Potpourri: Arbaugh, Bartholomew, and Engelhardt Family Lore

By William C. Arbaugh

On the cover of Potpourri: Arbaugh, Bartholomew, and Engelhardt Family Lore/ is a photograph taken in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 22, 1932, including author William C. Arbaugh and his grandparents, Clara and William G. Arbaugh, with Nora Leone and Alonzo Harvey Arbaugh. In this volume celebrating the family history of the Arbaugh, Bartholomew, and Engelhardt families, Arbaugh captures times past.

Fueled by the surprise discovery of a neatly tied bundle of letters, the family history revealed in them led to the preparation of this family memoir. Arbaughs sisters, Nora Dorothy and Mary Margaret, were soon engrossed along with their brother in letters revealing the heartfelt views of their mother, Clara Engelhardt, and their grandmother. These letters described her interest in William G. Arbaugh, a young college friend she fancied. The letters chronicled the strong bond between Clara and William, eventually leading to their marriage upon completion of their education. These letters and the others they discovered served to deepen their respect for them and furthered their understanding of their idealism and strong faith.

Potpourri shares family lore, ranging from Germany and the Caribbean to Indiana and Illinois with a broad reach from life on small-scale family farm prior to common use of electricity to the age of atomic energy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781426970498

William C. Arbaugh

Reared in Puerto Rico living in such diverse places as the Virgin Islands and Las Vegas before settling in the Pacific Northwest, William C. Arbaugh is a minister of the Lutheran Church. He is also the author of Musings, a book of social criticism, and the editor of Caribbean Mission. He currently lives in Oregon.

Book preview

POTPOURRI

ARBAUGH, BARTHOLOMEW, ENGELHARDT

FAMILY LORE

Edited by

William Charles Arbaugh

Erbach Books

Trafford Publishing Company

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© Copyright 2011 William C. Arbaugh.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

On the front cover the child in the center of the picture is the editor. He is surrounded by his four grandparents: Charles and Emma (Goodknecht) Engelhardt on the left and Alonzo and Nora (Bartholomew) Arbaugh on the right. Compare this picture with a photograph of the editor’s father, William George Arbaugh posed as a child with his four grandparents. The photographs follow page 166.

Photo credit: The photograph of the Lutheran clergy in Puerto Rico is by Castro Foto, San Juan, Puerto Rico (1930?).

Printed in the United States of America.

isbn: 978-1-4269-7048-1 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4269-7049-8 (e)

Trafford rev. 01/10/2012

7-Copyright-Trafford_Logo.ai

www.trafford.com

North America & international

toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

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Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Addenda

This book is

dedicated to the memory of

past generations of the

Arbaugh, Bartholomew, and Engelhardt

families,

in whose debt

the current generation continues in

faith and life.

Preface

Attempting to regain use of a crowded basement, my sister Nora Dorothy discovered some boxes with old family letters. Looking through these boxes with the help of our sister Mary Margaret, they discovered a treasure-trove of family correspondence.

A neatly tied bundle of letters included some written by our mother (Clara Engelhardt) when she was at Carthage College addressed to her mother, as well as the responses of her mother (Emma). One point of discussion was Clara’s serious interest in a young man who was planning to be a Lutheran missionary in some far-away land, possibly Argentina.

These exchanges of letters deepened our understanding of the mother for whom we have had not only a strong love but also great respect. We have long recognized her quiet inner strength and how she was an unsung hero in background support for a common cause with her husband, our father (William George Arbaugh). The demands of his travel meant that she was more than a background helper; she was in effect an unofficial and unpaid administrative assistant, office administrator and paymaster in his absence. The two were a marvelous couple, not alone in their teamwork for a cause, but also in their personal family relationships from which my sisters and I are the grateful beneficiaries.

The surprise of the discovered letters was that the tender romance revealed the sturdy roots of a Christian faith that would later be expressed in their mutual commitment to the cause of Christian missions.

As evident in my previous book, Caribbean Mission, ¹ I can readily say that my father was a de facto bishop, although his actual title was that of a secretary for Lutheran mission work in the Caribbean.

