Notes
Note N1742
Index
Early Pennsylvania Births (1675-1875) by Dr Charles Fisher lists his birth year as 1696, however his gravestone lists it as 1702.
Date is also given as 1696 in Leebrick family records in the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Following is from "History of Dauphin County": John Philip Lebreg (as the name was then spelled) was born in 1696, in Manheim, Germany, from whence he emigrated to Pennsylvania, settling in Manheim, Lancaster county, where he passed the remainder of his life".
Notes
Note N1743
Index
Zion Lutheran Church Cemetary. Row E (A is at street side), Stone 20 (starts at church).
Notes
Note N1744
Index
The list of claimants against John's estate includes familiar names: Shaffner, Lehman, Levy, Miller, Briligam, Reigart, Hentzelman, Spohn, Witmeire, Newman, Kopp, Bridenhart, Smith, Ceasey, Long, Hantz, Keiser, Wilstach and others. His estate included a Continental Loan Office Certificate dated 21 May 1779 for $800 Dollars.
Notes
Note N1745
Index
Stock, rent to George Graff.
Notes
Note N1746
Index
Year is given as 1778 by Oklahoma Historical Society. This date is also given in the "Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Pa" and in "History of Dauphin County"..
Notes
Note N1747
Index
Johannes Liebrech arrived in Philadelphia 25 Sep 1754 on the ship "Adventure" from Hamburg, Germany. Children from adm account P392 misc. 1784-1787 Lancaster Court House
The first member of the Leebrick family to arrive in America was Johannes Philip Liebrich, who arrived in Philadelphia on the "Adventure" out of Hamburg, Germany in 1754. US Church records show he was born 15 January 1702 in Mannheim, Germany and died 17 September 1785, age 81 years 8 months 2 days in Manheim, Pennsylvania and is buried in the cemetery of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Manheim, Pennsylvania. However, the US records are wrong. He was actually born in Butzbach, Germany. The church record of burials was compiled in 1942 from grave stones, some of which were severely eroded. Also the early ones were written in German. Also in the church record is a Catharine Liebrich, born February 1, 1717, died September 9, 1785 who probably was his wife.
John and Catharine had five children, John Philip Nicholas Liebrich, born 1748 and four daughters. The first was Apollonia, who married Valentine Gardner; the second, Mary Elizabeth, who married Daniel Newman 15 December 1775; the third, Hannetta, who married Charles Wilsbach, and the fourth Margaret, who married Daniel Briligam.
John apparently remarried in Manheim after his arrival, however we have no record of his occupation. His will, recorded in the Lancaster County courthouse, Lancaster Pa. was drawn 30 April 1785. He names his children as above and places Nicholas after Apollonia and Mary Elizabeth.
In 1984, I visited the Zion Lutheran Church in Manheim with the cemetary in the side yard. The Leebrick stones are mostly red sandstone and about the fifth row back from the street and more or less centered. The name is spelled Librich and Liebrech. One stone in German is Johannes Liebrich.
K. C. Leebrick
Took the Oath of Allegiance on 8 July 1777 in Lancaster County, Pa. with five other men.
Following is from 1875 Historical Atlas of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: In the year 1741, the inhabitants of the northeast part of Donegal Township petitioned for the erection of a new township, to be called Rapho. Their petition was acted upon favorably, and the township was legally organized in May of that year, accordingly. The boundaries of Rapho are as follows: Bounded, north by Lebanon County, east by Penn Township, southeast by East Hempfield, south by West Hempfield, southwest by East Donegal and west by Mount Joy.
The township was settled principally by Scotch-Irish, but in later years that element has been superseded by an equally industrious and thrifty class of citizens of German birth or extraction. The township now enjoys the reputation of being one of the best cultivated in the County. Its chief productions are wheat, corn, oats, and tobacco, which last has of late years become quite a staple article.
The only place of importance in Rapho is part of the borough of Manheim.
MANHEIM BUROUGH
What is now the Borough of Manheim was laid out in 1761, and in the following year contained three houses, the third one having been erected by Mr. Andrew Bartruff, father of the late Colonel Bartruff, who kept the first grocery in the town.
The town was laid out by Mr. Steigel, who for many years, managed the Elizabeth Iron Works, when they were owned by Benezet & Co., of Philadelphia. He was well known as the eccentric German Baron, or Wilhelm Heinrich Steigel, proprietor of Manheim. Rupp, in his "History of Lancaster County", gives the following sketch of this somewhat remarkable individual: "Having purchased two hundred acres of land from the Messrs. Stedmans, of Philadelphia, he erected a grand chateau (castle), very singular in its construction, and afterwards laid out a town, to which he gave the name of his place of nativity, -- Manheim.
