Much has been written online and in books about Hans Adam Bittinger and especially, his son, Nicholas, a Revolutionary War soldier and prisoner of war of the British. His sons, Christian and Frederick are also found on the Revolutionary War rolls.
Much of the story can be read in the Biographical History of York County, Pennsylvania, edited by John Gibson, 1886, pages 60-61...here.
The History of York County, Pennsylvania by George Reeser Prowell in 1907, also has a good summary for Joseph Bittinger, grandson of Adam...here.
To add something different, perhaps, is this query from the Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, February 25, 1882, page 6. A correspondent to the paper from Kentucky was trying to trace the family line.
On April 22, 1882, the Harrisburg Telegraph posted this interesting notice concerning the land and family after the above query was in the paper.
"THE FAMILY OF BITTINGER
Information is asked by a correspondent from Kentucky relative to the descendants of Adam Bittinger. Some friend has kindly responded by sending us the following, valuable and interesting contribution to the genealogy of the German families in Pennsylvania
I. ADAM BEITINGER bought, May 7, 1753, a tract of land form John Shauman which he had take up three years previous, and located (now on the Carlisle turnpike) three miles northwest of Hanover, York county, Penna. This farm is now owned by William Bittinger, Esq. of Abbottstown. From the records of the Orphans' Court of York county, it is seen that on the death of Adam Bittinger, his oldest son Nicholas presented a petition beginning thus:
'That his father, Adam Bittinger lately died intes'a'e, leaving a widow named Sabina, and lawful issue to survive him, namely the petitioner, Nicholas Bittinger, Henry, Michael, Peter, Marillis, George, Adam, Christian, Frederick and Eva'
The petition was presented September 1, 1768, and it further appears from the records that on May 30, 1771, Nicholas Bittinger, by paying certain sums to the heirs became the owner of this tract of 190 acres.
II. NICHOLAS BIETTINGER (as he spelled his name) was born in 1725, and died May 2, 1804, and is burried in the Lutheran cemetery, at Abbottstown. He was a man of great energy and force of character, as a soldier and citizen. He was successful in the accumulation of property and within six miles of Hanover owned some ten good farms, and also owned in Franklin county almost an equal number of choice tracts of land. He had a family of nine children, two sons, JOSEPH and JOHN, and seven daughters. John was never married, and died in Baltimore, Md. Joseph, during the lifetime of his father, obtained the old 'Shauman tract.' A deed executed Dec. 21st, 1798, by Nickolas Bittinger and his wife Christina, conveys this land to their son, Joseph, 'as well for and in consideration of love and affection.' The son, however, did not long survive his father. He died July 26, 1804, and is buried in the same graveyard, having attained only to the thirty-second year of his age.
III. JOSEPH BITTINGER, just mentioned, had a family of five children, all sons, John, Joseph, Henry Frederick and George.
IV. JOHN BITTINGER died near Alexandria, Va. and left a family of six children, four sons and two daughters. Joseph, one of the sons, died some years ago. Edard C. is a Chaplain in the U. S. Navy; Benjamin and Michael are ministers.
V. JOSEPH BITTINGER, born November 13, 1794, died September 27, 1850, on the old homestead (Shauman's tract) which he owned, and is buried at Hanover. His family consisted of twelve children:
i. William, born Nov. 21, 1820, resides at Abbottstown, Pa.
ii.Henry, b. Nov. 13, 1821; d. April 22, 1879 at Hanover, Pa.
iii.Joseph B., b. March 30, 1823; graduate of Penn's College and Andover Theological Seminary, Pastor of Presbyterian Churchat Sawickly; a fine speaker, elegant writer and a Doctor of Divinity.
iv.Ellen C. b. Aug. 13, 1824; m. Geo. Wolf; d. March 33d, 1875
v. Edward B., b. Nov. 14, 1825, d. Sept. 21, 1859 at Chicago, Ill.
vi.Rebecca E., b. Aug. 21, 1827; m. to Dr. J. M. Brenneman of Freeport, Ill.
vii. George W., b. May 13th, 1829, now in Leadville, Colorado.
viii.John Quincy, b. March 20, 1831, graduate of Dartmouth College, and Andover Theological Seminary, pastor of Congregational church of St. Albans, Vt.
ix. Daniel, b. April 10, 1833; d. June 8, 1848 on the homestead.
x. Anna Maria, b. January 10, 1835, resides in Chicago, Ill.
xi. Howard Nicholas, b. April 12, 1839; resides in Des Moines, Iowa.
xii. Charles Lewis, b. May 25, 1841; graduate of Franklin and Marshall College; resides in Dakota.
VI. HENRY BITTINGER, now in his eighty-sixth year; has one son, John W., a member of the York bar, and two daughters. He lives with one of the latter at Middletown, Ohio.
VII. FREDERICK BITTINGER - died recently at his residence in Littlestown, Pa.
VIII. GEORGE BITTINGER died about two years ago at the residence of his daughter in Hanover, Pa. He had three daughters"
I am clearly not done with researching this Bittinger family, but I had to put the brakes on somewhere for now, so I could start writing about what I do know! This has been a challenging family to follow in that first names are repeated generation after generation and as in all very early records...well, sometimes they are not there or I just haven't found them.