Looking back a few generations we found a letter written in 1919 by my great-grandfather William Arbaugh to his grandson, my father, also a William. It was written on notepaper for Arbaugh & Son, in Carrolton, Ohio. Digging into the box of letters, we were reminded of the bleak economic woes of the early 1930s. My uncle George wrote that both our banks failed but they reopened with big losses. My grandmother wrote about gleaning in her rented fields and hiding behind a shock of grain when she heard a motorcar.

And there were pictures, reminding me of a summer on Grandfather Engelhardt’s farm in northern Illinois when I was about twelve years old. I remain grateful for those rich experiences with both horses and tractors, sheaves and shocks and threshing machines, barns and granaries, pigs and sheep, and even some dairying. Such farming at that level is now history.

There were also letters which found a soft spot in my heart. For example, there were letters of appreciation to my father from Henry Samuels, the Clerk (lay leader) at Nazareth Church, Cruz Bay, St. John. In those days this least developed of the U.S. Virgin Islands boasted one car and one truck and the town had electricity (usually) for two hours in the evening. Serving as a Lutheran pastor, the Cruz Bay church was within my parish and called for my monthly visits from St. Thomas. There were letters also from Elliot O’Neal in Virgin Gorda (BVI), who had been a carpenter working on church properties in Puerto Rico when I was a child. I remember picking up and playing with curlicues of wood shavings from under his sawhorse. Unforgettable were the wonderful, large birthday cakes, baked by his wife on a small kerosene stove. These letters were elegant in their simplicity.

Examining this old correspondence, the question to be faced was whether some of these emotions and understandings could be preserved for the next generations—our children and grandchildren. Recognizing that letter-writing is being supplanted by less permanent digital forms, a gathering of these writings would be in order. In the picture on the cover of this volume I am shown between my grandparents Arbaugh and Engelhardt. This volume includes records and writings from my grandmother, Nora Leone Arbaugh, and her Bartholomew family. However, I have almost no information regarding my Grandmother Engelhardt and her Goodknecht family. Thus, there are three names in Potpourri’s title.

Sources

There have been many sources for this volume, beginning with the files which led to the publication of Caribbean Mission. Much of the relevant correspondence (1928-1958) for those years is now in the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. However, that work led to a search for family records, files and albums, giving rise to this Potpourri.

My sister Mary Arbaugh’s Family Record, includes the Arbaugh-Engelhardt, Arbaugh-Bartholomew and Engelhardt-Gutknecht records in considerable genealogical detail but without anecdotal or narrative accounts.

My uncle and my father, George B. Arbaugh and William G. Arbaugh, were collaborators on a proposed publication of a biography of their father, Alonzo Harvey Arbaugh, which appears in chapter 2.

While he was engaged in graduate studies in Germany my uncle George had opportunity to explore some family backgrounds, as described in chapter 1. Accounts he prepared in chapters 1 and 2 include numerous quotations which, without much doubt, were from writings by his father, Alonzo. Nora Leone, in the story of her 1930 trip to Puerto Rico (chapter 3), stated that Alonzo took with him papers he could use in writing the story of his family, a story he could not complete because of failing health.

Tribute should be given to my great uncle John Arbaugh, who was an avid genealogist, although his persistent research often led to the annoyance of others in the family. Much of his research and many documents have been given to the Historical Society in his home town, Carrollton, Ohio.

Appreciation

The first word of appreciation goes to my wife Sandra, who has been supportive in this project. From her experience with a historical society as well as her natural interest, she waded through many of the letters, written in longhand, such as those mentioned above from Clara and her mother, and selected those which would be pertinent to this book.

I greatly appreciate the assistance and good advice from my sisters, Mary Margaret Arbaugh and Nora Dorothy Zitzewitz. Mary’s careful work on the Family Record has been noted above. Nora Dorothy’s exceedingly thorough proofreading is a skill probably developed when she was a Latin teacher. Her work has been of inestimable value, not simply by noting typographical and grammatical errors but also in correlating dates and events from one chapter to another. She was particularly helpful in preparing a chronology, which appears in the Addenda. Together, my two sisters assisted in selecting relevant material for this project and in developing chronologies for all three families. To use one of our father’s common expressions, they have corrected many of the manuscripts infelicities.

