David Groff Reiff, Sr.

• David Reiff, DAR# A201215
• Birth 12 Oct 1755
• Death 22 Sep 1823 (aged 67)
• Burial Mennonite Cemetery, Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA
• Memorial ID 44847393

The following excerpt from "The Biographical History of Waterloo Township, Ezra Eby, p. 180-181" describes this David Reiff (except for the date of birth which was based on a family story).

David Rife, "a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was born in the year 1751 (My grandmother, Mrs. John Shoemaker, daughter of Barbara Reiff, used to say that her uncle, David, was two years older than her mother and that her uncle was ordained as minister of the Mennonite Church when he was in his thirty-ninth year, consequently he entered the ministry in 1790). All attempts made to obtain names of his parents and of all his brothers and sisters proved fruitless. We know of one sister he had, named Barbara, who was born in 1753, and died in Waterloo County in 1820. She was married to Isaac Shantz, father of all the old Shantzes that settled in this county during the early part of the present century. When a young man he moved to Adams County, Pennsylvania. He was a Mennonite and in 1790 was appointed a minister of that church. " He was married and had a family of eight children: John, Abraham, George, Samuel, Joseph, David, Isaac, and Mary.

Since Barbara's parents were Christian Reiff and Veronica Groff, this article implies that this David was also their child. Furthermore, Samuel, one of David's children also moved to Waterloo, Canada before moving to Guelph Township.

However, Lancaster Mennonite Vital Records and "Descendants of the Three Immigrant Mennonite Reiff Brothers of Europe and Pennsylvania" by Daniel R. Lehman per Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, April 1999, pg. 20 have David's parents as Abraham Reiff and Barbara Groff. Christian's will does not include David, therefore it is more probable that David's parents are Abraham and Barbara.

References

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 15 2021, 0:41:01 UTC
• Descendants of the Three Immigrant Mennonite Reiff Brothers of Europe and Pennsylvania by Daniel R. Lehman Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, April 1999, pg. 20.
• http://www.pennsylvaniasettlers.com/getperson.php?personID=I46597&t...