Frederick Leiby and Catherina Lenhart

Frederick Leiby was born and raised in Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  The 1772 tax records for Greenwich Township include a listing for Frederick Leiby, single.  Since Frederick is not in the 1771 tax records, this implies that he became 21 in 1772, and that he was born in 1751.

The death records of some of the children of Frederick and Catherina identify Catherina's maiden name as Lenhart.  No identification of Catherina's parents has been found, but a connection to the Lenhart family that lived in Greenwich Township is strongly implicated.  There are three possible candidates for Catharina's father from among this Greenwich Township Lenharts: brothers Johann Philip, born 1734, and Johann Jacob, born 1737; and their father Johann Peter.  Of these three, Johann Philip is by far the most likely to be the father of Catharina. 

Other researchers report that Johann Jacob Lenhart did not get married until 1860.  Jacob could have married another woman prior to this, but he would have been only 19 years old when Catharina was born.  It is also possible that Catharina was born after 1760.  However, both of these possibilities are unlikely.

Johann Peter Lenhart, the father, moved from Berks County to nearby Lancaster County sometime between 1758 and 1767, which is well prior to when Catharina married Frederick Leiby.  Still, it is quite possible that a daughter of Johann Peter would marry someone back in Greenwood Township.  However, Johann Peter appears to have listed all his surviving children in his will, and no Catharina is mentioned.

Unfortunately, Johann Philip did not identify any children in his will.  The existence of three sons is confirmed by baptismal records.  Another Lenhart family researcher has hypothesized that a Philip Lenhart of Berks County, who was born about 1755 and served during the revolution, is also a son of Johann Philip.  Catharina undoubtedly fits the best with this family.

Frederick Leiby might have served in the Revolutionary Army.  There are several Revolutionary War service records for Frederick Leiby of Berks County in the Pennsylvania Archives.  However, there was also another Frederick Leiby of service age, an uncle with the exact same name, and it is generally agreed that the uncle, born in 1735, served during the Revolution.  It is also unclear whether the combined records refer to one or more than one person. 

Frederick and Catharina moved their family to Shamokin Township, Northumberland County between late 1793 and early 1800.  According to the U. S. Federal Census, the family was living in Shamokin by 1800.  The family was apparently still in Greenwood Township when Frederick Leiby Jr. and Catherine were baptismal sponsors for Maria Dorothea Reinhardt in 1793.

On November 20, 1817, a petition was filed in the Northumberland County Orphans Court to partition the land of "Frederick Liby [sic], late of Shamokin township".  The date of the petition suggests that Frederick probably died in 1817.  However, petitions to partition land sometimes were not filed for several years.  The petition mentions his wife, Catherine, as still living at the time.  We have no additional information on when Catharina might have died. 

The surviving children of Frederick Leiby and Catharina Lenhart are identified in the petition for partitioning the land.  There might have been other children.

1. Maria Magdalena Leiby, born August 05, 1777; died August 26, 1857; buried in St. Peter's Blue Church Cemetery, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.  She married Johann Jacob Keller; born November 22, 1773; died April 28, 1847.
2. Elizabeth Leiby, born April 27, 1778; died March 17, 1872; buried in Plainfield Cemetery, Plainfield Illinois.  She married Philip Arter; born April 30, 1782; died between. 1830 - 1840.
3. Catharina Leiby.  She married Jacob George.
4. Frederick Leiby, born August 27, 1785; died December 10, 1862.  He married Catherine Pensyl; born January 06, 1791; died March 04, 1872.
5. George Leiby, born Abt. 1794.  He married Hannah Witner
6. Eva Leiby.  She married John Moyer
7. Susanna Leiby.  She married John Braucher
8. Rosanna Leiby.  She married Henry Frey
9. Killian Leiby, born February 06, 1795; died October 02, 1880; buried in St. Peter's Blue Church Cemetery, Northumberland County.  He married Elizabeth Adams; born November 29, 1797; died February 22, 1874.
10. Jacob Leiby, born after 1796.