BARTHOLOMAEUS BENSINGER

The small amount of information that I have gathered for Bartholomaeus Bensinger, aka Barthleme Bensinger, prompts me to enter his family into one short story. 

Barthleme was probably born about 1733 in York County, PA. His spouse, Catharina, probably was born in York County about 1737. I know of three of their children as follows:

Christina Margreth Birthdate unknown

Anna Barbara 2 Jan 1753

(Anna was baptized 25 Jan 1753 at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Hanover, York, PA)

Johann Heinrich 9 Nov 1759, our ancestor

Oftentimes, family historians need to at least present estimates and probable information into their recording of some of their ancestors, rather than to leave blank spaces. We are trained to analyze what records we are able to gather and attempt to present our ancestors as best we can, in the absence of available records, hoping to gain more information in the future. In the case of the Bensingers, I have Anna's baptismal record on microfilm from FamilySearch.org and much more information about Johann which was shared on my blog at an earlier time.

WILLIAM CUSTARD

Our fifth great grandfather, William Custard, was born in 1729 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (see the map of Philadelphia c. 1750 above). Below is a brief history, from Wikipedia, of what Philadelphia was like in the early 1700s:

"William Penn planned a city on the Delaware River to serve as a port and place for government. Hoping that Philadelphia would become more like an English rural town instead of a city, Penn laid out roads on a grid plan to keep houses and businesses spread far apart, with areas for gardens and orchards. The city's inhabitants did not follow Penn's plans, as they crowded by the Delaware River, the port, and subdivided and resold their lots. Before Penn left Philadelphia for the last time, he issued the Charter of 1701 establishing it as a city. It became an important trading center, poor at first, but with tolerable living conditions by the 1750s. Benjamin Franklin, a leading citizen, helped improve city services and founded new ones, such as fire protection, a library, and one of the American colonies' first hospitals."

Apparently, William didn't stay long at Philadelphia, because our next record for William is his marriage to Sarah Swartwout in Minnisink Valley, Orange County, New York on the fifth of August 1754 when he was 25. Their fourteen children were born in various places, but not  far from Philadelphia, where their 10th child was born.

The Custard Farm of Egypt Mills was located in Bushkill, Pike County, Pennsylvania and this is where William died on the 10th of October in 1806. He is buried at the  Valleyview/Swartwout Cemetery in Bushkill, Pike, PA above Route 209. 

HANNAH PAR

Judge James E. Rose of Auburn, Indiana, a descendant of Robert and Hannah Par Rose, prepared a partial manuscript of information about his family in 1888. It was entitled "Genealogical and Historical Sketches and Reminiscences from Records and Traditions of the Rose Family." Fortunately, for us descendants, FamilySearch.org was sent portions of this manuscript via The Rose Family Bulletin and has made his information available for us to learn from. My short story about his ancestor, Hannah Par, includes some details about the family that I obtained from said manuscript.

Hannah was born on Long Island, Suffolk County, NY on the 5th of March in 1724.  She married David Rose around 1744.  Below is a list of their children, all born in New Jersey:

Mary 1745-1749, died at age 4
David 1747-1771, died at age 24, unmarried,  in Lancaster, PA. He died because of gangrene in an injured arm.
Rhoda 1749-1807, our ancestor
Robert 1752-1770, was drowned in the Susquehanna River, age 18.
John 1754-1852
Mary 1756-1781, died in Bath Town, Berkley, VA
Jesse 1757-1852, died in Ellsworth, Mahoning, OH
James 1761-1837, died in Delaware, Hancock, OH
Hannah 1765-1859
Catherine 1767-1861
Elizabeth  1769-?
Thomas J. Dates unknown. 

Hannah died at the home of her son, Jesse, in Poland, Mahoning, Ohio  on the first of May in 1813.

DAVID ROSE

Long Island, Suffolk, New York, 2017
David's birthplace was Long Island, Suffolk County, New York on the 15th of August in 1721.  He spent his childhood on Long Island, married Hannah Par in 1744, and they started their family here. From what I've read about this location and time period, residents seemed to be farmers and also harvested the oysters from the numerous oyster beds along the Atlantic shoreline. Even today, according to the Suffolk County website, the county is the leading agricultural county in the state of New York, saying that: "The weather is temperate, clean water is abundant, and the soil is so good that Suffolk is the leading agricultural county in New York State. That Suffolk is still number one in farming, even with the development that has taken place, is a tribute to thoughtful planning, along with the excellent soil, favorable weather conditions, and the work of dedicated farmers in this region."

At age 36, David and his family moved to Derry Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Susquehanna River and east of Hill Island. Hill Island, in the Susquehanna River, is 9 miles south of Harrisburg, PA., near Three Mile Island which is today reduced to defunct smoke stacks! But in David's time, this area seemed to suit him and his family until he reached aged 60.

During the summer of 1778, David took the Revolutionary Oath of Allegiance and was listed as a 7th Class Private at about age 56. A few months later, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of Lancaster, PA under the command of Col. Alexander Lowrey. By the following spring David became a 6th Class Private.

In August 1781, David and Hannah migrated to Washington County, Maryland. But two months later David died, at age 60 and 2 months on the 15th of October in 1781.

Source of information:
"The David and Hannah (Par) Rose Family" report from the Rose Family Association, prepared for Marjorie Shepard in June 2016, compiled by Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG.