Maria Salome Kobel

On a horror filled Sunday afternoon of November 16, 1755, the family of Henry Kobel was attacked by seven or eight marauding Indians at their home in Bethel Township. Henry, his wife (believed to be Maria Salome Hoffman) and three of their eight children were killed in the attack. This occurrence is known historically as the Kobel massacre.

After killing Henry and Maria, the Indians pursued, captured and then scalped at least five of the eight children as they fled into the neighboring woods. Two of the scaled daughters survived, one to tell the story of the family tradedy as related on Nov. 24, 1755, by Conrad Weiser in a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Morris.

The three surviving sons are believed to have been Johann Heinrich Kobel (b. 1741), Johann Friedrich Kobel (b. 1743) and infant boy, Johann Jacob Kobel (b. 1755). The names of the surviving daughters are not known. Henry Kobel's farm was taken over first by Jacob Moyer, and then by a John Kobel, who was most likely the second son of Johann Friedrich Kobel.

Henry Kobel was the oldest son of Jacob Kobel who was the 6th great grandfather to Wynter Reed Newhouse. Maria Sybilla Kobel, Johann Heinrich's sister, married Johann Adam Dieffenbach, Wynter Reed Newhouse's 5th great grandfather.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 20 2016, 0:53:39 UTC

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• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Mar 28 2023, 1:58:55 UTC