My cousin, Jerry Engelhardt offered family pictures, notes on visits with his parents to Puerto Rico, and also notes on his mother, Mabel, included in chapter 9. Another cousin, Carl Engelhardt, included notes on the Engelhardt farm, a Centennial Farm, as well as a diagram of the farm—also in chapter 9. From my teenage years I have fond remembrances of my Engelhardt uncles and their wives: Fay and Junie, Elzo and Mabel, Louis and Amelia. Although somewhat vague, I also have pleasant recollections of my Engelhardt grandparents, Charles and Emma—he allowing me to drive a team of horses until the wagon got stuck at a tight corner and she in efficiently managing farmer-type meals at a large woodstove.

Greatly appreciated is the technical assistance given by son Stephen and especially his wife, Elizabeth, whose wizardry in the electronic intricacies of my computer came frequently to the rescue.

This Potpourri of family lore is presented in the hope that future generations will recognize and appreciate the lives of these, our forebears.

William Charles Arbaugh

Portland, Oregon

January 30, 2011

Chapter 1

The Arbaugh Family

(Numbered by generation)

Gen. 1.   Lorentz Erbach (or Erbaugh, Airbaugh)

   from Mannheim, Germany; landed at Philadelphia in 1744,

   settled in Bucks County, Pa. Brother:

Gen. 1.   Balthaser Erbach (or Balser, Baltes Arbaugh)

   landed at Philadelphia in 1748, settled in Bucks Co, Pa, then

   moved to Maryland and then to Virginia in 1780;

   married Maria Elizabeth_____

Gen. 2.   William Arbaugh (Erbach, Erbaugh), born c. 1762 in Maryland,

   moved to Ohio c. 1818. Died 1850

   married Margaret Mueller c. 1784. Children: Daniel, Jacob,

   John, Christina, Rachel

   Note: Ancestry has been traced positively to William and possibly to Balser from church and census records.

Gen. 3.   Daniel Arbaugh

   b. c. 1790 in Maryland; moved to Ohio c. 1818

   d. 1835, Perrysville, Ohio

   m. Mary (Maria) Steinseifer (Stonesifer)

   Ten children: David, John, Edward, William, Jacob, Elias, Rachel, Elizabeth, Belinda, Daniel

Gen. 4.   Jacob Arbaugh

   b. 1822, Perrysville, Ohio

   d. 1890, Annapolis (Salem), Ohio; m. Ann Sell, 1842

   Nine children: Peter, William, Harvey, Margaret Ann, Catherine, Martha, James, Robert, Etta

Gen. 5.   William Arbaugh

   b. 1845, near Perrysville, Ohio

   d. 1920, Carrollton, Ohio

   m. Emily Jane Slates, 1866, Carrollton, Ohio

   Children: Cora Belle, 1867 -1942,

   Alonzo Harvey, 1871-1933 (baptized Harvey Lonzo),

   Ida May, 1873-1873,

   John Jacob, 1876-1974,

   Anna Maude, 1881-1955,

   George Earl, 1883-1887

Gen. 6,   Alonzo Harvey Arbaugh

   b. Feb. 22, 1871, Kilgore, Ohio

   d. June 28, 1933, Goshen, Indiana

   m. Nora Leone Bartholomew, June 26, 1901, Goshen

   Children: William George, b. June 16, 1902, Goshen, Ind.

   George Bartholomew, b. Dec. 28, 1905, Frankfort, Ind.

Gen. 7.   William George Arbaugh

   b. June 16, 1902, Goshen, Ind.

   d. Dec. 24, 1974, near Chicago, Ill.

   m. Clara Emma Engelhardt, Harvard, Ill.

   (near Sharon, Wisc.) June 26, 1926; d. Nov. 24, 1970

   Children: William Charles, b. April 20, 1927, Goshen, Ind.

   Nora Dorothy, b. Aug. 3, 1929, San Juan, Puerto Rico

   Mary Margaret, b. Oct. 4, 1937, San Juan, Puerto Rico

   m. Cleo Miller, March 3, 1973

Gen. 7.   George Bartholomew Arbaugh

   b. Dec. 28, 1905, Frankfort, Ind.

   d. Jan 25, 1988, Tacoma, Washington

   m. Catherine Evans, Millersburg, Ind., July 31, 1927

   Child: George Evans, b. Oct. 31, 1933, Hartford, Wisc.

Gen. 8.   William Charles Arbaugh

   b. April 20, 1927, Goshen, Indiana

   m. Sandra Lee Schultz, Las Vegas, Nev., Sept. 8, 1958

   Children: David Charles, b. Feb. 10, 1960, Corona, Calif.

