Early Family History

     The following paragraphs outline some of the history of Philipp  Burbach.  These are presented by Sam Poorbaugh, Corresponding Secretary for the Family Association, in response to the many questions he has received inquiring about the early family history.

     PHILIPP BURBACH was born about 1749 in Bavaria Germany and died between 1812-1815 in Allegheny Twp. Somerset County, PA.  He married CATHERINE ELIZABETH ILGENFRITZ  November 16, 1779 in Royer's Reformed Church, near Brickerville, Lancaster County, PA.   (More on Royer's Church)  She was born January 4, 1755 in Dover Twp. York County, PA and died about 1842 in Southampton Twp. Somerset County, PA.  Catherine was the daughter of JOHANN ILGENFRITZ and MARGARETHA MOHR.

     Philipp Burbach was one of fifty-two young men who responded to solicitations of the agents of the Penn's to come to the Province of Pennsylvania to assist in colonizing it and at the same time to share in the freedom and opportunities which this "New Land" of America offered.

     As soon as navigation opened on the Rhine River in the Spring of 1771 the group started their long arduous journey to America.  The trip from Heilbronn to the Seaport of Rotterdam in Holland took 4 to 6 weeks due to the red tape at the 26 Custom Houses they had to pass through.

     Reaching Rotterdam and, after 5 or 6 more weeks of waiting, they secured passage on the English Brigantine "Recovery", Mr. Bull, Master.  When favorable winds permitted they sailed down the North Sea through the Straits of Dover into the English Channel and put into the Port of Cowes on the North shore of the Isle of Wight just off the South Coast of the English mainland.  After further delays for customs they obtained final clearance from the English authorities and when the most favorable winds prevailed they set sail in high hopes upon their long treacherous two to four months journey across the wide Atlantic Ocean.

     The Recovery docked at the Port of Philadelphia on October 31, 1771.  Each immigrant was then required to sign an oath of allegiance to the English Crown as well as a solemn declaration of loyalty to the proprietors of the Province including strict abeyance of its laws, which PHILIPP signed in a legible German script.

     The group was "consigned" to Willing & Morris, a Philadelphia merchant concern, who assumed payment for passage and expenses on the part of any member of the group.  They were then sent out to various sections of the Province where employment was secured for each according to his particular skill and training with provisions for repayment with interest of amounts due the Philadelphia merchants.  PHILIPP was sent to the rich farming section around Lititz, a short distance North of Lancaster, and in all probability secured employment on a farm.

     After paying off his debt to Willing & Morris, PHILIPP married CATHERINE ELIZABETH (ILGENFRITZ) BLICKENSDERFER, on November 16, 1779 by Rev. John Christopher Gobrecht in Royer's Reformed Church and started a new life in his new homeland.  

     Royer's Reformed Church is now Zion's Evangelical and Reformed Church, located on the edge of Brickerville, 5 miles north of Lititz, PA.  The present church is opened for only one service a year at Christmas time and is being maintained as a historical shrine.  The first church was organized there in 1747.

     To help preserve his new found freedom Philipp fought in the Revolutionary War in 1781.  He was a 4th Class Private of the 8th Company in the 3rd Battalion of Lancaster County Militia, Commanding Officer Captain John Smuller.

     The above entitles all of Philipp Burbach's blood descendents to join the Daughters or Sons of the American Revolution if they so desire.  Reference Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 7,P. 282, 284, 330 and also D.A.R. Patriot Index page 100.

     Philipp and Catherine decided to homestead in the west of the Province after the Revolutionary War.  Sometime in 1788 or 1789 they arrived in Bedford County.  Philipp chose a site on the very top of the Allegheny Mountains in Londonderry Township.  Here he built their home on the south side of the brow of the mountain, out of sight from the road.  Across part of their land flowed a creek, now called the Poorbaugh Run, and close by the house was a spring.  With the growing population in the area, Somerset County was formed by dividing Bedford County in 1795.  In 1805 the Township were the Burbach property was located was renamed to Allegheny and then to Northampton Township in 1851.

     On June 17th and 18th, 1789 Philipp had 592 acres surveyed and warranted.  His land was richly forested and in all probability he felled his own trees and built their first log house.  In twenty years time they had a good dwelling, house and barn, a young apple orchard and fifty to sixty acres of cleared land under good fence.

View from Philipp's Gravesite of Part of Original Homestead

     Philipp was an educated man for those days and was probably from a family of the landed gentry from Bavaria Germany for only those families with means could educate their children.  In 1796 Philipp employed a German school teacher to conduct school in his home.  He invited his neighbors children to join his own children in classes and thus gained the distinction of establishing the first school in this section of the county.  

     Philipp and his wife were of the German Reformed faith and started attending Reformed meetings soon after arriving in their new home.  Meetings were held in various homes until John Mull, one of Philipp's sons-in-law, donated land to build a church and cemetery.  The Mull Church was used until a new church was built one mile west of Mull.  This church, which was just recently dismantled, was named the Mt. Lebanon Reformed Church and is still referenced as a landmark.

     This is a condensed version of the first chapter of the early family history of the Burbach-Poorbaugh-Purbaugh Family History published in 1976.  The full detailed reference, The Burbach-Poorbaugh-Purbaugh Family in America 1771-1974, was compiled by Treva Calder, the family historian at that time.  Over five hundred copies of this book are scattered throughout the United States with family members.  One copy has been donated to each State Library and there is a copy in the Library of Congress.  Any family researcher or genealogist is free to copy from this copyrighted book if due recognition is given.