Margaretha was the daughter of Hans Martin Schellenberger and his wife Verena "Freny" Benz, Swiss immigrants aboard the Mercury, landing at Philadelphia 29 May 1735. By 1749 they were living in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
In August 1770, Margaretha was married to Lewis (Ludwig) Frantz in Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lancaster city. Lewis was the son of Ludwig Frantz and his wife Elisabetha Everlin. (A note about Lewis' parents Ludwig and Elisabetha - they were married 21 May 1744 in St. James Lutheran Church, Warwick Township, Lancaster County. In 1747 they transferred their membership to Trinity Lutheran Church in the city of Lancaster but it is unknown if the family actually relocated in the city.) Through Y-DNA and autosomal DNA Lewis is connected to the Swiss Mennonite Frantz brothers who settled in Pennsylvania in the first decades of the 18th Century, but exactly how is not known at this writing.
After their marriage, Lewis and Margaretha lived in Hempfield Township where Lewis owned property and was a locksmith and farmer. On 13 June 1777 Lewis took the Oath of Allegiance & Fidelity to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, breaking with King George III of England. He served with the Lancaster County Militia during the American Revolution.
About 1789, Lewis moved his family to Buffalo Valley on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, in Northumberland (now Union) County, Pennsylvania. His probate papers attest to his being a prosperous farmer there, and the family attended Dreisbach Lutheran & Reformed Church. Margaretha and Lewis were the parents of seven children: Stephan, John, Jacob, Phillip, Catharine, George and Margaret.
His sons were grown with families of their own when Ludwig/Lewis died in 1804. In the years after his death, all of his children and his widow Margaretha, left Pennsylvania and migrated to Fayette Township, Seneca County, in New York's Finger Lake region. The Frantz family prospered in Fayette. Along with the Henry Singer family, also from Pennsylvania, they were among the charter members of Christ Reformed Church, the first church in Fayette. The Frantz brothers also held civic office and many descendants remain in Seneca County.
Margaretha died in 1828 and is buried in the churchyard of the Christ Church; her lovely gravestone, inscribed in German, can be seen today.
Inscription: "In Memory of Margaretha Frantz, born 29 Aug. 1750, died 29 April 1828 age 77 yrs. 8 mos." Book of Wisdom 3:1 - 3 But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us like annihilation; but they are in peace."
Margaretha is the "lost" daughter of Hans Martin and Verena Benz Schellenberger. No genealogy, published or submitted, has included her name. In one published work, she has simply been called "Miss Schellenberg" and given the wrong husband and residence. We have finally proved her identity and connected her to her rightful parents and place. The first clue was Margaretha's residence of Manheim found on her marriage record. The family of Martin Schellenberger was the only Schellenberger family living in Manheim at that date. Secondly, and most importantly, was a DNA match between her descendants and those of her sister Magdalena, wife of (1) John Brumbach (2) Stephan Hornberger. Thirdly, once Magdalena was identified as the daughter of Martin and Verena, baptismal records of Margaretha and Lewis' children were re-examined and showed that three of her sisters - Ursula, Cathrina and Magdalena, were sponsors for three of Margaretha and Lewis' children. Also, it is not insignificant that brother Martin also relocated in Northumberland County about the same time as did Margaretha and Lewis.
Although the Schellenberger family were of the Reformed faith, at least one other daughter married in Trinity Lutheran Church and there was some going back and forth between the Lutheran and Reformed churches of Lancaster city by some of the children.
Suzanne Wesbrook Frantz
In August 1770, Margaretha was married to Lewis (Ludwig) Frantz in Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lancaster city. Lewis was the son of Ludwig Frantz and his wife Elisabetha Everlin. (A note about Lewis' parents Ludwig and Elisabetha - they were married 21 May 1744 in St. James Lutheran Church, Warwick Township, Lancaster County. In 1747 they transferred their membership to Trinity Lutheran Church in the city of Lancaster but it is unknown if the family actually relocated in the city.) Through Y-DNA and autosomal DNA Lewis is connected to the Swiss Mennonite Frantz brothers who settled in Pennsylvania in the first decades of the 18th Century, but exactly how is not known at this writing.
After their marriage, Lewis and Margaretha lived in Hempfield Township where Lewis owned property and was a locksmith and farmer. On 13 June 1777 Lewis took the Oath of Allegiance & Fidelity to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, breaking with King George III of England. He served with the Lancaster County Militia during the American Revolution.
