Mary Elizabeth Lenhart

Name of (Maria) Mary Elizabeth ca. 1750-1824 - Mary Elizabeth Harbaugh known as Holzinger - wife of Godfrey Lenhart, son of Johan Peter Lenhart (See JPL group sheet), of York Co., PA

GKBopp (28 Sept 2002) My summary on the subject of Godfrey Lenhart's wife (or wives) and the names Harbaugh and Holtzinger:

Godfrey's mother-in-law (Maria/Mary Elizabeth) apparently married three times (to Leese, Harbaugh, and Coppenhoffer). Apparently she had daughter Elizabeth (also known as Maria/Mary Elizabeth) by second husband Harbaugh. Apparently after he died Bernhard Holzinger became the guardian of Elizabeth; hence Elizabeth was known as Harbaugh and/or Holzinger.

Note: Godfrey's wife and her mother both appear in records as Elizabeth and/or Maria/Mary Elizabeth.

Below are four printed sources (and two e-mails from Lenhart researchers) upon which I base the above summary. As you will see, there is no direct source for the guardianship - Rinkenbach writes "it is claimed that she really was the daughter of Yost Harbaugh and went by the name of her guardian, Bernhard Holzinger" but gives no source of the guardianship information. More confusion ensued because Rinkenbach, and/or whatever source he had, stated that the will of [Mr.] Coppenhoeffer referred to [his] daughter Elizabeth who was married to Godfrey Lenhart. Leading Rinkenbach, and others, to speculate that perhaps Godfrey had a second wife, also named Elizabeth. However, apparently it was the will of [the thrice-married Mrs.] Coppenhoeffer referring to [her] daughter Elizabeth.

1) BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA containing genealogical records of representative families, including many of the early settlers, and biographical sketches of prominent citizens. Prepared in part by George O. Seilhamer, Genealogical Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1905, ix, 706 p., leaves of plates: ports.

Entry under HARBAUGH and WALTER FAMILIES, YOST HERBACH, pp. 273-274, daughter "MARY ELIZABETH (born on Good Friday in 1753 - died June 18, 1835), married Godfrey Lenhart (born March 17, 1754 - died Aug. 15, 1819)." Entry names five children and "two other daughters."

-----------------------------------

Mary Elizabeth, the oldest daughter of the original settler, Yost, was born near York, on Good Friday, 1753, and became the wife of Godfrey Lenhart, an old and well known citizen of York, among whose descendants are the late Mrs. Kuntz; Mrs. Genther; Mrs. Louis Sudec of York; Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey, and her daughter Catharine, who was the wife of the late distinguished Prof. Samuel Tyler, LL. D. (of Frederick, Md.) author of Baconian Philosophy, Life of Barnes, and various legal treatises; Rev. Henry Lenhart, late of Williamsport, Penn., and his son, Rev. L. Lenhart, for seventeen years a chaplain in the navy, and who while serving in that capacity went down with the Cumberland, in Hampton Roads, in the spring of 1864; William Lenhart, the distinguished mathematician; and Catherine Lenhart, wife of the late John McPherson, so long a prominent and highly honored citizen of Gettysburg, cashier of its bank, and father of Hon. Edward McPherson; William C. McPherson, his son; Hon. John B. McPherson, associate law judge of the Dauphin and Lebanon District; Mrs. Andrew Mehaffy, (formerly of Columbia, now of New York); Elizabeth, wife of Gen. Albion P. Howe, United States Army (Cambridge, Mass.); J. B. McPherson, Esq. (New York City); Catharine, wife of Dr. Norman B. Scott; Dr. J. McPherson Scott; Mrs. Alexander Armstrong, and Norman Bruce Scott, Esq., all of Hagerstown, Md. Taken from the book, “History of York County, Illustrated 1886” by John Gibson, Historical Editor

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 30 2018, 0:25:16 UTC