   James Douglas, b. May 8, 1962, Corona, Calif.

   Stephen Edward, b. Oct. 4, 1964, Edmonds, Wash.

Gen. 8.   Nora Dorothy (Arbaugh) Zitzewitz

   b. Aug. 3, 1929, San Juan, Puerto Rico

   m. Carl Frederick Zitzewitz, June 28, 1952, Goshen, Indiana

   Children: Karin Elizabeth, b. Dec. 16, 1960

   Marianne, b. March 9, 1962

   Kirsten Louise, July 6, 1966

Gen. 8.   Mary Margaret Arbaugh

   b. Oct. 4, 1937, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Gen. 8.   George Evans Arbaugh

   b. Oct. 31, 1933, Hartford, Wisc.

   d. Oct. 6, 2002, Tacoma, Wash.

   m. Donna Elaine Gord, Jan. 23, 1955, in Kewanee, Ill.

   Children: John Frederick, b. Feb. 19, 1960

   Karl Edward, b. Dec. 14, 1961

   William Kim, b. Aug. 3, 1967

Gen. 9.   David Charles Arbaugh

   b. Feb. 10, 1960, Corona, Calif.

   m. Elizabeth Lucille Folling, Monroe, Wash.

   Children: Peter Folling, b. Feb. 10, 1990, Tacoma, Wash.

   Philip Charles, b. Oct. 14, 1992, Tacoma, Wash.

   Claire Beatrice, b. June 5, 2001, Tacoma, Wash.

Gen. 9.   James Douglas Arbaugh

   b. May 8, 1962, Corona, Calif.

   m. Linda Jo Lust, Richland, Wash., July 26, 1986

   Children: Jennifer Lynn, b. Sept. 8, 1992, Richland, Wash.

   Lucas James, b. Oct. 13, 1996, Richland, Wash

Gen. 9.    Stephen Edward Arbaugh

   b. Oct. 4, 1964, Edmonds, Wash.

   m. Elizabeth Ann Jackson, Sept. 7, 1990, Kent, Wash.

Gen. 9.   John Frederick Arbaugh

   Feb. 19, 1960, Seattle, Wash.

   m. Gayle Lynn Peterson, June 11, 1988, Tacoma, Wash.

   Child: Thomas Karl, b. May 7, 1990

Gen. 9.   Karl Edward Arbaugh

   b. Dec. 14, 1961

   m. Julia Friedman, Aug. 29, 1987

   Children: Elaine Janette, b. Feb. 1, 1994

   Jonathon William, b. April 26, 1996

Gen. 9.   William Kim Arbaugh

   b. Aug. 3, 1967 under name In Ho Kim, in Korea

   m. Mia Peau, 1988; divorced 1999

   Children: Natasha Kim, b. July 4, 1988

   Nicholas Kim, b. April 14, 1990

   Noland Kim, b. April 30, 1994

   m. Stephanie Lynn Conklin, Aug. 4, 2000

   Children (adopted): Jonathan Kim Arbaugh, b. April 25, 1989

   Timothy Kim Arbaugh, April 18, 1991

Gen. 9.   Karin Elizabeth (Zitzewitz) Albright

   b. Dec. 16, 1960

   m. Eric David Albright, Aug. 4, 1989, Chicago, Ill.

   Children: Hannah Charis Maria, b. April 21, 1996

   Paul Cuthbert, b. March 26, 2000

Gen. 9.   Marianne Zitzewitz (married:) Marianne Heintzelman Zitzewitz

b. Mar. 9, 1962, m. Matthew David Heintzelman, Sept. 10, 1988

   (married name:) Matthew Zitzewitz Heintzelman

   Children: Christopher James Heintzelman

   Clara Eirene Heintzelman

Gen. 9.   Kirsten Louise Zitzewitz

   b. July 6, 1966

   m. Michael Eugene Green, Oct. 16, 1987; div. Feb. 24, 2005

   m. Arthur R. Upton, May 7, 2007

Gen. 10.   Peter Folling Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Philip Charles Arbaugh

Gen. 10.    Claire Beatrice Arbaugh

Gen. 10.    Jennifer Lynn Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Lucas James Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Thomas Karl Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Elaine Janette Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Jonathon William Arbaugh

