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Retracing Our Family Legacy
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NOTES 
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Johannes John Buchtel, III
(1732/33 - 1809)
Came from Wurtemberg, sailing in the ship Edinburg, Capt. James Russell cammanding. He was "qualified" in the court house, Philadelphia, Friday, Sept.14, 1753, and may have landed about that date. buchtel, like many other emigrants of that period, was unable to pay for his passage across the ocean,
and was therefore bound out to some party, who had bought his services, until the debt was cancelled. While serving in this capacity he became acquainted with a young lady in the neighborhood, who also was in servitude for a similar cause, and they subsequently were married. The family lived for some time at McKee's Half Falls, Snyder county (now), Pa., and thence removed to Brushvalley, Centre County, Pa., about the year 1791-1792. He is buried at Rebersburg, Pa. All the sons and one or two daughters emigrated to Ohio, about Uniontown, Akron, and other points.
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John Buchtel's Arrival and Marriage
John Buchtel, the ancestor of a numerous train of descendants in America, emigrated from Wurttemberg in 1753, sailing in the ship Edinburg, Captain James Russel commanding. The company of emigrants of which Mr. Buchtel was a member landed at Philadelphia and were qualified in the courthouse, Friday, September 14; probably the ship had arrived the same day or the day before. A list of these people may be found in Professor Rupp's Thirty Thousand Names, page 303, but the name of John Buchtel is there spelled Buchstel, which was an error either of the copyist or of the printer, for on examination of the original list on file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at Harrisburg, Pa, it will be seen that the name there written Buchtel, as signed by himself, and corresponding with his signature as found on old deeds and other papers. Mr. Buchtel was still single when he emigrated to America, and it is said he left his native land in order to avoid military service in a war then pending or about to open in the home country.
It appears that Mr. Buchtel was not burdened with a superabundance of this
world's goods at hat time, for he was obliged to sever a certain period with
some citizen of the new country to pay for his passage across the ocean. A young
lady immigrant, serving for a similar purpose with a near neighbor, became his
wife. Her Christian name was Catharine; her other name is not known (it is Scheler).
The couple lived at McKees Half Falls, now Snyder county, Pa, but how long is not
known. Mr. Buchtel's name appears on the assessment list of that locality for the year
1778. In 1791 or 1792 the family moved from McKees Half Falls, to Brush Valley,
now Centre County an located on a tract of land of 334 acres in the center of
the valley. The family were pioneer settlers and the region was on vast expanse
of forest inhabited principallh by bears, wolves, panthers, and deer.
The only road then was a mere path through the woods which Colonel Samuel Miles
had cut out , beginning in Buffalo Valley at the lower end of Brush Valley
Narrows, thence running west through said Narrows 14 miles and on through the
middle of Brush Valley a further distance of 20 miles, to its western terminus,
Colonel Miles at one time owned the whose valley and had this road opened to
induce settlers to come in, purchase or lease tracts form him and improve them.
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Pioneer Settlers in the Forest
Mr. Buchtel must have entered the valley by his road, as Mr. Anthony Bierly, a
near neighbor, became a settler in the place about the same time and tradition
say he was the first to bring in his family by this road. The Buchtel family ,
among whom there were then at least several adult children, built their pioneer
cabin on a spot south of the present residence of Ms. Philip Hubler, several
rods below the public road, about one mile northwest of the present site of
Rebersburg.
After providing a place of shelter their next concern was, like that of all new
settlers, to clear the land, plant potatoes, corn, and sow winter grain as
speedily as possible, so that the family would have a supply of provisions.
Sometimes those early settlers were brought to the verge of starvation. On a
certain occasion food became so scarce that people were obliged to dig up the
potatoes which they had planted, peel them, eat the potatoes and replant the
peelings. Meat, however, appears to have been abundant in those early times.
Any one fortunate enough to won a rifle could procure all the meat required in a
family by strolling a few rods beyond the clearing an shooting deer. Indeed,
deer were so numerous that they became a nuisance to the settlers. They would
destroy the crops. Bears, too, were plenteous and bold. Often they would come
into the clearings, climb into pigpens and carry off hogs.
As soon as Mr. Buchtel had cleared a small space, he planted an apple orchard.
