Michelstadt, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Germany. I visited these villages and towns during visits to Germany in 2008 and 2013. I was able to see the original birth record entry in the original church book for the birth of our George Lautenschläger. Identifying the exact person in this region with 100% certainty was initially difficult since the name Johann George Lautenschlager was quite common in that time period in that region. There were several candidates investigated over the years. One early candidate which turned out not to be the correct one was, Johann Georg Lautenschlager, born 1752, the son of Joh. Georg and Rebecca (nee Maul) Lautenschlager. He was born in the village of Brandau. He was the grandson of Nicholaus and Anna Barbara (nee Kop) Lautenschlager. They were of the Lutheran faith. The last record of this Johann Georg being in his home village was in 1767. It was assumed by German researchers that he emigrated to America. But he was not our ancestor. Another candidate was a Johann Georg, born 1746, the son of Johann George and Anna Elisabetha (nee Huber) Lautenschlager. This later proved to not be the correct one either.

A strong early candidate in German records (which later proved to be the correct one) was a Johann George Lautenschlager, born 1743 in Ober-Mossau, the s/o Johann George Lautenschlager and Eva Margaretha Egli/Egly. He is recorded to have married Maria Catharina Jockel in 1767. Three other siblings in this Lautenschlager family arrived on the ship Tyger in 1771. An interesting and but confusing point to me in researching these various German families is that our Johann "George" Laudenslager in Pennsylvania named his first born son Nicholaus. Then this Nicholaus subsequently named his first born son as George. This brings to mind the naming patterns and traditions of that time period as outlined in my online report titled, 18th Century Pennsylvania German Naming Customs. This lead me to suspect that our George's first child may have been named after the child's grandfather or another close relative of our George with the name of Nicholaus Lautenschlager. Interestingly, the father of one of the "Heinrich" Lautenschlagers who arrived on the ship Tyger with our George, was named Nicholaus Lautenschlager. According to my analysis this Heinrich Lautenschlager is the one which was indentured to Lancaster Co PA according to my research. But by the fall of 2015 I was convinced our immigrant ancestor, Johann "George" Lautenschlager was the one born in 1743 whose parents were Johann George Lautenschlager and Eva Margaretha Egli of Ober-Mossau, Odenwald, Hessen, Germany. The church records in and around Ober-Mossau, Guttersbach, Gunterfurst, Laudenau, Asselbrunn, Michelstadt, and Reichelsheim, Odenwald, Hessen, Germany have been thoroughly researched to look for a Johann George Lautenschlager, born c1740-1746, marrying a Maria Catherina Agel, with a close relative named Nicholaus Lautenschlager and with a close family connection to the other Lautenschlagers who are known to have arrived with our George on the ship Tyger, to prove my early surmises. Research note: As a result of my trip to the Evangelische Church in Michelstadt, Odenwaldkreiss, Hessen, Germany in 2013 and YDNA paternal line testing done on a native German Lautenschläger in the village of Unter-Mossau, which abuts Ober-Mossau, has resulted in a close match to our Laudenslager YDNA YSTR Haplotype profile. I was then certain of which George Lautenschlager is ours. The one born in 1743 who married in 1767 in Germany to Maria Catharina Jäckel (known as Agel in PA). And the science of YDNA genetic genealogy testing confirms that the Lautenschlagers from this Odenwaldkreis region of Germany are closely related to the ones who came to Pennsylvania on the ship Tyger in 1771.

On this side of the Atlantic, our Johann George Lautenschlager is recorded to have arrived from Germany in Pennsylvania in the year 1771. He sailed from the port of Rotterdam, Holland, with a customs and inspection stop at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, England, on the ship Tyger. He landed in Philadelphia PA. The following is an excerpt from the book, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Strassburger & Hinke, 1934, (3 vol. version), Vol. 1, p.736: "At Messrs. Willing & Morris's Store, at Philadelphia, the 19th of November 1771. Present: George Bryan, Esquire. The Foreigners whose Names are underwritten, imported in the Ship Tyger, George Johnson, Master, from Rotterdam but last from Cowes, did this day take and subscribe the foregoing Oaths & Qualifications. Consigned to Messrs Willing & Morris. 130 in the List." Appearing in the list of immigrants on page 737 is Johann Georg Laudenschlager. Resarch Note: While the registrar's statement at the start of the ship list states that there are "130 in the list", only 118 names are found and reproduced in the works of Strassburger and Hinke. So some 12 names are lost to history and are unaccounted for. A facsimile of our ancestor's original signature attesting his oath of allegiance and abjuration is found in the same reference in Vol. 2, p.854. From my analysis of his signature, it looks like he signed his name as: Johann Georg lauten Schlager. There are four distinct parts to his signature. He did not capitalize 'lauten' in his signature. A confirming strong link of this individual to our George Lautenschlager is that this facsimile is exactly the way our George Lautenschlager signed the parts of his name in his will circa 1824. In addition, no other George Lautenschlager is known to have arrived during the late 1760's or early 1770's.