Gen. 10.    Natasha Kim Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Nicholas Kim Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Noland Kim Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Jonathan Kim Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Timothy Kim Arbaugh

Gen. 10.   Hannah Charis Maria Albright

Gen. 10.   Paul Cuthbert Albright

Gen. 10.   Christopher James Heintzelman

Gen. 10.   Clara Eirene Heintzelman

The Arbaughs

George Bartholomew Arbaugh

When the author was engaged in graduate studies in Germany his uncle, John Jacob Arbaugh, suggested that he research the roots of the Arbaugh family. A letter to his brother, William George Arbaugh, written July 10, 1929, from Germany, indicates that he had extensive notes on the family background. These notes were supplemented by conversations with their father, Alonzo Harvey Arbaugh, who in the few years before his death in 1933 attempted unsuccessfully to write a family history.

After Alonzo’s death George and his brother William prepared a biography of their father, incorporating some of these notes. This biography appears in Chapter 2.

The following notes on the Arbaugh family were supplemented by the author between 1983 (a date mentioned in the text) and his death in 1988, forming an unfinished draft.

The migration of Arbaughs to America resulted largely from the Thirty Years War between Catholics and Protestants. In the Palatinate of Germany Protestants were particularly in great distress. In the 17th and 18th centuries boatloads of people, 30,000 or more, came to America, particularly to Pennsylvania and Maryland. Among them were Lorentz and Baltzer Erbach and others of the same name, although their exact relationships are not clear. Thus William Arbaugh, the great-great grandfather of Alonzo, was born in 1762 in Frederick County, Maryland. He lived in the same community with Baltzer Erbach, attended the same church but was not a son of either Baltzer or Lorentz Erbach. Similarly, Joseph Arbaugh appears in the militia of Philadelphia, and he too was not a son of either Baltzer or Lorentz. In 1798 in Greenbriar County, West Virginia, Adam Arbaugh (Erbach) in his will refers to his advanced years. There were still other early Erbachs whose relations are unclear, as Jacob of Baltimore and Joseph.

The Erbachs in Germany

Various Arbaugh families have had a tradition that their ancestors came from Mannheim and that they had noble blood. The name Erbach seems to derive from the town of Erbach, close to Mannheim, and the tradition of noble blood would suggest that the family is descended from the Count of Erbach, whose ancient castle seems to derive its name from Erd-bach, an earth stream or underground stream in the locality. The recent count of the distinguished family, Konrad Graf zu Erbach, reported that he had no record of family members migrating to America, although in Germany the family scattered widely. Further, the Zentralstelle für Deutsche Personen un Familiengeshte in Leipzig could not find records of Lorentz or Baltzer Erbach in Mannheim and reasoned that the Erbachs lived in the region of Mannheim but not in the city itself. Yet an Erbach family did reside in Mannheim at that time. The fact that the baptismal sponsors of an Erbach child came from Frankenthal, a town about seven miles away on the west side of the Rhein, suggests that the family had come from Frankenthal, regardless of ultimate origins.

In 1928-29 George B. Arbaugh was a student at Leipzig and visited Frankenthal and Mannheim, gaining information. Jean Mathieu Erbach of Frankenthal was a baptismal sponsor in Mannheim in 1666. In 1670 he had moved to Mannheim, and his son Johann Yakob was born in Mannheim. Dr. Konrad Erbacher, a teacher in Frankenthal, reported (dubiously) to George Arbaugh that his great or great-great grandfather had emigrated to America. However, his brother Johannes (Jean), a farmer in the village of Moersch, reported that Baltzer was not their ancestor but left for America as a single man about 21 years of age. He carried money in a girdle, which fact kept his memory alive in Germany.

The Erbachers were unable to give much information, and it is quite possible that some of the information is dubious. One involved item: It is reported that while Moersch seems to have been the home over a long period of time, that the ancestors had come from Hangen-Walheim, and further that that the family had moved back and forth.

War and oppression and their effect on Moersch was described in a little history, Moersch im Wormsgau, by Friedrich J. Hildenbrand (Frankenthal, Pfalz, 1900). Turmoil had been both political and religious. In 1579 the old Catholic church in Moersch turned Reformed. Later on Protestantism lost out. By 1802 the reversion to Catholicism had gone so far that 178 inhabitants had become Catholic, leaving 49 Reformed and 19 Lutheran. The Protestants held joint services and retained the church property even though the Catholic church won most of the people.

