Notes:

Niagara Gazette - 5/3/1882

-Mr. David Habecker, aged 91 years.
walked from his home in Wheatfield, a
distance of six miles to visit his nephew,
Mr. Abraham Witmer, Sr., on Wednes-
day, April 25. He moved from Lancaster,
Penn., to the farm on which he lives
in Wheatfield, Niagara county, forty-nine
years ago. Aside from deafness
the weight of years sits comparatively
light upon him.

ALSO

Niagara Gazette - 8/13/1885

On the 5th inst. a pleasant party assembled
at the residence of Mr. Fenuel
Schmeck. to celebrate the 94th birthday
of Mr. Habecker, father of Mrs.
Schmeck. In introducing Mr. Habecker
to the assembly Mr. Elias Witmer, a
son-in-law, said :
Our friend David Habecker, whom
we have the privilege and pleasure of
introducing to you to-day, is the only
surviving member of a family of six
children (three sons and three daugh-
ters) who were lineal descendants of an
illustrious stock of patriotic republi-
cans. His grandfather, Joseph Ha-
becker, a native of Canton Berne, in
the Republic Schweitz, emigrated to
America, arriving at the port of Phila-
delphia, Penn., A. L. 1734. He located
on a farm in Manor Township, Lancas-
ter Co., Penn., where he established a
home and reared a family of four chil-
dren (two sons and two daughters) of
this family (Christian) reared a family
of six children (Three sons and three
daughters) of whom David Habecker is
the youngest and only surviving one.
He was born in Manor Township, Lan-
caster co., Penn., Aug. 5, 1791, were he
lived a farmer's life. In 1811 he came
with my father Abraham Witmer an d
family over the mountains and through
the forests to Niagara Falls, Niagara
county, and in September of the follow-
int year he returned home via Elmira,
Painted Post, etc.
He visited friends in "Old Niagara" at
different times until A. D. 1832 he emi-
grated from Lancaster Co., Penn., to
Niagara Co., N.Y., and purchased a
farm containing 140 acres (about 100
acres clear) which he gave to his daugh-
ter Barbara (intermarried with Penuel
Schmeck) and enjoyed a home with
them. He subsequently purchased an
additional farm of 330 acres (timber
land) which he gave to his son, Joseph
Habecker, who improved it and occu-
pied it until his death in 1855, by whose
widow and children it is still occupied.
David Habecker divided his time be-
tween agricultural, horticultural and
mechanical pursuits; specimens of his
mechanical inventions are still extant.
\In music he was an adept; but both
voice and hearing are impaired to such
an extent that he cannot enjoy vocal
nor instrumental music. He has a re-
markable taste for reading - is a dili-
gent reader of the Holy Scriptures and
has a very retentive memory.

Family/Spouse: NEWCOMMER, Barbara. Barbara was born in 1796; died in 1870. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. HABECKER, Barbara was born in Niagara County, NY.
2. HABECKER, Joseph was born in Niagara County, NY.

Christian + HERR, Esther. Esther (daughter of HERR, David and HERSHEY, Barbara) was born on 18 Jul 1755 in Millersville, Lancaster County, PA; died on 28 Nov 1830 in Lancaster County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph + ERISMAN, Barbara. Barbara (daughter of ERISMAN, Melchior and Edith) was born on 15 Oct 1730; died on 10 Dec 1770. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

David married HERSHEY, Barbara in 1738. Barbara (daughter of HERSHEY, Christian and EGLE, Esther) was born in 1718 in Lancaster County, PA; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Melchior + Edith. Edith was born before 1730; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

"ABRAHAM HERR (who came with his father HANS HERR in 1710), Bishop Hans Burkholder and Melchior Brenneman (who came with the Brubakers, Hostetters, Greiders, Hersheys, Stinemans, Leamans, Swarrs, Kauffmans), having fled from the Palatinate, formed a settlement in 1717 along the Conestoga. Services were held in private houses. Congregations were organized and ministers appointed in Lampeter, Strasburg, Manor, Hempfield, Leacock and Earl townships by the Mennonites before Lancaster had changed its name from Hickory Town and before the county was separated from Chester county." (Taken from Mennonites of Lancaster Conference, by Martin G. Weaver, 1931, pp. 37-38.)

"On October 12, 1719, ABRAHAM HERR and his brother, Hans, petitioned James Steel for a grant of 400 acres for their brother, Isaac, who had recently arrived. In the 1720s, according to the estimates of architectural historians, he built a house that still stands at 25 Bentley Lane in Lancaster Township near Millersville on land that went to his son, Rudy." (Taken from the 1994 Supplement to the Third Edition of the Genealogical Record of Hans Herr, by Theodore W. Herr, originally published 1908, p. 788.)

Immigration 1710
arrived in Philadelphia, w/family, from Switzerland, via the Palatinate

Abraham + MUSSELMAN, Feronica. Feronica was born about 1692; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

During the first Town of Amherst Board Meeting, April 6, 1819, Christian Hershey was elected one of three Assessors. Christian Hershey was 1 of 3 Commissioners of Common Schools.

He became probably the largest land holder in the early days of Amherst. Within 50 years, his descendents owned 17 plots, totaling hundreds of acres within Williamsville alone.

Christian married EGLE, Esther in 1712. Esther was born in 1690; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]