There were three other Lautenschlager men recorded on the surviving ship list pages studied in 1934 by Strassburger & Hinke for the Ship Tyger arriving with our Johann Georg. Their names were: Johann, Johann Henrich, and Johann Hennrich (or Michael?). The one name in question has been transcribed in various reference books as two different names. The 1934 published ship list books of Strassburger and Hinke report it's a second Hennrich. The 1876 published ship list book by Rupp reports it's a Michael. I have personally analyzed the signature script very carefully and I thought for a while that it looked like it spelled Leonnard. George, Heinrich, and Leonard Lautenschlager all appeared about the same time (1772-1779) in the Macungie Township and Upper Milford Township area of Lehigh County, then Northampton County. No other ship list record exists of any other Leonard Lautenschlager arriving during this time period. And an indentured servitude contract record is found for a Johann Leonnard Lautenschlager being recorded the same time as the contract for our Johann George and other arrivals on the Tyger are recorded. Therefore, I theorized for a time that this questionable script signature is that of Johann Leonnard Lautenschlager, since there was obviously a Leonnard on the Tyger. However, various people familiar with reading German script have also told me they believe the signature reads Hennrich. Therefore, my theory that this list entry was for Leonnard is not too well supported by others.

Also, as will be noted later an infant child named Adam also was apparently on this ship Tyger. German records indicate that this infant Adam was the child of a Johann Michael Lautenschlager. Thus there may have been a Michael Lautenschlager on one of the original lists and the various scholarly looks at these ship lists over time may have been looking at different versions of the ship lists. There were three sets of lists: A, B, & C. Not all ships had all three lists prepared and not all lists prepared survived to the times when scholars started to study them. The first known scholarly study was done in 1876. Rupp's 1876 work admits he never even looked at the C lists thinking at the time that they were merely duplicates of the B lists. That was not true. And some of the A & B lists may have been lost by 1934 when Strassburger and Hinke did their more thorough work. And we also have the Tyger "C list" header saying there are 130 people on the list and yet Strassburger and Hinke only finds 118 on the list pages available in 1934. So it is possible that six Lautenschlager males were on the ship Tyger voyage: Johann, Johann Henrich, Johann Hennrich, Johann George, Johann Leonnard, and Johann Michael. However, I do believe, and most other people I have consulted along my research pathe agreed, that the four men found on the surviving list pages, and listed by Strassburger & Hinke who arrived on the ship Tyger, were probably related, some being siblings and others being cousins. Later research in Germany and a YDNA testing project hosted via FamilyTreeDNA of direct male line descendants ultimately proved they all were related. Note: The Johann Lautenschlager on the ship Tyger may be Johannes, s/o Hans Heinrich Lautenschlager and Anna Catharina Reifwein. He is reported in German records to have left for Pennsylvania in 1771. And I'll with you this thought which came to my mind. Maybe the Michael Lautenschlager, the fathter of the infant Adam arriving on that shp in 1771, may have died during the journey to Pennsylvania.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 6

From the book, Record of Indentures Bound Out As Apprentices, Servants, Etc. and of German and Other Redemptioners in the Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia from October 3, 1771 to October 5, 1773, the 1973 reprint, Genealogical Publishing Company, pages 30 and 31, we learn that on 23 Nov 1771 Hans George Loudenslager (sic) and Maria Catharina, his wife, both arriving from the Port of Rotterdam, where indentured as servants to Peter Miller and his assigns of Upper Milford, Northampton County, for a term of four years each for the sum of 45.17.7 English Pounds. Peter Miller was the founder of Millerstown (later Macungie), Lehigh County, PA, where George Lautenschlager ultimately lived and died.

Also indentured as a servant the very same day and listed in the record immediately below George's record was Anna Barbara Loudenslager (sic), from the Port of Rotterdam, indentured to Ulrick Storefert and his assigns of Upper Salford, Philadelphia (later Montgomery) County, for a term of three years and four months for the sum of 23.12.2 English Pounds. Anna Barbara was the sister of our Johann George Lautenschlager, and of the Johann Heinrich Lautenshlager and Johann Leonard Lautenschlager who also arrived on the ship Tyger. Anna Barbara, based on baptism records of her probable children I found in my research, apparently married Sebastian Wendling about 1774 and settled in Upper Milford Township near George Lautenschlager. See the baptism records of Indianfield Lutheran Church in Franconia Township, Montgomery Township and for the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County for details on the Wendling children.

Other Laudenslager men indentured that week were:

21 Nov 1771, Henry Loudenslager, from Port of Rotterdam, indentured as a servant to Jacob Barge (an agent) and his assigns of Philadelphia and then subsequently to John Burkholder and his assigns of Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, for three years for the sum 25.3.1. Since no wife is mentioned he is surmised to be unmarried. It was later learned that he was a first cousin of our Johann George Lautenschlager. See: A Descendants Chart for (#2 Henry of ship Tyger arrivals) Johann 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager (1747-1835).

21 Nov 1771, John Leonard, from Port of Rotterdam, indentured as a servant to Jacob Barge (an agent) and his assigns of Philadelphia and then subsequently to Wendel Gilbert and his assigns of Manheim Township, Lancaster County, for three years for the sum 26.6.1. Since no wife is mentioned he is surmised to be unmarried. It was later learned that he was a brother of our Johann George Lautenschlager. See: A Descendants Chart for Johann 'Leonhard' Lautenschlager (1748-1814).

22 Nov 1771, Henry Loudenslager, from Port of Rotterdam, indentured as a servant to Anthony Loick and his assigns of Lower Socken (sic), Northampton County, for three years for the sum 24.18.10. Since no wife is mentioned he is surmised to be nmarried. It was later learned that he was a brother of our Johann George Lautenschlager. See: A Descendants Chart for (#1 Henry on Ship Tyger arrivals) Johann 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager (1746-c1794).

