Jacob Conrad of Sunbury, PA (1735-1812) Research

Since three of Jacob Conrad's children married Steinbruch siblings, a large proportion of the Jacob Conrad descendants are also descendants of George Frederich Steinbruck.

The Steinbruch story starts with immigrant Jacob Steinbruch. Let's start off with the fact that it's unlikely this is the "Jacob Steinbruchel" that immigrated, arriving in Philadelphia Aug 1747 [PA German Pioneers, Strassburger and Hincke, Vol I, pg 364]. First, our Jacob never spelled his name Steinbruchel in any record (and the shiplist person signed their name, not with an 'X'). Second, our Jacob was already here, living in Montomgery County and having children since at least 1742 (and had siblings in 1744 and 1745)! As to the theory that he saved enough money to boat back to Germany for something he forgot, then came back again in 1747, I have to say that's unlikely. Hence, I won't be using that spelling. Many people immigrated to Pennsylania for which there is no record. For most of the years that immigrant names were recorded, minors did not register or sign and hence went unrecorded. If young Jacob came over with an aunt, uncle, or remarried mother, there would be no record, so this is more usual than unusual.

Jacob married Maria Margaretha Moser, likely in Montgomery County around 1741. She had immigrated with her family 11 Sep 1728 on the ship "James Goodwill" with her father Johan Martin Moser. George Frederich Steinbruch was born 22 Sep 1742 and baptized at St Paul's church in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County) on 25 Oct 1742. The Moser brothers-in-law and Jacob Steinbruch all moved up to Lehigh County by the 1760's. Jacob's land was at the far northern extreme of not only Lehigh County (then Northampton County), but it was the edge of European settlement. His farm was at the base of a mountain where an Indian road cut over to the other side. The land on the other side was still officially "Indian land" and not open to settlers.


Description Reference Alternate Aerial
Jacob Steinbruch (c1720-1756) land, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, PA

Jacob and his wife Margaret had at least 5 children before Jacob's demise, 28 Nov 1756. Further information only exists for children George Frederich, Maria Barbara (married Johann Adam Dietrich and stayed in Berks County), and Abraham (who married and moved to Snyder County in the middle of Pennsylvania). Following are several accounts of Jacob's death, at a time during the French and Indian War when Indian raids were a regular occurrence, and many settlers temporarily moved away from the dangerous fringes.

Account in PA Archives (PAA and Frontier Forts)

Captain Wetherhold made a list on Dec 27, 1757 of all the people killed and taken prisoner by the Indians west of the Lehigh river, in the townships of Lynn, Heidelberg, and Albany, which totaled 56 persons killed and 10 taken prisoners. In this list under the date Novemeber 1756, is given the name of Jacob Staynbruck as killed and Boldis Yeager's daughter taken prisoner.

An account of this occurence was brought to Bethlehem, November 30th, 1756, that "john Holder came here this Evening, ye 28th Inst. Three Indians Came to the House of a Certain Man Named Schlosser, and Nockt at the Door, the People within called who is there? Answer was made, A good Friend; they within not Opening the Door, they Nockt again, they within Answer'd Who is there? No answer being made from Without, Then one of the Men Named Stonebrook, Lookt out of the window, when an Indian Discharged a gun and kill'd him on the Spot. They then open'd the Door, the Woman and two children Endeavoring to Escape, and the Indians pursued and took Both Children; One of the Men Fired at the Indians, and Saw One of them fall, when one of the Girls he had possession of, made her Escape from him, but the other they took away; the Indian Y't was fired at which fell Cryed out very much, but in a Short time he got up and made off.

The above Holder informs me he had this Acco't from good authority, said Schlosser's house is situated in Allemangle.

Pennsylvania Gazette, 12/9/1756

Philadelphia, December 9, We have Advice from Heidelberg, in Northampton County, that on the 28th ult, in the Evening, the House of Belthasar Yager was attacked by a Party of Indians, who killed one Jacob Steinbruhs, and carried off a Daughter of said Jager's, a Girl aobut eleven Years of Age.

Account found on Sassaman family tree on ancestory

Jacob Steinbruch lived in one of the bloodiest periods of the Indian wars when the Shawnee and Delaware Indians went on a rampage on the border of Berks and Northampton counties, burning at least 50 dwellings and killing some 100 residents, as noted in an article by Ruth Gaines Hall in "The Palatine Immigrant," Vol. 13, No. 1. On 28 Nov 1756, he met his death at the hands of the Indians while viewing land he had recently purchased.

