Jacob Lupfer, born in Berks
County in 1766, was the third son of the immigrant Hans Jacob Lupfer.
As shown in the family Bible on the Lupfer/Lupher/Luper page, he was christened
in the German fashion Johann Jacob, but the name he actually used, also
in the German fashion, was the second name, Jacob. This I think has
caused a certain amount of confusion.
Jacob came to the Western part of Crawford
County sometime between 1804, when he is recorded as selling some property
in Cumberland County, and 1810, when he is recorded in the census in Sadsbury
Twp, Crawford County. In Crawford County he seems to have become known as Jacob Luper.
His branch is the one with the most confusion about the spellings and it
is somewhat arbitrary to call it Luper because it appears that there are
also both Lupfers and Luphers in this branch. But I do this
because Luper apparently was used during his lifetime at least part of
the time (although he signed his will Jacob Lupfer), and because the majority of
his descendants use it today.
Jacob Luper's wife was Maria Magdalena
Bernsheisel 1775-1844. This is another very old 'Pennsylvania
Dutch' name that is spelled many ways. Jacob calls her 'Matty' in
his will. She was born in Cumberland (now Perry) county near where
the Lupfers lived during Jacob's childhood and youth.
Jacob and Magdalena Luper had the following
children (birth dates given as 'ca' are just approximations used to keep
them in correct birth order, which I know from Jacob's will where he says
he lists them in order from eldest to youngest). They were all born
in Summit Township, Crawford County, PA.
Jacob Lupfer
1792-1852, married Nancy McMurtry 1792-1836
Christina Lupfer ca 1794-1894
married Thomas Smith
Catherine Lupfer 1797-1856,
married James Smith
George Adam Lupfer 1799-1820
Susan Lupfer 1803-1898,
married Samuel Brown
Magdalene 'Martha' Lupfer 1804-1893, married Andrew Smith
Joseph Lupfer 1806-1869,
married Susan Williams 1806-1890
Daniel Luper 1810-1874,
married Catherine Roudebush 1817-1899
David Luper 1814-1891,
married Lois Curtis 1823-?
Israel Lupfer ca 1815-?
I have just realized that this implies
that Christina lived to be 100. It is possible that she did, approximately
anyway; I have definite dates for her sister Susan who apparently lived
to 95. But there are some estimates here and perhaps errors; corrections
from anyone who can supply them will be welcomed.
I know that James and Andrew Smith, who married Catherine and Magdalene,
were brothers; I do not know how, if at all, Thomas Smith was related to
them. He may have been another brother.
Jacob Luper died in 1838, his wife Magdalena
in 1844. They are buried in the Luper cemetery on the Luper
farm, a mile north of Harmonsburg in Crawford County, PA. I will
not go into details here on later generation of this branch, but all I
know about them, a fair amount, is in the database.
___________________________________