From these indenture records we could possibly surmise that the person on the ship list recorded as Johann is the one and the same person as the John Leonard on the indenture list. This surmise is supported by the fact that records of Leonard are found in later Pennsylvania records but none have ever been found for a person only named Johann, or a Johannes. A contra-indicator to this surmise is the fact that a Ulrich Kirschnick, a researcher in Hessen, Germany, has found record of a Johannes Lautenschlager emigrating to Pennsylvania in 1771. But then that Johannes could have been the possible husband of Anna Barbara and had died on the voyage over. But then again, all this confusion as to names on the ship lists could be explained if there were really six Lautenschlager males on the ship Tyger in 1771, instead of only the four listed by Strassburger & Hinke from the surviving ship list pages. A lot of theory. More conclusive evidence was needed to be certain. And I later found the necessary evidence to sort it all out.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 7

A Heinrich and Leonard Lautenschlager lived near our George Lautenschlager in Lehigh County, then Northampton County. George and Leonard were sponsors for Heinrich's children at Upper Milford Zion Lutheran Church. Early on, I believed they were brothers or first cousins. And that later proved they were brothers. From the indentured list we now know that Johann Leonard arrived on the ship Tyger 19 Nov 1771 but was possibly under age 16 and therefore not listed on the ship list or was incorrectly listed on that list by the name of Johann, or he was missed on some of the lists or those pages of the list were lost. Also on the same ship were Johann Georg Horn and Philip (+) Egle. Philip Egle made his mark immediately above Johann Georg Lautenschlager's signature. They may have been traveling together. That Philip may have been related to our Johann George Lautenschlager's wife. Their relationships with the Laudenslagers will be explained further in the next few paragraphs.

According to the History of Lehigh County, by Roberts, published in 1914, Johann George, or George as he was known and reported in that book, married Catherine Agel (sic) circa 1771. I have found no record of any Agel families in the area. However I have found several Abel families. It is possible her last name was Abel. Or, could that Agel name be a phonetic variation of Egle. More on that later. From the records at Upper Milford Zion Lutheran Church and the Indenture List, her full given name appears to be Maria Catherina. From the Indenture List we know they were married when they arrived at Philadelphia on 19 Nov 1771. I still had not found documented, primary source, written evidence of the exact birth place in Germany or birth date for Maria Catherina, nor where they were married. I have found her obituary as Catharina Lautenschlager, widow of Georg Lautenschlager, in the 31 Jan 1828 issue of the German language newspaper, Unabhaengige Republicaner. She was listed with her full name, Maria Catharina Lautenschlager, in the 7 Feb 1828 issue of the other German language newspaper, Friedens Bote. Her date of death was 18 Jan 1828 at the age of 80 years, 7 months, and 16 days. Therefore, her date of birth calculates to be 2 Jun 1747. The location of death was reported as Millerstown (now Macungie), Pa. Her maiden name was not listed nor the names of any children. We know that they were married when they arrived and an interesting possibility is that her last name was Egle and not Agel. She could have been the sister of the Philip (+) Egle, mentioned previously, who arrived on the same ship as Johann George Lautenschlager. Another possibility is that her last name was indeed Joeckel which could be variously pronounced Yockel, Yochel, or Yaegel in English. And by dropping the 'Y' off Yaegel the name would become Aegel and then over time just Agel. This is a far fetched theory but worse mispronunciations have occurred as any experienced researcher can attest. Other Lautenschlager research indicates that the church records at Reichelsheim Parish in the Odenwald, near Laudenau, Hessen, Germany, report that several Lautenschlager individuals married members of the Nagel family. Therefore, another theory could be that the Agel name is actually Nagel. But that Nagel theory was not correct. More on her maiden name was learned during my research trips to Germany. More on that later.

LAUDENSLAGER ANCESTRY -- Page 8

According to the History of Lehigh County, which genealogies therein often contains errors but do provide a good starting point for many genealogists, our George Lautenschlager had six children, four sons and two daughters. The history only names two sons, a Henry, who is my progenitor, and, allegedly according to this history, a Joseph. That our George had a son named Joseph has been disproven in my research. These county histories, as most serious researchers know, often contain errors. And this allegation as to the lineage of this Joseph is one of them. As stated before, and will be subsequently shown, this history has several errors.

As an example, in the following paragraph I have listed the births in Pennsylvania records of eight children, four sons and four daughters for our George Lautenschlager. And in my later research I found information indicating he had nine children, with the first one named Anna Magartha being born in 1770 in Germany. The child born in Germany is not recorded in German records as having died there. So she likely died during the journey with her parents to America. As another way of explaining this child count discrepancy, it is possible that some of the daughters died very young and were not known to the person who wrote the Laudenslager family history printed in the History of Lehigh County. But it is now 100% certain that the Joseph Laudenslager lineage, and subsequent descendants of Joseph, which is expanded upon in the History of Lehigh County, are definitely not descendants of our George. This Joseph is instead the son of Johannes and Margaretha (nee Hauser) Lautenschlager. That Johannes Lautenschlager was the son of Johann "Heinrich" Lautenschlager who also arrived on the Ship Tyger in 1771. This Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager was known by his secular name, Henry Lautenschlager. Our Johann Georg Lautenschlager was known by his secular name, George Lautenschlager. The exact relationship of our Johann George Lautenschlager and Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager was unknown was unknown to me for a long time but I believed they were surely related. And as it was later proven, they were brothers. Later YDNA testing in the Laudenslager Surname YDNA Project founded early on by me at FamilyTreeDNA and records found in Germany during my two trips there proved these two immigrants, George and Heinrich, were brothers.

