CHRISTIAN GEIGER

1700 - 1779

Credit for the document below is given to Minor Ellsworth Kyger

The first Kyger (Geiger) of our line was Christian Geiger, who landed in Philadelphia in September 1739 on the sailing ship "Charming Nancy". The passenger list is somewhat unusual in that women, and apparently also minors, are listed. Also Barbara Geiger and William (Wilhelm) Geiger are listed. We will see as we proceed that the Wilhelm is almost surely Christian's son. Who Barbara was is quite unsure. No other records known to me mention her. Was she Christian's wife?, his daughter?, or perhaps a sister or even a niece?. True William's wife was Eva Barbara, but William was not married until 1747 (assuming this was his first marriage)

Christian and William settled in Warwick Town, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. There are several references to them in civil and church records. Christian married on March 18th, 1739 to Anna Maria Esskuchen (born: December 31st, 1711). On December 15th, 1739 a son Johann Jacob was born (baptized February 9th, 1740 with Anna Marie Esskuchchen sponsor). A daughter Ursula Elizabeth Geiger was born, (baptized April 28th, 1741). John George was born (baptized June 2nd, 1748) and Christina was born (baptized eight days before Easter, 1750). Anna Maria evidently died shortly thereafter, on October 1752 Christian married Christina Veit, widow of Georg Veit. They had a daughter born, (baptized December 7th, 1753).

Christian's will (Lancaster County Will Book no. C - 1 (1779), page 542 lists wife, Christina, son George, daughter Christina, Wife of Michael Wyland, Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Lieb, daughter Margaret, wife of John Bender, Anna Maria, wife of George Unger, and the children of his deceased son William. Thus Maria Christina must have died before 1779 leaving no heirs. We have no record of the birth of Margaret, nor of Anna Marie. A tradition says there were also two boys beisdes William, Jacob and George, namely John and Frederick. Some Kigers in West Virginia claim descent from John. Why Jacob, John and Frederick are not then mentioned in the will is unexplained. Perhaps they had already recived thier share in land.

I have no information ( other then above) concerning any of the family of Christian, besides William, George and John ( and very little of those of the latter two.)

In 1747 William and Eva Barbara Stober where married. On November 26, 1748 thier first child, Christian, was born and on November 1st, 1750, Johann Adam was born. Thereafter there are no more references in the Pennsylvania records to William or his family (other than the first Christian's will, mentioned above.

Wilhelm (William) apparently died in 1759; his will is on record in the Frederick County Virginia Court House. Mentioned are his widow, children Christian, Adam, Rosina,Magdalena, and William. THis listing must have been in order of thier ages. I know of no further references to Rosina and William. Christian was to turn up prominently in Rockingham County (1769 and afterwards). Adam went to Fairfield County, Ohio, around 1805 and Magdalena married a Schitz and was living in Fairfield County, not far from Adam, by 1825.

We know at this time nothing about Magdalens's family, and very little about Adam's. George, half uncle of Christian, Adam and Magdalena apparently also moved to Fairfield County, after first having lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia and Lancaster County, Pennsyvania.

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