"This house is now (1845) occupied by Mr. John Arndt, merchant, who, we state it with regret, in improving the house, made such alterations that the original of the internal arrangements is so materially altered as to leave not even the Baron's pulpit, from which, ina large upper saloon, he, in the capacity of preacher, addressed his hands employed at the glass factory. Nor are other fixtures any longer visible. What remained, until recently, of the internal, had not its like in the United States. Its rich scenery painting of falconry on the sides of the room walls, the tablets of china, curiously painted, and fastened on the jambs, attracted and excited the admiration of all who had the pleasrure of spending a few moments with the hospitable and affable owner of the house.
"The Baron was, as well as his fortune, singular. His vicissitudes in life were varied. He was Baron in Europe; an iron master, glass manufacturer, a preacher, a teacher, rich and poor, in America; at liberty; and imprisoned. A special Act was passed for his relief, December 24, 1774. 'So gehts dem mensch.'"
Among the early settlers of the place were, besides those above mentined, the Naumans, Minnichs, Wherlys, Kaisers, Longs and Hentzelmans. The later kept the first tavern.
Manheim was incorporated as a borough by the Act of Assembly, approved April 16, 1838. It has improved rapidly since its incorporation, until it is now one of the largest places in the County. The business of Manheim is represented by sevel dry goods stores, two groceries, two hardware stores, one drug store, two boot and shoe stores, thirteen cigar manufactories, four furniture establishments; there are two foundries, a machine shop, planing, turning, and bending shop, two grist mills; there are also four hotels and two restaurants, a national bank, a weekly newspaper, and other places of business "too numerous to mention." The intellectual and moral interests of the borough are well cared for. It contains a fine graded school, divided into four departments, six churches, -- one each of the Lutheran, Reformed, United Brethren, Episcopal, Evangelical and the Methodist Episcopal denominations. There are several secret and beneficient societies; prominent among them being the Selah lodge, No. 657, Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, Senior and Junior lodges of United American Mechanics, lodge of the Knights of Pythius, lodge of the Order of Red Men and of the Patriot Sons of America, a Building and Loan Association and a Young Men's Christian Association.
Alternate spelling of last name of Lebreg given in "History of Dauphin County".
Johann and Catherine were sponsors at the baptism of Johann Weber, son of Johann and Salome Weber, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, on 7 Jul 1776.
Johannes and Catherine attended services at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster. Communicant records have not been found for the time period 1753 thru March 1767. Their record of attendance beginning then is as follows:
8 March 1767 - Johannes and wife Catharina, Nicolaus.
18 Oct 1767 - Johannes and Hannetta
20 Apr 1768 - Catherine and Johannetta, her daughter, Nicolaus
27 Nov 1768 - Johannes and wife Catharina, Johanna
14 May 1769 - Johannes (In the section titled "The following from the city announced themselves..")
Easter 1770 - Johann and wife Catharina
20 May 1770 - Johanna Librich. Wilhelm Stiegel and wife Elisabeth also participated that day.
25 Dec 1770 - Johannetta Liebrich
31 Mar 1771- Johann and wife Catharina. Also Johann Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia
pg 245 Daniel Braeutigam and wife Maria Sophia, Johann Liebrich and wife Catharina
9 Feb 1772 - Johann Liebrich and wife Catharina.
Christmas 1772 - Catharina Liebrich and daughter Hannetta
11 Apr 1773 - Johann Liebrich and wife Catharina
7 Nov 1773 - Johan and wife Catharina, daughter Margareta
3 April 1774 - Johann Liebrich, Margareta Librich, Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia
22 May 1774 - Catherinea only
9 Oct 1774 Johan and wife Catharina, Johannes Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia, son Johann Daniel, Also Margareta Liebrich.
Easter 1775 - Johann Liebrich and wife Catharina
4 June 1775 - Margareta Liebrich, Valintin Gaertner and wife Apolonia, Daniel Braeutigam adn wife Sophia, son Johann Daniel,
25 Aug 1776 - Johann Liebrich
4 May 1777 - Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia, Johann, Rosina.
18 May 1777 - Catharina Librich
20 Sep 1778 - Johann Liebrich, Catharina Libreich
4 Apr 1779 - Johann only
Unk (pg 274) - Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia, Daniel and Rosina.
Unk (pg 279) - Daniel Braeutigam and wife Sophia, Catherine Liebrich
Those records also show that Johannes Liebrich payed pew rent at Trinity Lutheran as follows:
1766 May 4 - For 1 year pew rent for pew #2 and for wife in pew #60
1767 May 4 - Same
1768 May 4 - Same
1769 May 4 - Same
1770 May 4 - For 1 year pew rent for pew #8 and for wife in pew #62
1771 May 4 - Same
1772 April 11 - Same
1773 April 11 - Same
1774 April 11 - Same
1775 April 11 - Same
1776 April 11 - Same
1777 April 11 - For 1 year pew rent for pew #8 and for wife in pew #63
1778 April 11 - Same
1779 April 11 - Same (paid on 2 May 1780 by Mr. Newman)
"He was a sock knitter and was godfather 1745 b. Christoph Stoller. She died in childhood."--Familienbuch Butzbach Vol 3, pg 171.