The terms of Colonel Mile's lease requird the lessee to plant at least one
hundred apple trees and sow a least seven acres with English grass. The small
apple trees Mr. Buchtel carried on his shoulder from this old home at McKees
Half Falls to his new home, a distance of 40 miles in a direct line. So stated
Colonel Henry Royer, a near neighbor to the Buchtel family. Some of these trees
are still remaining and are considerably over a hundred years old. Several of
them are giants of their kind, measuring three and a half feet in diameter near
the ground. Among the different varieties was an early sweet apple, red striped
and of fine flavor, These are still perpetuated in the valley and are known as
the Buchtel apple. Mr. Buchtel also planted a vineyard on the second mountain
north of his place, and spot is still known as Wei'kop (Wein = wine, Koph = head
or top). He believed that an elevated position should afford the best conditions
for grape culture. The manure for the vines he carried up the mountain in a
basket, says Ms. Richards, a great granddaughter of his. The plants flourished,
but the enterprise was a failure, because the "bad boy" was already in existence
and carried off the grapes.
Among the near neighbors Mr. Buchtel were four of his sons-in-law: Nicholas
Bierly, Abraham Kraemer, Simon Bickle, and Michael Meyer; but the last named did
not move into the area until 1805.
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A Mechanic and a Student
Mr. Buchtel was a cooper by trade and was an excellent mechanic, not only in
this, but in several other departments of woodcraft. Specimens of his
handicraft are still extant, among them being a wine keg made of one solid piece
for the staves, the end or head pieces being in place like those of an ordinary
keg. How they were put in position was always a mystery to people inspecting
the vessel. He was a student and a proficient scholar in mathematics,
astronomy and philosophy. He and his friend John Motz, of Penn's Valley, used
to order books from Germany on those subjects. Astrology was also one of his
favorite studies, and people still mention some predictions of his which were
fulfilled. Several years ago, the writer was shown a diagram with certain
calculation connected therewith, worked out by Mr. Buchtel, which predicted the
War of 1812. In those times people had great faith in astrology, not only the
illiterate, but some among the professional an educated classes. It may be
doubted whether Buchtel believed in it himself to a very great extent. It is
difficult to conceive how any one could apply himself to such abstruse studies
as mathematics, astronomy and philosophy under the unfavorable surroundings of
those pioneer days.
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Buchtel's Death; Family Moving to Ohio
Mr. Buchtel was a member of the Lutheran church, but seldom attended preaching
services. "Ministers went to him to learn," stated an old citizen of the
neighborhood. The date of his birth is not known, nor the exact date of his
decease. It is stated that he died in 1809; he signed a deed in 1808, when of
course, he was still living. He died quite suddenly, falling down in the
doorway of his house and expiring. The manner of his death seems to have been a
fulfillment of his won prophecy, for he had often said that he would not die in
bed. He lies buried in the Union cemetery at Rebersburg, a plot of ground of
which he and Jacob Walter were the first trustees. The grave has not headstone,
but is located close to the fence on the western side of the cemetery, within 9
or 10 rods (a rod equals 16.5 feet) of the northwestern corner.
About the year 1812 Buchtel's widow and all the surviving children, except two
of the daughters, moved to Stark County, Ohio, and settled at or near the
present site of Uniontown. Michael Meyer, a son-in-law followed in 1814 an
located at the same place. Several of the Buchtel children died young and are
buried somewhere on the old homestead farm near Rebersburg.
1.1: 'Old John's' oldest son was John m. Catharine Snyder. They lived on the old
homestead farm, owned later by the heirs of Philip Hubler (note there is a
Hublersburg, Pa about 10 miles west of Rebersburg), and moved to Ohio about the
year 1812.
1.1.1: Henry and Elizabeth were you gggggrandparents. Elizabeth was d/o Michael
Meyer. They were cousins and moved to Ohio and had 16 children (in Esther's
information it is reported that there were only 15 children). Esther married
William Hartman.
1.2: They lived on the farm later owned by Charles Bierly, which was a part of
the original Buchtel tract.
1.3: Peter's wife Margaret Kraemer (there is a Kraemer, Pa in eastern Snyder
county) was sister to Abraham Kraemer, who married Peter's sister, Maria
Buchtel. Peter lived on the farm later owned by the Jonathan Walker heirs about
one and one half miles southwest of Rebersburg. A member of the Buchtel family
in Akron, Ohio, sent he following sketch of him:
Peter Buchtel settled on what was later the John Kepler farm, near East Liberty,
in 1816, Summit County (about 8 miles west of Uniontown, Ohio) at that time was
an almost unbroken wilderness. The nearest trading place was Canton, 18 miles
away, whither supplies were brought from Pittsburgh in wagons. To Canton members
of the Buchtel family had to go whenever they wanted anything from a plug of
tobacco to a hogshead of molasses. Peter
Buchtel was a great hunter. He looked upon the woods in that country as his own,
and it made him angry if any one settled within 5 miles of his home. He was an
expert bee hunter and kept his family well supplied with honey, as well ad
venison, which were 2 staple articles of food. The story connected with his
death will probably never be learned. He left at the first outbreak of
hostilities in the Harrison campaign and was never seen or heard of again.
