Emanuel Becher ^{1 2 3}

   Other names for Emanuel were Manuel Becher, Emanuel Beckard, Emanuel Becker and Emanuel Bucher.

  General Notes:

The 1900 Census for Emanuel's son, John (born 1826) indicated his father was born in Germany and his mother in Ireland. The 1850 Census indicated both were born in Pennsylvania. Further research is needed.

This family is related to my line of Becher, Bicher, Beecher, etc. ancestors, who also are found in records in the same church as this family. Read below "Relatives To Research." Please contact bucher@SiteServers.net to learn our latest research on your family.

If you are related to this ancestor and a male with the Becher or Beecher surname (or variant spelling) you are invited to participate at our expense in our Genealogy Y-DNA Research that uses a two-minute mail-in test to prove which family lines are related. Visit http://www.searchtrees.com/dna to see the latest research findings and email bucher@SiteServers.net to get tested for free. If you match my Y-DNA pattern as expected, we will know for certain our trees join into one family.

  Burial Notes:

82.0.14.
G.A.R.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census, 1820, Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ⁵ In the 1820 Census in Earl Township, Emanuel Beckard is listed with this household:
Males (born)
Under 10 (1811-1820) = 1 son
10-15 (1805-1810) = 2 sons
16-18 (1802-1804)
16-25 (1795-1804)
26-44 (1776-1794)
45 & over (<=1775) = 1 father Emanuel
Females (born)
Under 10 (1811-1820) = 4 daughters
10-15 (1805-1810)
16-25 (1795-1804)
26-44 (1776-1794) = 1 daughter or ?
45 & over (<=1775) = 1 mother

Neighbors listed are Diller, Jackson, Stegger, Fallefaum, Johnston, Harding, Kurtz.

• Census, 1840, Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ⁴ In the 1840 Census Manuel Becher is listed with this household:
Males (born)
10-14 (1826-1830) = 1 son John
60-69 (1771-1780) = 1 father Manuel
Females (born)
Under 5 (1836-1840)
50-59 (1781-1790) = 1 mother

The next listing on the same page is Emanuel's son Jacob Becher:
Males (born)
20-29 (1811-1820) = 1 father Jacob
Females (born)
Under 5 (1836-1840) = 1 daughter
20-29 (1811-1820) = 1 mother

• Census, 1850, Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ² Emanuel Becher, carpenter, 74, was with wife Elloner, 67; and daughter Emma, 34. Emanuel's real estate was valued at $700. With them was probably Emanuel's son, John Becher, tailor, 23; his wife, Ann, 22; and Eliza, 1. Elloner was born in Maryland, the others in Pennsylvania.

• Book: The Bechers as early settlers were mentioned as follows in the History of Lancaster County by Dr. Frederick Klein, 1924. ⁶ The first settlement in what became the ultimate bounds of Earl township was not however made until 1728. The ship "William and Sarah" had sailed from Rotterdam in the summer of 1727 with ninety families of Palatines, in all 400 emigrants. Among them were, the brothers, Alexander and John Diffenderfer. From Philadelphia, Alexander Diffenderfer went into Berks county, where he settled; John Diffenderfer, however, "in 1728 loaded his family and household goods on a wagon owned by one Martin, of Weaverland, and at length came to a halt beneath a spreading oak in the near vicinity of the present New Holland."

He was welcomed by the settlers of Groff's Dale, and Weber's Dale; and with their aid a log cabin was soon raised, and the newcomers provided with what food they needed, the neighborly solicitude even extending to the gift of a cow to the Diffenderfer family. Thus that family became settled in the vicinity of the later metropolis of the Earls, New Holland, the history of which is separately reviewed elsewhere.

Earl township was one of the seventeen established on June 9, 1729; and at the same meeting of magistrates and citizens township officers were appointed. No supervisors appear to have been appointed for Earl township; indeed, the first township officers of whom there is record were Martin Grove, who was appointed constable in 1729, and Edward Edwards, who was appointed pound-keeper in 1739. The next known record of Earl township constables is that which begins with 1762, and lists Henry Stouffer and Peter Baker as constables. The record is consecutive up to 1774, when William Reynolds was constable. He probably was the last to hold office in Earl township under the Crown.

John Diffenderfer and his family were not destined long to be without near neighbors, for within a few years many other German families settled in the vicinity. Among the family names were Stone, Brimmer, Diller, Brubaker, Koch, Roland, Sprecher, Mentzer, Kinzer, Ranck, Weidler, Becher, Luther, Bitzer, Schultz. It is not possible to give year of settlement, as in many cases the families merely "squatted," taking up land in later years when better circumstanced. Indeed, such was the state of the emigrants from the Palatinate that many were insolvent when they landed in America, and had to bind themselves to labor for others for, in some cases, years, to pay for their passage to America. This condition was more general among those who came in the first and second decades of the eighteenth century than among those who came later. But they would probably have assumed even greater obligations to escape from the persecution to which they had been subjected in their own land.