About 1789, Lewis moved his family to Buffalo Valley on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, in Northumberland (now Union) County, Pennsylvania. His probate papers attest to his being a prosperous farmer there, and the family attended Dreisbach Lutheran & Reformed Church. Margaretha and Lewis were the parents of seven children: Stephan, John, Jacob, Phillip, Catharine, George and Margaret.
His sons were grown with families of their own when Ludwig/Lewis died in 1804. In the years after his death, all of his children and his widow Margaretha, left Pennsylvania and migrated to Fayette Township, Seneca County, in New York's Finger Lake region. The Frantz family prospered in Fayette. Along with the Henry Singer family, also from Pennsylvania, they were among the charter members of Christ Reformed Church, the first church in Fayette. The Frantz brothers also held civic office and many descendants remain in Seneca County.
Margaretha died in 1828 and is buried in the churchyard of the Christ Church; her lovely gravestone, inscribed in German, can be seen today.
Inscription: "In Memory of Margaretha Frantz, born 29 Aug. 1750, died 29 April 1828 age 77 yrs. 8 mos." Book of Wisdom 3:1 - 3 But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us like annihilation; but they are in peace."
Margaretha is the "lost" daughter of Hans Martin and Verena Benz Schellenberger. No genealogy, published or submitted, has included her name. In one published work, she has simply been called "Miss Schellenberg" and given the wrong husband and residence. We have finally proved her identity and connected her to her rightful parents and place. The first clue was Margaretha's residence of Manheim found on her marriage record. The family of Martin Schellenberger was the only Schellenberger family living in Manheim at that date. Secondly, and most importantly, was a DNA match between her descendants and those of her sister Magdalena, wife of (1) John Brumbach (2) Stephan Hornberger. Thirdly, once Magdalena was identified as the daughter of Martin and Verena, baptismal records of Margaretha and Lewis' children were re-examined and showed that three of her sisters - Ursula, Cathrina and Magdalena, were sponsors for three of Margaretha and Lewis' children. Also, it is not insignificant that brother Martin also relocated in Northumberland County about the same time as did Margaretha and Lewis.
Although the Schellenberger family were of the Reformed faith, at least one other daughter married in Trinity Lutheran Church and there was some going back and forth between the Lutheran and Reformed churches of Lancaster city by some of the children.
Suzanne Wesbrook Frantz
Margaretha was the daughter of Hans Martin Schellenberger and his wife Verena "Freny" Benz, Swiss immigrants aboard the Mercury, landing at Philadelphia 29 May 1735. By 1749 they were living in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
In August 1770, Margaretha was married to Lewis (Ludwig) Frantz in Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lancaster city. Lewis was the son of Ludwig Frantz and his wife Elisabetha Everlin. (A note about Lewis' parents Ludwig and Elisabetha - they were married 21 May 1744 in St. James Lutheran Church, Warwick Township, Lancaster County. In 1747 they transferred their membership to Trinity Lutheran Church in the city of Lancaster but it is unknown if the family actually relocated in the city.) Through Y-DNA and autosomal DNA Lewis is connected to the Swiss Mennonite Frantz brothers who settled in Pennsylvania in the first decades of the 18th Century, but exactly how is not known at this writing.
After their marriage, Lewis and Margaretha lived in Hempfield Township where Lewis owned property and was a locksmith and farmer. On 13 June 1777 Lewis took the Oath of Allegiance & Fidelity to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, breaking with King George III of England. He served with the Lancaster County Militia during the American Revolution.
About 1789, Lewis moved his family to Buffalo Valley on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, in Northumberland (now Union) County, Pennsylvania. His probate papers attest to his being a prosperous farmer there, and the family attended Dreisbach Lutheran & Reformed Church. Margaretha and Lewis were the parents of seven children: Stephan, John, Jacob, Phillip, Catharine, George and Margaret.
His sons were grown with families of their own when Ludwig/Lewis died in 1804. In the years after his death, all of his children and his widow Margaretha, left Pennsylvania and migrated to Fayette Township, Seneca County, in New York's Finger Lake region. The Frantz family prospered in Fayette. Along with the Henry Singer family, also from Pennsylvania, they were among the charter members of Christ Reformed Church, the first church in Fayette. The Frantz brothers also held civic office and many descendants remain in Seneca County.
Margaretha died in 1828 and is buried in the churchyard of the Christ Church; her lovely gravestone, inscribed in German, can be seen today.
Inscription: "In Memory of Margaretha Frantz, born 29 Aug. 1750, died 29 April 1828 age 77 yrs. 8 mos." Book of Wisdom 3:1 - 3 But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us like annihilation; but they are in peace."