By way of a footnote in our discussion here, an earlier immigrant, Georg 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager (1739-c1794), arrived in 1751 on the ship Neptune. He was married to Anna Elizabeth Moatz with whom he had four known children. Earlier reports indicated that he then remarried Maria Catharina Dorothea Gunker, but this is not correct. But instead, Maria Catharina Dorothea Gunker was married to the Johann 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager (1746-c1794) who arrived on the Ship Tyger in 1771 and was indentured to Lower Saucon, Northampton County, PA. The 1771 arrival immigrant Henry had 12 known children. Our Johann 'George' Lautenschlager was a baptismal sponsor at the baptism of one of Johann 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager (1746-c1794)'s daughters, Maria C. Lautenschlager. Our George and the Heinrich born in 1746 were brothers. For whatever reasons some early researchers confused the two Heinrich aka "Henry Lautenschlager" families and children for these two "Henry"s. Probably because both men were known secularly as "Henry" due to the naming customs in use back then. And possibly them both dying about the same year, i.e., c1794, was part of the confusion to some people. It took a lot of work in the early years of my research to sort them out given a lot of wrong information was out and about and with no modern tools such as email to easily contact the prior researchers for their sourcing evidnece to help sort them out, and to correct wrong information. Later YDNA testing in the Laudenslager Surname YDNA Project founded by me at FamilyTreeDNA and records found in Germany during my two trips there proved these two immigrant "Henry"s arriving 20 years apart on two separate ships, the Georg Heinrich aka "Henry" born in 1739 and arriving in 1751 on the ship Neptune and the Johann Heinrich aka "Henry" born in 1746 arriving in 1771 on the ship Tyger, were 2nd cousins.


A six generation Descendant Chart for George 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager, (1739-c1794) arrived on ship Neptune in 1751 is provided on a separate page.

A six generation Descendant Chart for Johann 'Heinrich' Lautenschlager, (1746-c1794) arrived on ship Tyger in 1771 is provided on a separate page.

As I stated before, Johann Heinrich's son, Johannes (1785-1859), married Anna Margaretha Hauser (1784-1871). Johannes and Margaretha had a child named Joseph (1813-1867). The baptism of this Joseph, the grandson of Johann Heinrich, is recorded in the year 1813 at Zion Reformed Church, Allentown, Pa. It is possible that our Johann George could also have had a son named Joseph as the country history indicated, but after extensive research, I have found no record of such, and at this time I do not believe our Johann George ever did have a child named Joseph. And the country history was wrong regarding the paternity of Joseph.

What became absolutely certain later after years of research, is that the Joseph mentioned in the Laudenslager article in the History of Lehigh County is not a descendant of our Johann George Lautenschlager, but is instead a descendant of the Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager mentioned earlier. When I started this research, I had not found the connection, if any, between our Johann Georg Lautenschlager and that Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager, but in my opinion they are surely related.

I had communicated several times over many years with another genealogy researcher named Mr. David Laudenslager, a descendant of the Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager born in 1746. David resided in Catasauqua, Pa. He had done considerable research on his line of the Lautenschlager clan, but over the years he had a couple things wrong, in my opinion. We disagreed about that for years. However, when the indenture record for his immigrant ancestor Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager born in 1746 was found, based on the evidence therein, he agreed with what I was asserting and corrected his records accordingly. His research records should be consulted for further information about the descendants of the Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager who was indentured in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, PA. YDNA testing in the Laudenslager Surname YDNA Project founded by me at FamilyTreeDNA and records found in Germany during my two trips there proved these two immigrants were brothers. David Laudenslager was tested as part of that YDNA Project. His YDNA profile closely matched the male line descendants of our George Laudenslager. David Laudenslager when he published a book about his Laudenslager family line, mentioned my YDNA testing project indicating that he believed per the YDNA testing that they were likely brothers. But David passed away before I 100% proved it. With my permission David also included in his book with appropriate source credit, the opening portions of this report by me. I purchased a copy for my library and it is useful for verifying information for more recent generations of his immigrant Laudenslager clan. After my trips to Germany I found the 100% proof that David's Henry and my George were indeed brothers in German church records over there.

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As stated previously, I have located the birth records in Pennsylvania for eight known and proven children of our Johann George and Maria Catherina Lautenschlager. Recorded at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Lutheran Church, Lehigh County, Pa.: Catherine, born Dec 21, 1772, baptized Feb 21, 1773, sponsors were Conrad Seip and wife Catherine; Barbara, born Jan 11, 1775, baptized Jan 29, 1775, sponsors were George Horn and wife Barbara; Johann Nicholaus, born Apr 11, 1777, baptized Apr 27, 1777, sponsors were John N. Miller & wife; Anna E., born Jul 30, 1779, baptized Aug 29, 1779, sponsors were Iost Wens and wife Anna E.; John, born 15 Jun 1783, baptized about Jun 1783, sponsors were George Tutt and wife Magdelena. Recorded at Upper Milford Zion Lutheran Church, Lehigh County, Pa.: Jo. Wil. (originally thought this could be Joseph but now believe this person's name was Johann Wilhem), born May 4, 1785, baptized Jun 19, 1785, sponsors were Wil Schever and wife Magdalena. Recorded at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Lutheran Church: Anna E. (second use of this name?), born Sep 14, 1788, baptized Oct 12, 1788, sponsors were George Seider and wife Anna E. And lastly, but with baptismal location, sponsors, and records unknown, Henry, born Oct 28, 1790. Henry was my 4th great-grandfather and was the executor of his father's will. Some think there was a ninth and earlier child, Adam. But that is not true. Adam is discussed in the next paragraph. But, I later learned that they did have an earlier child in Germany: Anna Margaretha, born 18 Nov 1770 in Germany and that child probably died during the journey to Pennsylvania.