William Buchtel has spent considerable time and money in trying to get some
trace of his grandfather, but without avail. No one was ever heard of who could
throw any light on his fate.
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The 1816 date is probably wrong.
1.4: Maria Reber d/o Conrad Reber, the founder of Rebersburg. The Reber family
moved to Uniontown, now Myersville, Ohio, about the same time as the Buchtels
and several other families from Brush Valley. Solomon Buchtel built and
occupied the house later owned by William Shultz, about 3/4 mile north of
Rebersburg. Solomon died February, 1840.
1.5: The family lived on the old Meyer family homestead farm near Straubstown,
now Freeburg, Snyder Co., Pa and both parents are buried in the old cemetery at
that place. ( there is a Myersville, Pa in the area)
1.6: The family lived at Straubstown now Freeburg, Snyder Co., Pa, until 1805,
when they moved to Brush Valley, Centre Co. and took up their abode in a small
log cabin within a quarter of a mile of the Buchtel homestead. Soon afterward
Mr. Meyer built a more substantial house, in which the family lived until 1814,
when they again loaded their wagons an d emigrated to Ohio, Mr. Meyer purchased
a tract of 900 acres at a place later known as Uniontown, but now called Lake in
Stark County. At a later period Summit County was formed, taking in a part of
the territory of Stark, and Mr. Meyer's possessions fell into the new county
near the line. As already stated, the Buchtel families had settled in the same
neighborhood several years earlier.
1.7: They lived on a farm half a mile east of the Buchtel farm. Anthony
Bierly, father of Nicholas, moved from the region of the Mahantango, in 1791 or
1792 and settled in Brush Valley, locating on a tract of 344 acres, bought from
Colonel Samuel Miles. The eastern part of Rebersburg is now situated on a
portion of the tract. The farm was subsequently divided, Nicholas taking the
eastern half, his brother John the western half.
1.8: Simon Bickle was the son of Tobias Bickle whose was an early settler in
the valley and at one time owned the Center Mills property. (Henry Buchtel was
my GGGgrandfather and a brother to Catherine Buchtel that married Simon Bickel.
Simon's father Tobias was an early settler in the (presently Centre Co.)
Rebersburg, PA area in Brush Valley. Tobias owned Center Mills and their home
place was about a mile northwest of Rebersburg.)
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Johannes John Buchtel, III
Father: Johannes BUCHTEL II
b: 4 APR 1709 in ?, Linsenhofen, Schwarzwaldkreis, Wurtemberg, Germany
Mother: Lucia EHHALT
b: 1 APR 1708 in ?, Linsenhofen, Schwarzwaldkreis, Wurtemberg, Germany
Marriage 1 Catharine SCHELER b: ABT. 1740 in ?, Germany
Married: 23 DEC 1760 in ?, Lancaster, Lancaster Cty, Pa
Children
Catharine Elizabeth BUCHTEL b: BET. 1760 - 1780 in ?, Centre Cty, Pa
John BUCHTEL IV b: 3 JUL 1762 in ?, Lancaster Cty, Pa
Elizabeth BUCHTEL b: 4 SEP 1762 in ?, Pa
Maria BUCHTEL b: ABT. 1766 in ?, Northumberland Cty, Pa
Agnes BUCHTEL b: 1 DEC 1766 in ?, Pa
Peter BUCHTEL b: ABT. 1768 in ?, Pa
Martin BUCHTEL b: 31 DEC 1770 in ?, Pa
Solomon BUCHTEL b: ABT. 1773 in ?, Miles Twp, Centre Cty, Pa
Lutzanan\Lutzann BUCHTEL b: 24 FEB 1778 in ?, Centre Cty, Pa
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Sources:
SOURCE FOR THE ABOVE INFORMATION:
Ancestry Plus
Krichbaum Branch
Entries: 8539
Updated: Sat Aug 25 20:59:43 2001
Contact: michael fitzpatrick
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:357312&id=I2029&ti=5535
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