Christian Leitner

Christian and Salome were married at Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon County. The witnesses were John Lautner (likely Christian's brother) and John Selser (likely husband of Christian's cousin Regina Leitner Stein Seltzer). ["Lautner" and "Selser" were spellings in a transcript/extraction and haven't been verified with the original record]

IOWA

Crawford County, Iowa
Abstract of will of Paul Leitner dated 12 Feb 1872 and proved 22 Jul 1873.
names wife, Mary Margaret, and children, W'm H, Saloma, Elizabeth, John, Susan, Mary Margaret, and Daniel Edward.

Vail Cemetery, Vail, Crawford County, Iowa
Monument inscription [note Paul's birthdate]:

LEITNER
Paul Leitner
Jan 5, 1821 Feb 16, 1872
Mary M Leitner
Jan 2, 1824 June 2, 1898
Reuben Leitner
Sept 14, 1860 Jan 27, 1872

1870 US Census, Iowa, Crawford County, East Royer Township, 14 Jun 1870
Leitner Paul . . . . . 49 . . . . Farmer . . . . . . . . Penna
— Margaret . . . . .46 . . . . Keeping house . . . France
— William H . . . . .22 . . . . Farmer . . . . . . . . . . Illinois
— Saloma . . . . . . 18 . . . . At Home . . . . . . . . . . . do
— John . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
— Susannah . . . .13 . . . . . do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
— Mary M. . . . . . .12 . . . . . do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
— Rueben W . . . . 9 . . . . . .do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
— Daniel E . . . . . . 8 . . . . . do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .do

PENNSYLVANIA

Christian Leitner [Jr.] was likely born in 1788 between two documented brothers, Peter (b. 1786) and Daniel (b 1790), though no records have yet been found for Christian. That year of birth fits within the Census tallies below.

1790 US Census, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County, Not Stated (Jonestown?)
Christian Lightner [Sr.]:
1 male over 16; 4 males under 16; 2 females
[Note: Christian (Sr.) and wife Eva appear to have been the sponsors at the baptism of Elizabeth daughter of Killian and Barbara Lang on 17 October 1790 at Swatara Reformed Church, Jonestown.]

Land records show Christian [Sr.] had taken up land in Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, as early as May 1797 where he appears in the 1800 Mahanoy Enumeration, Penna. Septennial Census.

1800 US Census, Pennsylvania, Northumberland County, Mahanoy Township
Christian Leitner [Sr.]::
males: 1 @ under 10, 1 @ 10 to under 16; 1 @ over 45
females: 1 @ under 10, 1 @ over 45

Pennsylvania Marriages 1709-1940, FamilySearch database (minimal information)
Married at Lebanon, Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Christian Lautner and Salome Bechtel 14 Aug 1808

1810 US Census, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County (Lebanon County in 1813), Jonestown
Christian Lightner [Jr.]::
males: 1 @ under 10, 1 @ 16 to under 26
females: 1 @ under 10, 1 @ 16 to under 26

1810 US Census, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Upper Mahantango Township
Christian Leidner [Sr.]::
males: 1 @ over 45
females: 1 @ over 45

1820 US Census, Pennsylvania, Northumberland County, Upper Mahantango Township
Christian Litener [Jr.]::
males: 1 @ under 10, 1 @ 26 to under 45
females: 2 @ under 10, 1 @ 10 to under 16, 1 @ 26 to under 45
1 engaged in agriculture

Klingers Church, Erdman, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Transcribed Baptisms:
George s. of Christian Leutner & w Salome
b. 30 Nov 1817, bapt. 18 Jan 1818
Sp.: George Erdtman & w Catharina

child of Christian Leÿdtner & w. Salome
b. 5 Jan 1821, bapt. 24 Feb 1821
Sp.: George Paul & w Maria
[the transcription doesn't say whether a son or daughter and a child is often given the first/called name of a sponsor, but other information below points to this child being named Paul - note birthdate]

Rachel dau. of Christian Leÿdner & w. Salome
b. 20 Apr 1823, bapt. 13 July 1823
Sp.: Michael Paul & w Elisabeth
[No other children of Christian and Salome are found here, but a number of Christian's brother Jacob and wife Hannah (Williamson) Leitner's children were baptized at Klingers.]
There is one more record of interest:

Salome dau. of Simeon Scherrmann & w Margaretha Elis.
b. Apr 4 bapt. May 20, 1819
Sp.: Christian Leidner & w Salome
[Note: Margaretha Elisabetha (Leitner) Scherman was Christian's sister who is buried at Hegins, 10 miles east of Erdman.]

OHIO

Crawford County, Ohio
Abstract of will of Christian Laitner dated 2 Sep 1837, proved 3 Nov 1837 names wife, Salome, and children: George (eldest son), Mary Ann (eldest daughter) wife of John Harshbarger, Salome (2nd eldest daughter), Elizabeth (3rd eldest daughter), Rachel (4th eldest daughter), Catherina (youngest daughter), and Paul (youngest son)
Executors: Thomas Hershberger, George Laitner (eldest son)
[Note: the will was re-certified 16 Jan 1880 in Wyandot County]

Stark County, Ohio, 15 Mar 1831, married:
Ann Maria Lightner and John Hershberger

Stark County, Ohio, 1 Nov 1831, married:
Sally [likely Salome] Lightner and Thomas Hershberger

Crawford County, Ohio, 23 Sep 1841, married by license:
Rachel Leitner and Jacob Nease

Seneca County, Ohio, 7 Apr 1842, married by license dated 24 Mar 1842:
Paul Litener and Margaret Shoemaker

Seneca County, Ohio, 25 Oct 1842, married by license dated 24 Oct 1842:
Catherine Lightner and George Beaver

ILLINOIS

1850 US Census, Illinois, Kane County, Town of Hampshire, 17 Sep 1850
/Peter Shoemaker . . . 52 . . Farmer . . . . Germany
Margaret . . . . . . . . . . .54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 . . Farmer . . . . . . .do
Margaret . . . . . . . . . . .26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ohio
Michel . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 . . Farmer . . . . . . . do
Seloma . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .do
/Paul Lightner . . . . . . .30 . . Farmer . . . . . . . Pa
Katharin . . . . . . . . . . . 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Germany
Soloman . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ohio
William . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
Elisabeth . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
[the Shoemakers and Lightners were listed as separate sequential households, but it may be that some one person my have given the information for both and switched Margaret and her sister Katharin]

1860 US Census, Illinois, Kane County, Town of Hampshire, 12 Jul 1860
/Peter Shoemaker . . . 59 . . . Farmer . . . . . . . . Germany
Margrett . . . . . . . . . . . 63 . . . . wife . . . . . . . . . . . . do
[next page, 7th house]
/Paul Leitner . . . . . . . . 39 . . .Farmer . . . . . . . . . Penn
Margret . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 . . . .wife . . . . . . . . .Elisis Germany
Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . serving at home . . Ohio
W. H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
Soloma . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .do
John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .do
Susana . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do
Mary M . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .do

DNA

Ancestry DNA
A descendant of Paul's is a DNA match (5C1R) with me (PLW) and 5 of my siblings, with common ancestors Christian Leitner and Mara Eva Fehler. Further triangulation was made on Ancestry - possible because three of us have more than a 20cM match - and the results verify this line. Two other DNA-matched descendants of Paul's were a little misplaced because they skipped Christian JR and tied Paul directly to Christian and Eva. Other DNA matches are very misplaced by Ancestry's ThruLines - probably attesting to the difficulty many have had with sorting all the Christian Leitners within a couple early generations.