An unproven early theory by some, and one that over time I have proven is not correct, is that when our Johann George Lautenschlager arrived in this country in 1771, he arrived with an infant son, Johann Adam Lautenschlager, born 18 May 1770, probably in Germany. We can find no baptism record for Johann Adam in this country. However, a record has been found of Johann Adam's confirmation at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church in the year 1784. The only Lautenschlager adult male communicant member of this congregation at that time was our George Lautenschlager. Numerous descendants of Johann Adam, and descendants of some of George's other children, were baptized at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church. Thus the circumstantial evidence is strong that Johann Adam was related to George. However, a contra-indicator to the theory that Adam was a son of George, is that Johann George was not a sponsor at any of the baptisms of Johann Adam's children nor was he mentioned in George's 1824 will. Thus, this Johann Adam probably was not a son, but was possibly a nephew and was just being raised as a ward by our Johann George, maybe due to the possibility that Johann Adam's real father may have died on the voyage to Pennsylvania, or soon thereafter, etc. Indeed, some descendants of Johann Adam report a family tradition that Johann Adam's parent's died on the voyage over and that he was raised by an unnamed Lautenschlager. But, not being in the Will could also be explained if the father and son had a difference of views at some time and thus Adam was left out of the estate on purpose. Or maybe Adam was given his share prior to the father's death. To further this line of thought, it should be noted that other children of Johann George Lautenschlager are also not mentioned in his Will. Whatever the reason, the fact that Adam, who would have been the eldest son (if he was a son), is not mentioned in George's estate makes it highly unlikely that Johann Adam could be a son of Johann George Lautenschlager. Additional research was needed to be done on this surmised relationship in order to prove with certainty the exact relationship. The answer if it exists probably resides in family and church records back in Germany. For most of the time I was going with the surmise that he was not a son. And that subsequently proved to be correct. George was Adam's uncle and was raising Adam as his guardian. Let us review what we know about this Johann Adam Lautenschlager.

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Johann Adam Lautenschlager married three times. His first wife, whom he married about 1794, was Christina Reber, born circa 1773. This Christina Reber is probably the daughter of the Adam Reber who died in 1794. Christina had five known children who were baptized at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Allentown, Pa. The children in order of birth are: Maria Eva, b. 1795; Johann Adam (Jr.), b. 1796; Elisabeth, b. 1797; Johannes, b. 1799; and Anna Margreta, b. 1801. Christina died about 1802. It is not known where she is buried. Johann Adam's second wife was named Elizabeth . They had one known child, Jacob, b. 1803, and baptized at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church. Elizabeth died in 1819. Johann Adam's third wife was Anna Margareth Brunner, born 1775. They married about 1820. There are no known children from the third marriage. Johann Adam died 19 Jun 1847. His third wife died in 1849. Adam and his third wife, Anna Margareth Brunner, are buried in the Old Allentown Cemetery which is adjacent to the cemetery where some of the descendants of George Lautenschlager are buried. Anna Margareth's gravestone is located more towards the center of the cemetery and is still legible. I have photographed it. Adam's grave is not adjacent to his third wife's. His grave is allegedly the 5th grave (the 3rd remaining gravestone) in from the northeast corner of the cemetery. The gravestone which is surmised to be his is still there but is not legible. Research Note: Information found in Nov 2004 by Mr. Ulrich Kirschnick in Germany reveals that this Johann "Adam" Lautenschlager was the son of Johann Michael Lautenschlager of Ober-Mossau, Odenwald region, Hessen, Germany.

A six generation Descendancy Chart for Johann Adam Laudenslager, (1770-1847), is provided on a separate page.

Another interesting point concerning the baptism of our George's children is that the one sponsor, George Horn, who is mentioned at the baptism of Barbara Lautenschlager could be the same person who is recorded in Strassburger & Hinke as arriving in 1771 on the Ship Tyger with the four Lautenschlager men. It is possible that they all came from the same village in Germany and were neighbors and/or close relatives. According to the History of Lehigh County, our George Lautenchlager was a weaver by trade and resided in Macungie Township, then Northampton County, and now Lehigh County, Pa. However, the 1790 Census records George 'Lowdenslager' residing in Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, then part of Northampton County, Pa. But it must be remmbered that the village of Millerstown (now Macungie) was created on land that was geographically part of Upper Milford Township. The census indicates there were 8 people in his family at that time, i.e. 6 children. It lists 1 male 16 or over, 4 males under 16, and 3 females. The male 16 or over would have to be George. The 4 males under 16 are not as easy. Three of these are surely Johann N., John, and Jo. Wil. The identity of the fourth male under 16 is in question. Depending on the exact date one assumes the census marshal visited the Laudenslager household, one could surmise and make various assumptions as to whether this fourth child is either Adam or Henry. Adam would have been, in reality, age 20 at this time. No record exists which would indicate that he established a separate household, during or before the year 1790. Adam is not recorded anywhere, separately in the 1790 census. So he was probably living in some household. But was he with George during the 1790 census? We cannot be certain. The youngest known son of George Laudenslager, Henry, was not born until 28 Oct 1790. The 1790 census law was signed by the first U.S. President, George Washington on 1 Mar 1790. It contained instructions to complete the census enumeration within 9 months, i.e., by 30 Nov 1790. The first report by President George Washington was transmitted to the Congress on 27 Oct 1791. It apparently took longer to complete than expected. The exact date of completion of the counting portion of the census is unknown. Many of the original hand written schedules were burned when the British burned most of the City of Washington during the War of 1812. Some have survived though. It would be interesting to see if a copy of a dated original for this district exists.