Margaretha is the "lost" daughter of Hans Martin and Verena Benz Schellenberger. No genealogy, published or submitted, has included her name. In one published work, she has simply been called "Miss Schellenberg" and given the wrong husband and residence. We have finally proved her identity and connected her to her rightful parents and place. The first clue was Margaretha's residence of Manheim found on her marriage record. The family of Martin Schellenberger was the only Schellenberger family living in Manheim at that date. Secondly, and most importantly, was a DNA match between her descendants and those of her sister Magdalena, wife of (1) John Brumbach (2) Stephan Hornberger. Thirdly, once Magdalena was identified as the daughter of Martin and Verena, baptismal records of Margaretha and Lewis' children were re-examined and showed that three of her sisters - Ursula, Cathrina and Magdalena, were sponsors for three of Margaretha and Lewis' children. Also, it is not insignificant that brother Martin also relocated in Northumberland County about the same time as did Margaretha and Lewis.
Although the Schellenberger family were of the Reformed faith, at least one other daughter married in Trinity Lutheran Church and there was some going back and forth between the Lutheran and Reformed churches of Lancaster city by some of the children.
Suzanne Wesbrook Frantz
In August 1770, Margaretha was married to Lewis (Ludwig) Frantz in Trinity Lutheran Church, in Lancaster city. Lewis was the son of Ludwig Frantz and his wife Elisabetha Everlin. (A note about Lewis' parents Ludwig and Elisabetha - they were married 21 May 1744 in St. James Lutheran Church, Warwick Township, Lancaster County. In 1747 they transferred their membership to Trinity Lutheran Church in the city of Lancaster but it is unknown if the family actually relocated in the city.) Through Y-DNA and autosomal DNA Lewis is connected to the Swiss Mennonite Frantz brothers who settled in Pennsylvania in the first decades of the 18th Century, but exactly how is not known at this writing.
After their marriage, Lewis and Margaretha lived in Hempfield Township where Lewis owned property and was a locksmith and farmer. On 13 June 1777 Lewis took the Oath of Allegiance & Fidelity to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, breaking with King George III of England. He served with the Lancaster County Militia during the American Revolution.
About 1789, Lewis moved his family to Buffalo Valley on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, in Northumberland (now Union) County, Pennsylvania. His probate papers attest to his being a prosperous farmer there, and the family attended Dreisbach Lutheran & Reformed Church. Margaretha and Lewis were the parents of seven children: Stephan, John, Jacob, Phillip, Catharine, George and Margaret.
His sons were grown with families of their own when Ludwig/Lewis died in 1804. In the years after his death, all of his children and his widow Margaretha, left Pennsylvania and migrated to Fayette Township, Seneca County, in New York's Finger Lake region. The Frantz family prospered in Fayette. Along with the Henry Singer family, also from Pennsylvania, they were among the charter members of Christ Reformed Church, the first church in Fayette. The Frantz brothers also held civic office and many descendants remain in Seneca County.
Margaretha died in 1828 and is buried in the churchyard of the Christ Church; her lovely gravestone, inscribed in German, can be seen today.
Inscription: "In Memory of Margaretha Frantz, born 29 Aug. 1750, died 29 April 1828 age 77 yrs. 8 mos." Book of Wisdom 3:1 - 3 But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us like annihilation; but they are in peace."
Margaretha is the "lost" daughter of Hans Martin and Verena Benz Schellenberger. No genealogy, published or submitted, has included her name. In one published work, she has simply been called "Miss Schellenberg" and given the wrong husband and residence. We have finally proved her identity and connected her to her rightful parents and place. The first clue was Margaretha's residence of Manheim found on her marriage record. The family of Martin Schellenberger was the only Schellenberger family living in Manheim at that date. Secondly, and most importantly, was a DNA match between her descendants and those of her sister Magdalena, wife of (1) John Brumbach (2) Stephan Hornberger. Thirdly, once Magdalena was identified as the daughter of Martin and Verena, baptismal records of Margaretha and Lewis' children were re-examined and showed that three of her sisters - Ursula, Cathrina and Magdalena, were sponsors for three of Margaretha and Lewis' children. Also, it is not insignificant that brother Martin also relocated in Northumberland County about the same time as did Margaretha and Lewis.
Although the Schellenberger family were of the Reformed faith, at least one other daughter married in Trinity Lutheran Church and there was some going back and forth between the Lutheran and Reformed churches of Lancaster city by some of the children.
Suzanne Wesbrook Frantz
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- Seneca County Frantz or Schellenberger
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- USA Frantz or Schellenberger
- Find a Grave Frantz or Schellenberger
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