ORIGINS OF THE FAMILY

The family surname "Blattenberger" appears under a number of various spellings as "Blattenburger", "Blottenberger", and "Plattenberger". Some later generations dropped the final "er" from the name and went by the name "Blattenberg" or "Plattenberg". Regardless of the particular spelling, most of the present-day members of this family have been found to be descended from Johannes and Elizabeth Blattenburger of Hof Plattenburg , a small farming community in Bavaria. Their son, Christophorus Blattenburger, married Barbara Eder of Reynoldsburg on 7 June 1633 in the Catholic Church at Buchbach, Bavaria. Christophorus and Barbara had a son, George Blattenburger, born 16 April 1639 at Hof Plattenburg, who married Anna Mayrhofer on 17 January 1668. George and Anna had a son, George Blattenburger Jr., born 14 August 1673 at Hof Plattenburg, who married Elizabeth Wagenlechner on 17 February 1716. George Jr. and Elizabeth had three known children: Johannes Ludwig, Anton and Catharina. Johannes Ludwig and Anton were baptized at the Catholic Church of Buchbach, Bavaria.

THE IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR

Johannes Ludwig Blattenberger, born 12 October 1721 at Hof Plattenburg, married Barbara Palmer (or Balmer), daughter of Johann Balmer and Christine Majer, who were Mennonites from Sinsheim , south of Heidelberg. Barbara was nine years older than Johannes. It is believed they married around 1735 or 1736 since their first known child, Anna Maria, was born 2 May 1737. Their second child, Philip, was born around 1741. In 1743 Johannes, along with his wife, Barbara, and their two children, began the long voyage to America. They arrived at Philadelphia on 20 September 1743 on the ship "Lydia" captained by James Ambercrombie. According to the list of passengers on the ship, Johannes was 22 years of age when he arrived. On the same day as his arrival he witnessed his name with a double cross mark on the required oaths to the English government .

SETTLING IN LANCASTER COUNTY

Soon after their arrival in 1743 Johannes and his family made their way to Warwick Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Johannes' wife, Barbara, had two brothers, Christian and Michael, who had settled in the same area ten years earlier. Over the ensuing years, Johannes acquired several tracts of land, some through indenture. He followed the weaver's trade and served as a tax collector in the township. Around 1750 Johannes and Barbara became members of the Moravian Church. They had ten children, four of whom died in childhood and were buried in the Moravian Cemetery at Lititz, PA.

Anna Maria, was born 1737 in Germany, married Johann George Buerstler in 1759. Philip, born 1741 in Germany, died 1749. Daniel, born 1743 in Lancaster Co., PA, married Margaret ?. Johannes, born 1744, married (1) Christiana Haines, (2) Anna Maria Brandon. Christian Ludwig, born 1747, married Salome Mueller. Elizabeth, born and died 1749 and Nathaniel, born and died 1751. Frederick, born 1753, wife unknown. Peter, born 1755, PA, married Susanna Eby. Anna Rosina, born 1756 , died 1758.

Johannes' wife, Barbara, died in 1758 at the age of 46 and was buried in the St. James Church cemetery at Lititz in Lancaster Co., PA. Around 1760 Johannes remmaried a woman named Margarethe. She may have been the Margaret Zimmerman, widow, who sold a piece of property in Manheim Twp. in 1767 to John "Plotebarger". Around 1767 they moved to Manheim Twp., Lancaster Co. where he continued his weaving trade. By 1791 they moved once more, to Rapho Twp., Lancaster Co. Johannes had two more children by his second wife.

Anna Rosina, born 1761 in Lancaster Co., PA, married George Hauenstein. Margaretha, married John Eby in 1786.

Johannes died in Rapho Twp., Lancaster Co., PA around March of 1794. His burial location is not known. His will, which was written in 1791, was proved on 28 March 1794.

MILITARY SERVICE DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

At least four of the sons and two of the grandsons of Johannes and Barbara played an active role in the military during the Revolutionary War. Son Johannes Jr. was a Sergeant and guarded Hessian prisoners of war. Grandson, Johannes III, served as a Private in a Company of the Eighth Battalion in the Lancaster Co. Militia. Grandson George served as a Private in a German Regiment. Son Christian Ludwig served as a Private in the Third Company of the Second Battalion. Son Frederick was a Private in the Tenth Regiment and participated in the battles of Brandwine and Germantown and, in June 1778, at Monmouth. Son Peter served with the 77th Battalion of Lancaster Co. Militia.

FAMILY REUNIONS

In 1984 Harold Lloy Blattenberger hosted a two-day family reunion at Martinsburg, PA to provide an opportunity for family members from across the country and Germany to meet one another and renew bonds of kinship among descendants. Two of the people in attendance were Franz and Ursula Blattenberger from the Bavarian village of Rott Am Inn, not far from the ancestral home of the family. Franz is a descendant of Anton Blattenberger, brother of Johannes Ludwig Blattenberger, the American ancestor.

In 1993 Omara Blattenberger organized a family reunion at Lancaster, PA in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Johannes Ludwig Blattenberger. The reunion was well attended and was enjoyed by all. At the reunion officers were chosen for a family association and plans were made for a family newsletter.

Since 1993 the family information has been entered into a computer database and research has continued to find the genealogy and history of additional family members. You can view the database on-line.

Got a question? Send mail to blattenberger@yahoo.com

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