Erbachs in America

In 1744 the ship Phoenix sailed from Rotterdam, bound for Philadelphia. One passenger was Lorentz Erbach, a young man only 19 years old, coming alone to America, reputedly seeking to avoid military service. On October 20, 1744, he took the oath of allegiance to the British crown. He came from the vicinity of Mannheim, where he was born in 1725. Colonial documents have a bit of information. Lorentz was a shoemaker and a farmer. He had surveyed 160 acres of rich farm land in eastern Pennsylvania. It lay on the edge of Bucks County. Lorentz completed his plantation by purchasing adjoining land. Lorentz quickly took his place among the prosperous men of the community. He soon married Anna Mary Christian, of whom little is known. Five daughters and two sons grew up on this Pennsylvania farm: Anna Mary, Margaret, Catherine, Barbara, Ann, Jacob and Abraham. Abraham was crushed to death at age 14 by a team of horses.

When Lorentz was 55 all the girls but Ann were married and to Jacob Lorentz there was turned over the plantation Errington. Jacob was 24 and had just married the granddaughter of Bishop Henry Funk. The young couple lived at Errington, took care of their parents and of the estate. Lorentz made his will in 1785. At his death Jacob was to divide 450 pounds among the daughters. Lorentz died after 41 years in America.

Four years after Lorentz came to Philadelphia another Erbach arrived. He too settled in Bucks Country where several children were born in his family. Alonzo Arbaugh found an old graveyard by an unfrequented road in Bucks County. In it were graves of several people believed to be Erbachs, among them the grave of a man 104 years old. It could be the burial place of Baltzer, the father of Lorentz and father of Wendle. The 1790 census reported Wendle, William and Jacob Erbaugh in Frederick County, Maryland, quite possibly offspring of Balthes (Baltez, Balthaser). Baltez and wife Eliza signed a deed on August 23, 1857 in Bucks County. A baptismal record in that county lists two children of Baltes and Marie Elizabeth Erbach — Ann, born Jan. 4, 1754, and Jacob, born Sept. 5, 1748. Balthes and his family were living in the same county with his son Lorentz. He had come to America on the ship Edinburgh, out of Rotterdam, and had become a citizen on Sept. 5, 1748.

Jacob Erbach and his wife continued to live on Errington after the death of Lorentz. Jacob made several trips to Virginia and in 1792 he sold Errington to David Yeakle for $6,000. He and his family moved to the valley of Virginia in Rockingham County in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. He purchased 600 acres of good farm land. Here there were few Germans, but Esther’s parents, Henry and Barbara Funk, lived in the same county, and there was a church several miles away where many German families worshiped.

Toward the close of the Civil War a desperate North sent Sheridan to ruin the valley and humble the south. From that disaster little remained to help reconstruct the story of the people. To Jacob and Esther fourteen children were born, ten girls and four boys. From the sons all Erbachs are descended so far as is known. A full accounting of all immigrant Erbachs cannot be given but those of whom we are aware may be divided into seven groups by location:

1. Bucks Co., Pa.

2. Bucks Co., then to Frederick Co., Md.

3. Frederick Co., Md., then to Harrison Co., Ohio

4. Pendleton Co, Va., now West Virginia

5. Greenbrier Co., Va., now West Virginia

6. Washington Co., Va., then Arkansas

7. Maryland, then lost to follow up

The first group was founded by Lorentz Erbach, whose descendants went to Virginia, then to Dayton, Ohio (history being prepared by Donald Demuth). The second group was founded by Baltzer Erbach. Many of his descendants live in Carroll and Baltimore Counties, Md., and many have scattered to other states. The third group was perhaps descended from a Ludwig or Jacob. From Frederick County, Md., William went to Harrison Co., Ohio. The fourth group has representatives in Jay Co., Ind. The fifth group has descendants in Greenbrier Co, Va., and White Co., Ill. The sixth group is represented by descendants in Mississippi and Arkansas. The seventh group has scattered representatives in Maryland.

William Arbaugh is the earliest known of the third group. Born in 1762, his father was perhaps Jacob or Ludwig (or Jacob Ludwig). The original records of St. Mary’s Lutheran and Reformed Church in Silver Run, Md., have been destroyed, including family records. When William was about 27 he married Margaret Mueller. They left Maryland on July 5, 1827, and spent twenty-two days crossing the mountains to Harrison Co., Ohio. The reason for the move seems to have been adverse farming conditions, and cheap land in Ohio. Some of William’s ten children were born in Maryland, others in Ohio. They had only one horse, to carry possessions and children by turn. They lived off the land, particularly venison, and carried seed for planting. The family settled on a small farm about half way between Jefferson (Germano) and Jewett. They lived in a log house where William died in 1850 at the age of 90. He was buried in the Lutheran cemetery at Rumley. William was a stone mason and followed the building trades, supplementing his work by farming. William and Margaret had three sons, Daniel (1790-1835), Jacob (1791-1875), and John (1791-1848); two daughters, Christina (1794-1865), and Rachel (1797-1877). Daniel, like his father, was a stone mason and carpenter. About 1813 he was married to Mary Steinseifer in Maryland. They had ten children. Living in poverty, Daniel walked the entire distance to Maryland, carrying his tools, and worked at the building trade for two years. He sent money to his family but they never received it and neighbors whispered that he had perhaps deserted his family. Mary wove cloth for neighbors and somehow they survived. Finally Daniel walked in unannounced, and called Where is Jakey? Daniel was stricken with what was probably appendicitis (cramp colic) at the age of forty-six and died suddenly in 1835. David, oldest of the ten children was appointed guardian for the six minor children. The mother, Mary, died in 1854, of typhoid fever. The ten children were David, John J., Edward, William, Jacob, Elias, Rachel, Elizabeth, Belinda, and Daniel.

Of particular importance to eastern Ohio Arbaughs is Jacob. He was born on March 22, 1822, near Perrysville, Ohio. He was thirteen when his father, Daniel. died. He too worked as a carpenter. In 1842 he was married to Ann Sell who had been born in 1825 and who lived to the age of 93. Of their five sons and four daughters, five died in a diphtheria epidemic within a three-week period. Jacob himself died in 1890 and the widow lived with her son Robert and daughter Mrs. Virginia McKee in Canton, Ohio.

The Erbachs had belonged to the Reformed church in Maryland, as they presumably had in Germany, but in Ohio all were Lutheran. They were members of the church at Rumley, going there a good many miles either on foot or by ox cart.

The story continues with Jacob, grandfather of Alonzo. He was born at Perryville in 1823 and grew to manhood there. Alonzo writes from memory: "Grandfather was kind, meek, humble and retiring. He also was industrious, but was not very good in management of his business. Prominent in the neighborhood was the Sell family, another German family from Maryland. At church in Perrysville Jacob became acquainted with Ann Sell, born in 1825 and known for helping neighbors with spinning. She and Jacob were married in 1842. The young couple lived in some poverty. Ann blamed Jacob for this, and he was rather unhappy from her fault-finding. Nevertheless, to us children, they were our very dear grandparents. How well I remember seeing them in the evening of life sitting on the porch and smoking their pipes. To them were born nine children: Peter, William, Harvey, Margaret Anne, Martha, Catherine, Beatty [James?], Robert B., and Etta Virginia (Jenny).

"In 1862 a crushing sorrow fell on the home, from which Grandmother never recovered. There were seven children then. A scourge of diphtheria spread over the country. In less than three weeks the five younger children died. Uncle Peter was sick but recovered and Father (William), then about seventeen, did not take the disease. The tombstones in St. John’s cemetery bear silent testimony to the sorrow, fear and agony of the household. From then on Grandmother refused to go to any large gatherings or places of amusement. In the next years two more children, (Uncle) Robert and (Aunt) Jennie were born. Soon after the epidemic Father (William) was afflicted with typhoid fever. Due to his strong constitution and, in spite of treatment by the doctor, he finally recovered. Although he had a burning fever he was never allowed cold water or cold liquids. Nor was he allowed a cool bath. The medicines were calomel, rhubarb and quinine.