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If the census marshall called on our George Laudenslager's family before 28 Oct 1790, then we could assume that the fourth child listed is Adam and that his age was either reported by the family deliberately wrong or that it was recorded incorrectly, as being under age 16. This would then support the theory of Adam being raised by George. If the census marshall made his visit to the Laudenslager family after 28 Oct 1790, then this fourth person is probably George's youngest son, Henry. This would then be a contra-indicator for Adam being raised by and living with George. But Adam could have moved out by that time. He would have been age 20. If Adam was not counted with Adam, then what happened to Adam, i.e., was he really being raised as a part of George's family? There is no record of an Adam Lautenschlager being the head of a household in 1790. Of course in 1790 Adam would have been only 20 years old and not yet of full legal age but could have been farmed out and working with a neighbor and thus counted in the household where he worked. However, later research in German church records conclusively proved that Adam was George's nephew, not a son.

As to the females, since George's wife Catherina was living when George died circa 1824, the females would have to be his wife Catherina and two of his daughters. Therefore, two of his daughters must have died or married before the 1790 census. The death of a child could explain why, as mentioned previously, the "Anna E." name was reused. The early death or marriage of one or more daughters could also explain why the writer of the article in the History of Lehigh County reported only two daughters, since the author of that article may have been simply repeating the 1790 census data.

In 1783, George Lautenschlager served as a witness for the Will of Michael Hittel, Sr., possibly a close neighbor, said will being probated in 1786 at the Northampton County Courthouse, Easton, PA.

According to the Pennsylvania Archives, George served with the Northampton County Militia during the Revolutionary War. His name also appears on a large veterans' memorial monument located in the cemetery across the road from Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church. According to the church tradition, he is buried in the Old Cemetery but no one knows the exact location. I have photographed the veterans' memorial. Also a veteran's marker stone has been placed in a hallowed location with a group of other veteran's marker stones in the old cemetery, for all the graves which could not be found in the cemetery, in memory and honor of their service to their country. As I have stated, the church tradition reports he is buried somewhere in the old cemetery but no evidence to confirm this exists and his exact grave location is unknown. Research note: At some point in time, David Laudenslager of Catasauqua PA, who I mentioned earlier, unbeknownst to me at the time, took an interest in getting government furnished gravestones for veterans buried in Lehigh County PA who did not have any gravestones. He obtained a gravestone from the government for our Rev. War militiaman veteran George Lautenschlager and placed that stone in the Old Cemetery at Jerusalem Western Salishbury Church, in Allentown PA. He placed its location to the best of his and the cemetery association records, per later statements to me from David, where it was thought our George was buried. But they were not 100% certain. But if not the 100% certain, the location, David said it would be very close. That is the newer government provided gravestone placed by David Laudenslager is the one I ultimately photographed for my research records.

It is surmised that George Lautenschlager died circa Sep 1824 since his Will was signed 17 Oct 1823 and it was proven on 1 Oct 1824. His youngest son Henry Laudenslager was appointed as executor. Witnesses were William Miller and Samuel Gilbert. His will indicates that he resided in Millerstown (now Macungie), Macungie Township, Lehigh County, PA. He owned 6 acres of land with a house and shop.

George's personally signed will, File No. 584, was proved at the Lehigh County Courthouse on October 1, 1824. I have obtained a copy. His signature is in four distinct parts: Johann Georg lauten Schlager. A side-by-side comparison of this signature to the signature appearing in the 1771 Ship Tyger list, confirms that this is the same person. Despite the older signature being shakier, because of his advanced age, the signatures very closely resemble each other. In addition to both signatures being in four parts, the "l" in the third part of the name is not capitalized in both signatures. Also the name Georg is signed in both cases without an ending "e" and the letter "S" beginning the last part is capitalized and is identical in form in both signatures. In my opinion the signatures definitely appear to have been signed by the same person. I am convinced this is our progenitor. In his will he states his surviving wife's name, Catherine, and he appoints his son, Henry, who was my 4th great-grandfather, as the executor of his estate.

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My research had revealed that two other Lautenschlager men arrived in the Upper Milford Township area in the mid 1770's at the same time as our George. They were Leonard and Henry Lautenschlager. There were two Henry's on the Ship Tyger. It is assumed that the Henry who ended up in what is now Lehigh County PA is the Johann Hennrich who is listed immediately below Johann Georg in the Tyger ship list. It has also been proven that this Henry was the brother of our Johann George Lautenschlager. As mentioned before, it is known from the Indenture List that a Leonard was also on the Ship Tyger. It was later proven that Leonard and Henry were brother of our George. George and Leonard were each a sponsor at the baptism of the two known children of Henry. Also a sponsor for one of George's children, a sponsor name Wil Schever, was also a sponsor for one of Leonard's children. The following is a record of the baptism of Leonard's and Henry's known children. Thus, the three male Lautenschlager immigrants arriving on the ship Tyger in 1771 and who ended up in what is now Lehigh County PA were brothers. YDNA testing in the Laudenslager Surname YDNA Project founded by me at FamilyTreeDNA and records found in Germany during my two trips there proved these Lauenslager immigrants were brothers.