Lt. Anderes Engle was in command of Fort Franklin and--just four days before Jacob Steinbruch's murder--was ordered to vacate Fort Franklin and transfer himself and his garrison of 19 men to John Everett's place, and his sergeant and 16 men were to find quarters at John Eckroth's, three miles from Everett. The immediate area where Jacob Steinbruch was killed was near Fort Everett, north of the Ontelaunee Creek and near the road to Tamaqua and Fort Franklin.

As recorded in "Conrad Weiser: Friend of Colonist and Mohawk" by Paul A.W. Wallace, Engel reported:

My greetings to you Lt.Col. Conrad Weiser... another disaster has fallen on Lynn Township... There was a man by the name of Jacob Stein Bruch who had moved from his place to the Oley Hills... he came up to look at his place afterwards going to his neighbors' house, whose name was Balzer Jager, to stay there overnight... when he, Jacob Steinbruch came into the house, he said how comes it that his dogs did not bark, As he said this the dogs barked then the Father and Son went to the door, and asked Who is there nobody answered them, just then a shot came through the window and hit Jacob Steinbruch in the breast, That happened on November 28 at twilight... the Father and son went into the attic and broke through the roof. Thereupon an Indian jumped over the fence into the woods. Then the Father came down and told his Wife and Daughter to run away, and the Father went out of the house. Then two more Indians sprang out of the stable, and ran after the Daughter and beat her and took her away with them. She was 10 or 11 years old. The Father ran after the Indians and shot at them to rescue his Daughter but they took her away with them, then he came about 12 o'clock at night to my sergeants at Mr. Ebenrits house. Then at two o'clock at night he came to me... I immediately took 10 men... to investigate... we looked everywhere for tracks but could not find any, Then I had the man buried... From me Anderes Engel, Commander in Allen-Mangel.

After Jacob's death, the widow Margretha married Sebastian Werner, 9 years her junior and they had at least two daughters. It's unclear which children are in the story above, but one might assume George Frederich, as the oldest, would have been the one to help his father.

George Frederich Steinbruch wondered around the Lehigh/Berks County border for several years, working as a farm laborer and presumably saving his money. His children were baptized at several churches in the area. His wife is shown as "Dressler" in several family trees, but without any sources. I (Tim) fear the source may originate with me as Dressler was one of several names that I had been researching as candidate surnames. I don't believe I ever released a tree with her shown as a Dressler, but I did mark that as a contendor name. Many of my raw notes from those early GEDCOM files are still floating around the internet. I later did a lot of research on the Andreas Dressler family (who was the father of the young Dresslers in north east Berks County at the time) and didn't see any openings for another daughter. I believe it's back to the drawing board, looking at all the baptismal sponsors and other records for a proper surname, and I don't believe she is a Dressler. However, I'd be anxious for anyone to suggest a proper source (other than "I found this on the internet").

George Frederich (most often just "Frederick") moved to Northumberland County around 1790, where he bought land and his children mingled with the locals (in particular the Jacob Conrad children!). When Jacob Conrad was buying land in Northumberland in the mid 1760's, it was "new land" and good land was available to be had via the inexpensive PA land patent process. However, when Frederick arrived around 1790, the good land along creeks would likely be expensive for him and his children. It's no wonder that they leap frogged west to Crawford County in western Pennyslvania. Deed L:616 in 1802 has Frederick releasing a plot of land to his son-in-law Peter Conrad in Augusta Twp. He moved on to Crawford County about 1805. Note that John Nicholas Conrad, who had no children, joined the move from Northumberland County to Crawford (joining his sister Elisabeth, wife of Jacob Stainbrook).

The following shows the Peter Conrad land, where Survey A77:204 is the land originally warranted to his father-in-law George Frederich Steinbruch, and deeded in Peter in Northumberland deed L:616.

Description Reference Alternate Aerial
Peter Conrad (1767-1837) land, Rockefeller Twp, Northumberland Co, PA (A77:204 is Frederick Steinbruch land)

After George Frederich died 12 Feb 1814 the Orphan's Court settled his estate and fortunately listed out all of his children. The family changed the spelling to "Stainbrook" in the early 1800's.

Tim is hoping to get a copy (or at least the first pages scanned) of the book "the Stainbrook-Steinbrook Family" by Margaret Collins Stainbrook. He collaborated with her back in the 1990s on the Conrad's, Stainbrooks, and Mosers and assume this would have a lot of useful information for expanding the Steinbruch family tree. Money was tight for books back in the 1990s.

To be continued later with more information....

Tax Records - George Frederich Steinbruch

Frederick really moved around...

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