Valentine Geiger and Maria Elizabeth Schmidt

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Husband Valentine Geiger ¹

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           Born: Abt 1685 - Baden, Germany
     Christened: 
           Died: Dec 1762 - New Hanover Tsp., Montgomery Co., Pa
         Buried: 

       Marriage: Between 1740 and 1742

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   Other Spouse: Johanna Frederica Henckel (1694-Abt 1739) 2 - Abt 1716 - Monchzell, Germany

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Wife Maria Elizabeth Schmidt

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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Children

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General Notes: Husband - Valentine Geiger

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THE HENCKEL GENEALOGY

The following is a selection from pages 29-30 of "The Henckel Genealogy". See also notes under Johanna Frederica Henckel.

No record has been found of a marriage of Johanna Frederica Henckel. The ceremony was no doubt performed by her father while he was still pastor of the church at Monchzell. Dr. Barker was unable to locate the records of this church for the period 1714 to 1717, the time of Reverend Anthony Jacob Henckel's pastorate. It was during this period the differences arose with Baron Melchoir, patron of the church, resulting in Pastor Henckel's resignation and migration with his family to America.

Nothing has been found of the antecedents of Valentin (Valentine) Geiger, but it appears there were several different migrations of the Geiger family to William Penn's province in 1717 and later.

Valentine Geiger after settling on his farm at New Hanover became one of the leading citizens of the district. He aided in the re-organization of the New Hanover or Swamp Church and became one of its first Elders. He was a promotor of the New Hanover Township, a name derived from Hanover, Germany. It contained about 24 square miles and had previously been called "Falckner's Swamp" after Daniel Falckner, agent of the Frankfort Land Co. Swamp Creek flows through the center of this tract.

On April 29, 1728 a second petition to His Excellency, Patrick Gordon, Esq., Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, for protection from the Indians, was prepared. Among the seventy-four signatures were: (Rev.) Anthony Henckel, Gerhard Henkel, Valentin Geiger, George Geiger, Frederick Antes, Heinrich Antes, Martin Bitting, Heinrich Bitting and others.

Valentin Geiger's name appears on the Tax roll in 1734 as owner of 350 acres of land. He took the oath of allegiance at the session of the Supreme Court held September 25, 26, and 27, 1740 at Philadelphia.

His wife "Freka" having died prior to 1740, Valentine Geiger remarried prior to 1742 to Maria Elizabeth Schmidt, said also to have been the daughter of John George Schmidt, a Lutheran minister, pastor of New Hanover Lutheran Church.

There appears to have been four additional children by this second marriage, all sons, making a total of eleven in all, of which ten survived the parent, Valentin Geiger, who died intestate in Dec. 1762.

The following court records not only deals with the distribution of the Valentine Geiger estate but will identify the ten living children:

1 William Sumner Junkin, Minnie Wyatt Junkin, The Henckel Genealogy 1500--1960, 1964, pg 29-30.

2 William Sumner Junkin, Minnie Wyatt Junkin, The Henckel Genealogy 1500--1960, 1964, pg 21, 29-30.