Johann Leonard Lautenschlager is surmised, based on the Indenture List data, to have been unmarried when he arrived. He later married Elisabetha Wandel, d/o Tobias Wandel. They baptized their four known children at Upper Milford Zion Lutheran Church, Lehigh County, Pa.: Catharina, born May 11, 1779, baptized Jun 12, 1779, sponsors were Baltzer Faderman and wife Catharina; Magdelena, born Dec 17, 1781, baptized Mar 3, 1782, sponsors were Willen Schever and wife Mag.; Sara, born Oct 31, 1784, baptized Nov 28, 1784, sponsors were Philip Federman and wife Sara; and lastly Nicolaus, born Oct 10, 1787, baptized Apr 20, 1788, sponsors were Nicolaus Stheler and wife Barbara. This indentured immigrant Leonard was a brother of our George.

Johann Heinrich Lautenschlager is surmised, based on the Indenture List data, to have been unmarried when he arrived. He later married Maria Catharina Dorothea Gunker. They baptized two of their children at Upper Milford Zion Lutheran Church, Lehigh County, Pa.: Maria C., born Dec 12, 1779, baptized May 4 1780, sponsors were Georg Laudeschlegel (sic) and wife Maria; and lastly Elisabetha, born Dec 20, 1784, baptized Mar 26, 1785, sponsors were Leonhard Laudeschlegel (sic) and wife Elisabetha. This indentured immigrant Heinrich was a brother of our George

A six generation Descendancy Chart for Johann George Laudenslager, (1743-1824), is provided on separate pages.

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Henry Laudenschlager (1790-1871), my 4th great-grandfather, was born October 28, 1790, probably in Macungie Township, Lehigh County, then Northampton County, Pa. He was his father's youngest son. The History of Lehigh County, by Roberts, published in 1914, reports that he was born October 28, 1790. His tombstone says he was born in 1791 but this does not agree with the calculated birth year determined by using his age and date of death which were engraved on the same tombstone. Since the 1790 birth date correlates better with his parents' 1790 census data, I have assumed the tombstone birth year to be incorrect and that his year of birth is 1790. The History of Lehigh County and family records report that Henry married Lydia Hamman, born August 23, 1794. It also reports that he lived the early part of his life in Macungie Township but moved to Allentown, Pa., in 1831. Based on the date of birth of the earliest known child, they were probably married in the year 1813. Their seven known children were: Nathan (b. Jul 5, 1814, d. Jun 30, 1900); Catharine (b. c1816), married Joseph Correl; Susanna (b. Dec 22, 1818, died Mar 12, 1913), married Amos Ettinger; Elizabeth (b. Aug 5, 1821, d. Mar 28, 1907), Sarah (aka Sally, b. May 19, 1826, d. Apr 1, 1858), Henry L. (b. Oct 11, 1830, d. Mar 5, 1915)), and Charles (b. Nov 21, 1832, d. May 27, 1865).

Henry died on May 28, 1871. His wife died on August 10, 1884. They are both buried in Section D, Lot 408, at Union West End Cemetery, 10th and Chew Sts., Allentown, Pa. Their markers are laid flat in the ground and are hard to find because the grass grows over them and obscures them. To locate the tombstones, drive into the cemetery about 200 feet using the 10th Street entrance gate. Their graves are just off the left (south) side of the lane. As a reference, look for the square vertical obelisk style tombstone with the name "Ritter" on it. I have photographed their tombstones.

Nathan Laudenslager (1814-1900), my 3rd great-grandfather, was born on July 5, 1814, in Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pa. He was baptized on July 31, 1814, at the Lehigh Zion Lutheran Church in Lower Macungie Township, Pa. Nathan married Rebecca Horn on July 13, 1834, at the Zion Reformed Church, Allentown, Pa. His wife was born December 18, 1814, the daughter of Abraham and Anna Marit (nee Helper) Horn. Their six known children were: George Henry (b. Nov 30, 1834, d. Jan 2, 1853); William And. (b. Apr 10, 1810); Charles L. N. (b. Feb 27, 1840, d. May 8, 1871); Mary E. (b. Nov 20, 1845, d. Sep 7, 1896); Eliza M. (b. c1849, d. May 20, 1905); and Sally L. (b. c1852, d. aft 1922).

A brief mention of Nathan and his wife is made in the History of Lehigh County, by Roberts, published in 1914. His occupation was reported as a tinsmith, businessman, and banker. He owned an interest in the Allentown Gas-Light Company, the predecessor to UGI.

A sketch of Nathan and an article about him appears in the History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon PA, published in 1884, page 227. His grandfather is incorrectly reported in this article as George H. Laudenslager. The middle initial being reported as H. for the grandfather in this article is another apparent confusion between the immigrants Johann George and George Heinrich Laudenslager. There are also articles on page 221 and 246 which mention Nathan Laudenslager's business interests in the Allentown Gas-Light Company and the Catasauqua National Bank.

