I am researching my family and have hit a brick wall. I will fill you in on what I already know. My gggrandfather was the Rev. Charles L. Schmeckenbecher. He preached back when they held church in private homes. While on his rounds, he was drowned in crossing Mehoopany creek. He was laid to rest in the cemetery by the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Dushore, PA. The inscription on his tombstone reads: Rev. Chas. L. Schmeckenbecher, died May 1, 1834, aged 40 years and 8 days. The year on his tombstone has to be mistaken as, according to the Borough of Dushore Centennial Report entitled Sullivan Co., PA. (1859-1959), he was the pastor of the Reformed Church of the Redeemer from 1839-1845; also, from a note found with family papers, he was born in 1805 and died 1845. There are small graves beside his in the cemetery. One has the inscription: Eliza, died April 29, 1831 - Aged 1 year & 13 days. Another inscription reads: William, died April 21, 1839 - Aged 13 years 11 months and 16 days. There are at least two more that I could not make out, so I took paper and crayon and tried to rub so as to read the inscription. One I am quite sure started with the letter "H". I am thinking that that may be his mother. The reason I think so is that, in the 1850 census, there is a household with a Rebecca Smerkenborker, age 31, F. In that same household, there is a Hensher Smerkenborker, age 77, F. and also a Charles Smerkenborker, age 11, M, which could be my ggrandfather (he was born in 1839). I went to the local historical society and found that there were four others living in that same household: Levi Hunsinger, age 31; Tionah (?), age 1, F; Fredrick Fry, age 17, M; and Ann Green, age 8, F. I have also seen a copy of the names on the graves some time ago and those small children were not listed on there. I understand the church burned and along with it a lot of the history many years ago. In the Lycoming Gazette that you posted, I found under 12 Aug. 1835 where a Rev. George Smeckenberger was married to Miss Rebecca Baar(?), of Cherry Twp., on 16th ult., by William Colley, Esq. I know that the name was probably not spelled correctly, but I would imagine that they spoke German and it would have been hard for census takers at that time to understand them, let alone spell the name correctly. My father used to tell me that his mom and dad spoke in German when they did not want the children to understand. I guess parents had secrets back then too. I have been corresponding with Carol Brotzman about the Thrashers, since my ggrandmother was Susanna Thrasher that married Benedict Ortlieb. She found somewhere that Nicholas Kneller married Mrs. Rebecca Schmeckenbecher (a widow?) on Mar. 1, 1856. I am wondering if the Rev. had a wife before that was the mother of Eliza and William. I am also wondering if Rev. George Smeckenberger is the same as Rev. Charles L. Schmeckenbecher. If he is one and the same, he might have had a wife before Rebecca, as both Eliza and William were born before 1835. I don't know where to go from here. Sincerely, Sylvia

This introductory message prompted me to contact Carol Brotzman. As a result of her work with Sylvia, we now have a fairly reliable body of information about this family. We have even heard on the Query Board from Schmeckenbecher descendants near Lake Constance in Germany, who tell us the family migrated to the Balkans at one time. This process of give-and-take, and accompanying uncertainty, is very typical of how genealogists go about collecting and filtering information. That process is even more complicated when you have a name that can be spelled many different ways due to language differences and complexity in translation: e.g, Schmeckenbecher, Schmeckenbecher, Schmeckenborker, Smerkenborker. In any case, through the efforts of our contributors, we now have the following story about the background of this family in Sullivan County to relate.

Charles L. Schmeckenbecher and Rebecca Bahr

Generation No. 1

1. Rev Charles L. Schmeckenbecher was born in Germany (dates vary--see below under Rebecca Bahr), and died in Suillivan County, aged 40 years 8 days; he was crossing the Mehoopany Creek on his way to preach a sermon..

Notes for Rev Charles L Schmeckenbecher:

Schmeck means to taste in German. Becher means a cup without a handle.

He organized a German Reformed Class in 1830. There are many discrepancies in the dates for this preacher. He was the Pastor of the Reformed German Church 1839-1845. There was a note with his family papers recording that he was born in 1805 and died 1845. There are two small gravestones with his: one wih the inscription "Eliza, died April 29, 1831 aged 1 year 13 days" and the other reads "William- died April 21, 1839 aged 13 years 11 months and 16 days".

Burial: Old Zion Luthern Cemetery (Thrashers Cemetery), Dushore, Pennsylvania

Marriage: Rebecca Bahr

Notes: Rebecca Bahr was born in Cherry Township. She married (1) Rev. Charles L. Schmeckenbecher. He may have been born on April 22, 1784 in Germany. His death date is unclear, but the date of May 01, 1834 on his stone cannot be correct. He died in Sullivan County, aged 40 years 8 days. Some time after his death, Rebecca married Nicholas Kneller, March 01, 1856, Elias Hahn, Esquire presiding. Nicholas was born in Cherry Township, Sullivan County, PA.

The children of Rebecca Bahr and Rev. Schmeckenbecher were:

2 i. William Schmeckenbecher, born about 1826; died April 21, 1839, aged 13 years 11 montha 16 days.

3 ii. Eliza Schmeckenbecher, born about April 1830; died April 29, 1831, aged 1 year 13 days.

+ 4 iii. Charles J Schmeckenbecher, born April 30, 1839; died December 28, 1917 in Laddsburg, Pennsylvania.

Generation No. 2

2. Charles J. Schmeckenbecher was born April 30, 1839, and died December 28, 1917 in Laddsburg, Pennsylvania. He married Augusta Virginia Rettberge, September 1858, daughter of William Rettberge and Charlotte __________. Augusta was born March 04, 1843 in Germany, and died July 26, 1920 in the home of her son, William, at Laddsburg, Pennsylvania.

More About Charles J Schmeckenbecher: Burial: Laddsburg Cemetery, Civil War: GAR VET CO C 79TH REGT PRIVATE

More About Augusta Virginia Rettberge: Burial: Laddsburg Cemetery

The children of Charles Schmeckenbecher and Augusta Rettberge were:

3 i. Sarah Anne Schmeckenbecher, born October 10, 1861; died October 29, 1861.

Burial: Thrashers Old Zion Cemetery

+ 4 ii. William J Schmeckenbecher, born August 31, 1866 in Albany Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania; died April 25, 1933 in Laddsburg, Pennsylvania.

Generation No. 3

4. William J. Schmeckenbecher was born August 31, 1866 in Albany Township, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and died April 25, 1933 in Laddsburg, Pennsylvania. He married (1) Laura Ortlieb, daughter of Benedict Ortlieb and Susan Thrasher. Laura was born July 04, 1871 in Dushore, Pennsylvania, and died June 13, 1928 in the family home at New Albany, Pennsylvania. He then married (2) Lena M. ________.