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From: "Patricia A. Bijwaard" <>
Subject: [BAIR] Attn.: grandpabair1
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:02:35 -0500


(1)You asked if "Stahl" could have been spelled "Stall" - it is quite
likely since spellings were not so firmly fixed as they now are. Variations
occurred between parents and children and between siblings, caused by
everything from personal preference to illiteracy. Itis not unusual to find
in official documents, such as wills or affidavits, that the lawyer or other
writing the document used a different spelling from that with which the
person involved signed his or her name. As someone responded to you,
"Stahl" is the German word for "steel."
(2) Jane Evans Best has published a number of articles in the PENNSYLVANIA
MENNONITE HERITAGE (see the editions of Oct. 1986, Jan. 1987, July 1998, and
Oct. 1998) which provide the genealogy for the ancestry of Samuel Bear
(again the surname spelling will vary over time and is irrelevant). Her
resources for her articles are given in them. The data below were extracted
from her articles. Note that the name "Bar" bore an umlaut over the "a" in
the German language which was transliterated in many forms in America.
There was a John Stahl (b. ca. 1820; d. after 1850) who married in 1844 in
Path Valley, Franklin Co., PA, Christina Baer (b. 1823, Franklin Co., PA; d.
after 1850). The parentage of John Stahl was not given in the article.
Christina was the daughter of Samuel Bear. Samuel was born Jan. 21, 1785
near Mt. Joy schoolhouse, Lancaster Co., PA; d. Sept. 28, 1828, Franklin
Co.). Samuel married in Franklin Co. before 1809 Margaret Steel (b. Mar. 10,
1789; d. Aug. 15, 1862, both in Franklin Co.) who was the daughter of Joseph
Steel and his wife, Margaret Unknown. Christina was the 5th of their 10
children. The parentage of Joseph Steel was not given in the JEB article.
Samuel Bear was the son of Michael Bear who was born in 1745, Franklin Co.;
d. before May 8, 1801, Fannett Twp., Franklin Co., who married ca. 1787
Margaretha Unknown and had 7 children of whom Samuel was the last.
Michael Bear was the first child of David Bear. David was born ca. 1720;
d. before May 21, 1763, both in Leacock Twp., Lancaster Co., PA; he married
at an unknown date Anna Good (b. ca. 1723; d. after 1748).
David Bear was the third child of Jagely/Jacob Bar (his first name appeared
as one or the other in various sources). Jagely/Jacob (b. before Dec. 20,
1683, Hausen in Albis, Canton Zurich, Switz.; d. after 1740, Rockingham Co.,
VA) married (wife's name unknown) and had five children.
Jagely/Jacob was the second of ten children born to Hans Bar, who was born
before Jan. 23, 1647; d. July 1, 1715, both in Hausen in Albis. Hans
married in Canton Zurich (exact site not given) on Jan. 11, 1681, Barbara
Hauser (b. 1656, Rifferschwyl, Canton Zurich; d. 1709, Hausen in Albis).
Hans Bar was the seventh of eleven children born to Hans Heinrick Bar.
Hans Heinrick was born before July 4, 1612; d. July 4, 1659, both in Hausen
in Albis. On Nov. 16, 1634, in Switzerland, he married Verena Huber (b.
before Oct. 15, 1615, in Mettmenstetten, Canton Zurich; d. March 1676,
Hausen in Albis where she was buried March 28, 1676).
Hans Heinrick Bar was the first child of Lorenz/Lenz Bar. Lorenz was born
before July 10, 1580; d. Dec. 1617 and was buried Dec. 9, 1617, all in
Hausen in Albis). In 1611 Lorenz married Anna Strehler (b. 1590; d. before
1634).
Lorenz/Lenz Bar was the fifth of the ten children of Hans Bar (yet another
Hans). This last Hans Bar was born about 1545 and died before 1614 in
Bruder Albis/Ober Ratlisberg, Hausen, Canton Zurich, Switz. He appears in
Mrs. Best's articles as the progenitor of the line. About 1566, Hans married
Kathrina Huber (b. ca. 1549 in Canton Zurich - exact place not given; d.
April 1622 and buried April 22, 1622 both in Bruder Albis, Hausen in Albis,
Canton Zurich).

I trust that this report accurately reflects the research done by JEB and
others who were her resources and will be of some help to you. Since her
articles were essentially about the B..r lines, she did not go into depth on
the Stahl/Steel lines.
Best wishes, Patricia A. Bijwaard


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