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Nathan died on June 30, 1900. His wife died on June 3, 1883. They are both buried in Lot 103 at the Allentown Cemetery, Fountain and Turner Sts., Allentown, Pa. The markers are laid flat in the ground and are hard to find because the grass grows over them and obscures them. The graves are located just off the west side of the macadam walkway which passes through the cemetery from Turner to Linden Street. As a reference, look for the "Loose" family vertical style tombstones which are located immediately in front of the Lautenschlager family flat style, level with the ground, markers. They are located nearer the Linden Street side. I have photographed their tombstones.

Charles L. Nathan Laudenslager (1840-1871), my 2nd great-grandfather, was born February 27, 1840, in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. Charles married Elemanda Hunsicker on April 30, 1865. She was born April 28, 1844. Their two known children were: George Henry (b. May 8, 1866, d. Jan 15, 1953) and Charles L. Jr. (b. Dec 6, 1869, d. Aug 16, 1935).

His name is mentioned in the History of Lehigh County, by Roberts, published in 1914, and on file at the Lehigh County Historical Society, Allentown, Pa.

Charles died at the young age of 31 on May 8, 1871. His wife died on December 24, 1901. They are both buried at the Allentown Cemetery, Fountain and Turner Sts., Allentown, Pa., but in different lots. He is buried in Lot No. 103 with his parents. His marker is laid flat in the ground and is hard to find because the grass grows over it and obscures it. His marker is cracked in half, heavily weathered, and difficult to read. His grave is located next to his parents' markers, one row off the west side of the macadam walkway which passes through the cemetery from Turner to Linden Street. As a reference, look for the "Loose" family vertical style tombstones which are located immediately in front of the Lautenschlager family flat style, level with the ground, markers. They are located nearer to the Linden Street side. His wife is not buried with him but is instead buried with her sons George Henry and Charles L. (Jr.), in Lot No. 179, in the same cemetery. Her stone is immediately to the right of her son's, Charles L. (Jr.). Her's says "Mother" on top. Her son's says "Rest" on top. The first impression when looking at these stones, without giving much thought to the dates on them, etc., would be to assume they are husband and wife since her stone states her name and says she is the wife of Chas. L. Laudenslager and the stone to her immediate left has the name Charles L. Laudenslager on it. However this is her son, Charles L. (Jr.), not her husband. As I said before, her husband is buried in Lot No. 103 with his parents. I have photographed their tombstones.

George Henry Laudenslager (1866-1953), my great-grandfather, was born May 8, 1866, in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. George married (c1887) Lillian Jane Koch, the daughter of Joseph and Matilda Louisa (nee Keiper) Koch. She was born on January 16, 1868. Their nine known children were: Raymond Austin (Jun 5, 1888), Charles Nathan (Sep 7, 1889), Paul (c1890), Florence M. (c1892), Harold G. (circa Dec 1893), Frederick (c1895), Ellen Esther (c1896), Nathan J. (May 15, 1900), and Jesse D. (Aug 2, 1902).

According to his death certificate, at the time of his death, he resided at 453 Tilghman Street, Allentown , Pa. Also on the certificate was his usual occupation which was recorded as the Assistant Assessor for the City of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa.

An Ancestry Chart for Lillian Jane Koch is provided on a separate page.
An Ancestry Chart for Matilda Louisa Keiper is provided on a separate page.

George died on January 15, 1953. His wife died on March 4, 1923. They are buried in Lot 179 at the Allentown Cemetery, Fountain and Turner Sts., Allentown, Pa. Their tombstones are the traditional vertical upright style and are located several rows in off the west side of the macadam walkway which passes through the cemetery from the Turner Street entrance to Linden Street. They are close to the Turner Street side. George's mother is also buried on their plot along with some of George's children. This cemetery has been the target of repeated vandalism. Most of the vertical tombstones are repeatedly knocked over and then put back up by officials but then are knocked over again. I personally have had to upright their tombstones after they were pushed over. Thus, even though George's father's flat style tombstones are harder to find they are not subjected to as much vandalism and may therefore be around longer. If something is not done to protect this cemetery, and other center-city Allentown cemeteries, much history will be lost as tombstones are destroyed and moved about by vandals. I have photographed their tombstones.

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Raymond Austin Laudenslager (1888-1978), my grandfather, was born June 5 1888, in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. Raymond married on September 28, 1907 in Egypt, Lehigh County, Pa., to Eva Catherine Brown, the daugher of Alvin Joel Joseph Brown and Mary Emeneleine Amanda Delong. Eva Catherine Brown was born May 15, 1890 in Egypt, Lehigh County, PA. The had five children: Alvin born in 1908, Lillian born in 1910, Evelyn born in 1911 (a twin), Beatrice born in 1911 (a twin), and Raymond Jr. born in 1922. Raymond Laudenslager served for many years as a policeman in Allentown, Pa., including many years as a mounted policeman in his early years. Raymond died July 2, 1978 in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. For more details about Raymond and his wife Eva Catherine Brown, and the names and vitals for all of his five children, see this family groupsheet.

Links to other surnames and web sites of prime genealogical interest to me:

Kerchner Genealogy Home Page.
Lucy Ann Walbert Genealogy Home Page.
Additional Surnames of Interest to Me.
Pennsylvania GenWeb home page.
Lehigh County Historical Society home page.
Rootsweb RSL List surname search engine.
Palatines to America organization home page.
National Genealogical Society organization home page.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet home page.

18th Century PA German Naming Customs
18th Century PA German Nicknames
PA German Name Spelling Idiosyncrasies
PA Dutch Are Of German Heritage, Not Dutch
Tips & Tricks For The Beginner - Genealogy 101