• Relatives To Research. Our Y-DNA testing is proving that many 1700's ancestors in south central Pennsylvania are related even though they had these different surnames: Becher, Bicher, Beecher, Beacher, and Bucher. See http://www.SearchTrees.com/dna for latest findings. If you are a male Becher or Beecher related to this line, you are invited to email bucher@siteservers.net to take a free DNA test at our expense, as it will help us prove our own family origins.

Following are related ancestors that we cannot connect into one tree yet.

Engel Bucher died in 1778 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster Co. Circa 1800 his descendants use surname Bicher (and some still do today) but by the mid 1800's most switch to Beecher or Beacher. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/425.htm

Henry Buecher (Bucher) died in 1795 and is likely born about the same time as Engel. He could be the Johan Heinrich Bucher listed next to Johan Engel Bucher on the ship Neptune in 1751. All of his later descendents use surname Beecher. His tree: http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/8597.htm

John Beecher (1757-1842) lived in Adams County and Y-DNA tests prove he is related in some way to Engel, but cannot be his son (who is another John in Lancaster Co.) Found in early records as Bucher and by 1800 as Beecher, this John is believed to be a son on Henry above. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/3276.htm

John Beecher (1759-1818) is Beecher on his tombstone but signed his will Johannes Bucher and lived nearby in Lancaster County. Y-DNA testing has proven he is related in some way to Engel. All of his later descendants use surname Beecher, although early records show Becher. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/4327.htm

John Bicher (1791-1847) is buried in Muddy Creek Lutheran Church where Engel's records are also found. Y-DNA testing proves he is related to Engel, and is likely his grandson. His descendents still use surname Bicher and live today in Lebanon, Lancaster and Berks counties. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2254.htm

Emanuel Becher (1776-1868) Found in the records at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Holland, Lancaster Co. PA at the same time as the records for children of John Beecher b.1759 and Engel Bucher d.1788. Many of Emanuel's descendants use surname Beecher, some use Becher today. A 1929 history written about John Beecher b.1759 mentions his father is an older Emanuel Beecher, and this could be that Emanuel's son. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/4462.htm

Peter Biesser (1730-1791) is in the Muddy Creek Lutheran Church records where Engel is also found. He is old enough to be Engel's brother. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/12017.htm

Peter Bicher (1765-1858) lived in Adamstown, Lancaster County near other known relatives. We do not know who his father is. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/3202.htm

William Beaker is listed in the 1790 Census in Lancaster County, without children so he could be very old and a brother of Engel, or young and a grandson or son who hadn't started his family. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/8944.htm

Benjamin Beecher (c.1766 - 1841) is likely the brother of John Beecher b.1759 who married Albrecht. Benjamin is found one census page before John in 1800 in Caernarvon Township living adjacent to the Neiswender and Segner families who marry John's son/daughter. Benajmin also is baptizing children at the same time as John at both Trinity Lutheran in New Holland and in Rev. Illing's register. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2280.htm

Benjamin Bicher (1797-1876) This Benjamin lived in South Lebanon Twp. near the Lancaster border. We know about three sons: John, Benjamin, George. Probably a grandson of Engel Bucher, since his son Jacob also went to Lebanon? Descendants in this line use surnames Bicher, Biecher, and Beecher. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2402.htm

William Beecher. At First Reformed Church, Lancaster County this William Beecher and wife Maria baptize Jacob b. Feb 1800 and Anna Maria b. 28 Dec 1804. Both children die young. William was likely born circa 1760-70 and could be a son of Engel or John Beecher b.1759. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/7983.htm

Y-DNA testing has proven the above family line is not related to other Lancaster County lines including:
Hans Bucher of Cocalico Township, Lancaster Co. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2196.htm
Hans Martin Bucher of Donegal Township, Lancaster Co. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2228.htm
Peter/Martin/John Bucher of Hanover Township, today's Lebanon Co. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2222.htm
Nicholas Bucher of York and Adams Co. http://www.searchtrees.com/tree/2934.htm

Emanuel married Elenor. (Elenor was born on 5 Sep 1783 in Westminister, Cecil County, Maryland, USA,^{2 3 7} died on 7 Apr 1861 ³ and was buried in New Holland: Seltenreich Reformed Church, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA ³.)