While Grandfather and Grandmother spent most of their lives near Perrysville, they moved frequently, due both to Grandfather’s occupation as a carpenter and their financial struggle. One home was in Bowerston when Father was six or seven, when Grandfather built the first Pennsylvania depot. The last move was to Annapolis (Salem), about 1870. Probably this move was made in order to be close to Peter and his wife Amanda Copeland. With what eagerness we looked forward to a visit there. How I loved to sneak in on Grandmother while she was smoking her pipe. Her Uncle Robert and Aunt Jennie grew up. Uncle Rob married Laura Scott and Aunt Jennie became the wife of Stewart McKee.

William Arbaugh

"In the spring of 1879 Father (William) purchased a farm one mile north of Dell Roy. The barn was very small so Grandfather and Uncle Rob came to enlarge it. I was about ten years old. In January Grandfather and Grandmother visited us. The next spring Father sold this farm and we moved to a farm near Kilgore. When I was old enough that Father would trust me with the team, he sent me to Salem to haul Grandfather’s winter supply of coal. Grandfather went with me to the mine. Two topics were the steep hill just north of Salem and the ‘gallows tree’.

"In 1887 Father and Mother decided to build their long talked of house. Again Grandfather and Uncle Rob did the carpentry work. In 1900 Father and Mother decided, in spite of the expense, to visit Mother’s brother, Oliver Slates, and her cousins Bill and Sarah Shawyer at Shoales, Indiana. Grandmother came to stay with us children. During that time Grandfather died of apoplexy. I recall an amusing experience about Grandfather. One evening Grandmother had churned and left the buttermilk in the churn in the kitchen. During the night a hog got into the kitchen, upset the churn and was devouring the buttermilk. Grandfather heard the commotion, ran to the kitchen in his bare feet, kicked the hog and broke his big toe. Grandmother lived twenty-eight years after Grandfather died, dying in 1918 at age 94. She lived with Uncle Robert and Aunt Jennie, for awhile in Jewett or Newark, and finally in Canton.

Father seldom spoke of his childhood. Life was strenuous and schooling was limited. He gained a practical education of high quality. His ability to figure the feet of lumber in a log was amazing. At sixteen Father began working for John Polen on a portable sawmill. Sawmilling with steam engines was a new industry. When the chief sawyer was drafted in the army Polen told William to take charge of the saw, the first saw operated in that section of Ohio. During the next two years a great deal of sawing was done near Jewett and Scio. Two of William’s close friends were Jim Polen and Bib" Perkins. While rooming and boarding with a family Bid became famous by declaring that there was not a single bug in the place but that all had married and raised large families.

A prominent family in the region was that of John Slates. It was his daughter, Emily Jane, whom William was to marry. The family had moved from Virginia with neighbors. Emily’s father had a fine farm and was a man of some means. He was noted as a driver of four, six, eight and even ten-horse teams. He was often hired to move sawmill boilers and heavy equipment. His first wife, a Senger, died young and left four small children. His second wife died young, leaving two small children. Emily Jane had hoped to become a teacher but carried home her slate and took over the family chores. While helping another family in a time of illness Emily met William Arbaugh who was saw-milling there, and soon the mill was moved to her home. William and his brother had bought the mill and took their father in as a third partner. Emily’s father soon married for the third time and Emily was very unhappy about it. She and William were married on June 19, 1866. William rented a fine team and buggy and the couple drove to the Lutheran parsonage in Carrollton for the wedding. William was almost twenty-one and Emily was seventeen. They rented a little log house in Kilgore, but soon bought a larger house in Kilgore, for $250.Here they lived for three years and two children, Cora Belle and Alonzo Harvey were born.

About two years after their marriage the Arbaughs sold their mill, and William and Emily’s brother Harvey bought a shingle mill and a second-hand engine. This venture failed and after a year they sold the outfit and purchased a lumber mill, but this too was soon sold. After a season of farming William bought another mill. The boiler of the previous mill exploded and scalded three men to death. Yet William continued milling while Emily and the children took care of the farm. Three more children were soon born. One (Ida May) was hopelessly crippled and died in less than a year. The others were John Jacob and Anna Maud. William prospered but was restless. Eventually he ventured into business in Carrollton, combining—as was then common—a furniture store with funeral service. His fine store was the largest in town."

Alonzo Harvey Arbaugh

These notes were incorporated in the Life of A. H. Arbaugh, which appears in Chapter 2.

Other Arbaughs

It is distressing not to be able to report on others