Elizabeth Bittinger (daughter of Jacob Bittinger) was my husband's great-great grandmother and wife to George Hollabaugh, all of Adams County, Pennsylvania. Their son, William Levi Hollabaugh, moved to Indiana and settled there as a young man, beginning our branch of the family. William Levi's story is here.
George and Elizabeth Bittinger Hollabaugh's story is here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).
My research actually began with Jacob Bittinger's will, which kindly named at least the children who were living at the time of the writing. Jacob Bittinger died on August 28, 1864, but he wrote his will on December 8, 1863. By that time he was 83 years old, a good, old age for that time, and it seemed probable that he knew his end was near as he declared himself "weak and sick" in the will itself.
His signature on the will also indicated his feebleness at the time, to the point where his last name was unreadable.
I've put in bold some significant information found in the will and added a few commas for readability.
The Will, as obtained at the Adams County, Pennsylvania Historical Society in Gettysburg:
"In the name of God, Amen. I, Jacob Bittinger, being weak and sick in body, but of sound and disposing mind & memory, do make & pronounce this my last will & testament as following, to wit ~
First, I give and bequeath to my son, Andrew Bittinger, a lot of mountain land containing about ten acres, it being the same lot which I bought off the Boyd property,
I give and bequeath to my son George all my interest to claim to the undivided half part of a tract of mountain land adjoining lands of Frances Cole, Heirs of William Bell & others & being the same tract which James Russell & I held in partnership.
I give & bequeath to my son, John, a tract of mountain land adjoining the heirs of Wm. Bell, James Russell & other land of my said son, John Bittinger containing about 30 acres,
I give and bequeath to my Daughter, Elizabeth, (now intermarried with Geo. Hollebaugh), a lot of land adjoining land of John Bittinger, George Bear & other containing about ten acres more or less & it is further my will & I order that
my son, John shall have one hundred Dollars out of the first money that comes to hand as a compensation for vituals, Horse feed, Labor, and attendance at my funeral.
Also I give & bequeath to my Granddaughter, Louisa C. Bittinger, twenty five dollars for her trouble & attendance to me in my last sickness.
It is my will & I order and direct that the residue of my estate real, personal & mixed shall be divided between my children, John, Andrew, George & Elizabeth, share & share alike & lastly,
I nominate and appoint my sons, Andrew Bittinger & John Bittinger, my Executors of this my last will & testament hereby revoking and making void all wills by me heretofore made, giving to said Executors full power & authority to sell and convey my real estate to the purchasers for the best price they can get for the same.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand to seal this Eigth day December A. D. 1863."
Jacob's wife, Elizabeth, had died on April 12, 1847 at the age of 66. So, in the 1850 census, Jacob was 68 years old and still living as head of household and farming on a farm in Franklin Township, Adams County, PA. With him were Charlotte Keffer, 60, and Sam'l Bittinger, 40, and Sarah Bittinger, 25. Samuel was noted to be "idiotic" - meaning, I believe, developmentally disabled, according to the census enumerators' instructions for that year. I'm not sure who the women were who were staying in the house, but I'm sure they were needed to take care of the adult Samuel, as well as Jacob. Apparently, Samuel died sometime between 1850 and when the will was written in 1863, as he was not noted.
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By 1860, Jacob had moved in with his son, John, and wife, Anna. Hence, the behest of $100 to John in the will, for taking care of his father. Louisa Bittinger was John's youngest daughter who would have been about 16 or 17 at the time of her grandfather's death. Apparently, she had given Jacob good care and companionship while in her father's home for Jacob to single her out of all his grandchildren for a gift of $25.00.
So, why was Jacob's son, George Bittinger, left out as one of the executors? A little research into the newspapers of the time told me the reason. In The Adams Sentinel, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on April 24, 1866, I found this notice:
The newspapers right after Jacob died had notices showing that John was the guardian of his brother, George, along with Henry Gilt and Samuel Fahnestock, perhaps attorneys or friends of Jacob. George Bittinger may have been in an asylum or home of some kind, as he does not appear with his father or brothers or sister in the censuses. The State Lunatic Asylum was in Harrisburg, not far from the Bittinger home, and it had been open since the mid-1840s, so it seems possible that George could have been there. Information on patients is restricted and I don't think they were enumerated in the census, so I've not been able to confirm that. Apparently, George Bittinger died in 1866, as the notice above refers to his estate.
Back to the will...I would say that Jacob Bittinger held quite a bit of land in the area, as the executors sold lots here and there. That and the collection of notes owed gave a total of over $8,000 in their first accounting to the court. Of course, there were expenses to the estate as well. Geo Thomas was paid $24.00 for a coffin, Rev. J. H. Miller $3.00 for conducting funeral services, James L. Taylor $1.50 for digging a grave, and William Meale $28.00 for Jacob's tombstone. Taxes, stamps, appraisal fees and other costs had to be included, as well.
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A sale was held of Jacob's "goods and effects" on October 1, 1864. John Bittinger, bought his father's razor and strap (.05), a book (.01), the family Bible (.37 1/2), a lot of hats (.04), a clock and case ($3.25), a weave loom (.15) and a threshing masher ? ($16.75).
His brother, Andrew, purchased a tan? boot ($2.15), a shumaker bench (.85), and a woolen cot/coat ($2.25). Elizabeth's husband, George Hollbaugh bought only a lot of books for .02. A powder horn sold for .02!
Oh, and where did that family Bible land after 150 years?
