Some of the Descendants of
MARTIN and MAGDALENA HARNISH
of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
First Four Generations

The genealogy of the descendants of Martin and Magdalena Harnish has been thoroughly explored in the book:

Francis, W. E. The Harnish Friendschaft: 1729-1926. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: privately published, 1955.

a copy of which may be found at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, and which has been digitally reproduced at ancestry.com. I will not reconduct their research; but only summarize the material found there (supplemented by some other material) for the first four generations of this Harnish line. Because that source does not make the connection to the fifth generation of this line, I will be using other sources there.

MARTIN HARNISH was born at Europe sometime between 1690 and 1700. He died at Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, between 26 December 1744 (when he sold land) and 13 February 1744/5 (inventory of his estate).He married at Europe before 1718 MAGDALENA ________.^[1]

According to the Harnish Friendshaft, "There is a tradition among Harnishes, cropping up at different places, that their immigrant ancestor entered America by way of the port of New York." However there is no documentation for this claim. Martin Harnish became a citizen of Pennsylvania in 1719. He received a warrant of land in Salisbury township between the Conestoga and Pequea creeks in 1734; this warrant was vacated in 1751. He received a warrant of land in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, in 1742.

Martin and Magdalena Harnish had the following children:

1. JOHN JACOB² HARNISH b. about 1720.
2. MICHAEL² HARNISH d. at Lancaster County on 1769.
3. CHRISTIAN² HARNISH d. before 1744.
4. MARTIN² HARNISH m. CATHARINE ________.
5. BARBARA² HARNISH m. JOHN HOCKMAN.
6. ANNA² HARNISH m. STEPHEN LEISS.
7. MARY² HARNISH d. before 1744.

JOHN JACOB ² HARNISH (Martin¹) was born about 1720, a son of Martin and Magdalena Harnish. He died at Lancaster County on 14 October 1799.^[2] His wife has not been identified.

John Jacob Harnish was a Mennonite and lived in Conestoga Township.

John Jacob Harnish had the following children:

1. JOHN³ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County about 1746; d. there on November 1829; m. ANNA ________, d. before 1831.
2. MICHAEL³ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County about 1748.
3. JACOB³ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 1750; d. there on 11 November 1842; m(1). before 1781 ESTHER BURKHOLDER, b. on 22 October 1759, d. at Lancaster County on 6 December 1786. m(2). after 1786 SUSANNA ________, b. on 13 November 1767, d. at Lancaster County on 21 January 1841.
4. DAVID³ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on December 1767; d. there on 26 August 1845; m. ELIZABETH GROFF, b. at Lancaster County on 1 January 1775, d. there on 30 December 1853.
5. ELIZABETH³ HARNISH m. MARTIN GROFF.

MICHAEL ³ HARNISH (John Jacob², Martin¹) was born at Lancaster County about 1748 and died there before December 1846 (probate record). He married before 1777 BARBARA STEHMAN. She may have been the daughter of Jacob Steyman of Conestoga Township. She died at Lancaster County on 1825.^[3]

Michael farmed in Conestoga Township, probably on the homestead that had been occupied by his father and grandfather.

Michael Harnish and his wife Barbara Stehman had the following children:

1. MICHAEL⁴ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County about 1777; d. there on 1850; m(1). before 1834 ANNA KREIDER, d. at Lancaster County on 1834. m(2). ELIZABETH KENDIG.
2. JACOB⁴ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 1 September 1779; d. there on 22 December 1861; m. at Lancaster on 29 September 1807 CATHARINE EYMAN, b. on 29 September 1788, d. at Lancaster County on 26 August 1854.
3. ABRAHAM⁴ HARNISH b. at Pennsylvania on 2 February 1784.
4. BARBARA⁴ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 26 February 1786; d. there on 16 August 1844; m. on 26 March 1805 SAMUEL MEYER, b. on 15 May 1780, d. at Lancaster County on 21 April 1851.
5. JOSEPH⁴ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 23 April 1788; d. there on 26 April 1821; m. on 14 April 1812 PRUDENCE GOOD, b. on 22 April 1794, d. at Lancaster County on 2 October 1873. She m(2). after 1821 SAMUEL ALEXANDER.
6. RUDOLPH⁴ HARNISH d. on 1841.

ABRAHAM⁴ HARNISH (Michael³, John Jacob², Martin¹) was born at Pennsylvania on 2 February 1784 a son of Michael Harnish and his wife Barbara Stehman. He died at Pequea Township, Lancaster County, on 21 January 1864. He married at Lancaster on 19 April 1809 ^[4]ELIZABETH HUBER. She was born at Pennsylvania on 9 August 1793, a daughter of Abraham Huber and his wife Ann Stouffer. She died at Lancaster County on 4 July 1866.^[5]

Abraham Harnish was a farmer in Conestoga and Pequea Townships, Lancaster County. The 1830 Census reported the family in Conestoga Township, with a possible identification as follows:^[6]

The 1840 Census reported the family in Conestoga Township, with possible identity as follows:^[7]

The 1850 Census, the first to name each person, reported the family in Conestoga Township as follows:^[8]

The high value of real estate indicates Abraham Harnish was a wealthy farmer with extensive real estate holdings.

The 1860 Census, taken three and a half years before Abraham's death, reported the remainder of the family at Peque Township, West Willow Post Office, consisting of Abram Harnish, 76, farmer, Elizabeth, 65, Rudolph, 47, farm laborer, Michael, 25, farm laborer, Mary, 24, and Mary Kelbe, 12.^[9] Elizabeth had died about 1853-4, Catherine died in 1859. Levi lived in West Hempfield Township with his wife and six children; his real estate was valued at $10,000.^[10] Emmanuel lived in Pequa Township (Willow Street Post Office) with his wife and seven children, and real estate valued at $7000.^[11] Abraham also lived at Pequea Township (Willow Street Post Office), with his wife and three chidren, and real estate valued at $6000.^[12] John lived in West Lampeter Township (Willow Street Post Office) with his wife and one child; he did not report any real estate.^[13]

Please note on the following list of children, that although Emmanuel and Abraham both married a person named Barbara Good, these are two distinctly different persons.

Abraham Harnish and his wife Elizabrth Huber had the following children:^[14]

1. BARBARA⁵ HARNISH b. at Pennsylvania about 1809-10; m. before 1841 HENRY STAUFFER, b. at Pennsylvania about 1806-7.^[15]
2. RUDOLPH⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 28 June 1812; d. there on 28 February 1883.
3. LEVI⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 2 September 1816; d. on 12 February 1902; m. before 1850 LOUISA BUDD, b. at Pennsylvania on 1823, d. on 1891.^[16]
4. ANN⁵ HARNISH d. young.^[17]
5. EMMANUEL⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 17 September 1821; d. there on 27 June 1877; m. before 1851 BARBARA GOOD, b. at Pennsylvania on 7 March 1823, d. on 1 December 1893.
6. ABRAHAM⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 28 May 1823; d. on 1892; m. on 28 October 1852 BARBARA GOOD, b. at Pennsylvania on 5 February 1827.
7. JOHN⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 26 September 1827.
8. ELIZABETH⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County about 1828-9;^[18] d. there about 1853-4.
9. MICHAEL⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 17 June 1829; d. there on 24 November 1882.
10. CATHERINE⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 4 April 1832; d. there on 16 April 1859.
11. MARY⁵ HARNISH b. at Lancaster County on 25 May 1836; d. on 6 January 1875; m. after 1870 JOHN MELLINGER.