Christopher Haymaker's name was spelled Heumacher in an early St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church baptismal record. Family lore says he was a German peasant, a refugee, who made his escape to Scotland where he was employed by Lord or Earl Gordon. The legend goes on to say Christopher, called "Stoffel or Stoephel" married a Lady Gordon (perhaps Elizabeth Gorden) in England, and that she sold her jewels to pay for their trip to America in about 1730. Supposedly, he was a large man (about 7' tall) and remarkably handsome. In Historical Record (1863), p. 125, there is a short piece of information about Lewis Gorden, a Scotchman, who "came to this country after the battle of Culloden, and lived in Philadelphia." He was an attorney and served as a clerk for William Peters. Gorden practiced law in Northampton and Bucks County. It's not known if this is the same man. No record of Christopher's wife has been found in Pennsylvania. Ray Dieffenbach wrote to my mother 24 Nov 1976 and he mentioned"the Hamacher Heumacher which is German for Haymaker are still around this area in Womelsdarf (Palatinate?).
Stoffel bought 201 acres of land January 26, 1739 in Bucks County, PA (Weinberg, Warrants & Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 7, p. 135) but later lost it, possibly because he did not file the correct papers. He also had 50 acres of land in Bucks County purchased 25 Aug 1739. Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties in PA. Stoffel is known to have been in Pennsylvania in the 1750's, and he is listed along with William Haycock in land records for Bucks County, PA in 1756 at Rockhill. It appears he bought 10 acres adjacent to the plantation of Daniel Huertner (source: Land Records for Bucks County, PA: www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/landrecordspage2.html). "Rockhill was one destination of a wave of German immigration that came up the Perkiomen and set across into Bucks county, 1720-1730. Germans were among its very earliest settlers and it has maintained its German status ... Our knowledge of the pioneers is limited, being of that class that rarely preserves recorded family history or tradition. The earliest purchase made in Rockhill was by John Furnace, a barber of Philadelphia, the deed bearing the date December 11, 1701, for 300 acres" (Davis, 1876).
On 16 Dec 1752 he is reported by Sower's Newspaper to be living on the Little Lehigh, "in der Schmaltzgasz", in Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania. He is again listed in Sower's Newspaper on 16 May 1753 as living at Macumgy on the Little Lehigh in Lehigh Co. which is about 5 miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Another record found: "Plantation in Maccungle Twp., Northampton Co., late the estate of Christopher Haymaker, taken in execution at suit of Dirk Johnson, will be sold (3 May) by Sheriff William Craig" (1753, p. 229). In 1753, he sent letters to Lewis Gordon Esquire Attorney of the Court of Common Pleas of the county of Northampton, PA regarding money owned to Nicholas Snyder (52 pounds 10 shillings) and to David Geessy (23 pounds 7 shillings 2 pence). He authorized Attorney Gordon to appear in court for him. In one of the letters he called himself of Salisbury and Innholder.
By 1767, Christopher Haymaker was in Manchester Twp, York Co, PA. He was "licensed to sell Beer and Cyders by small measures" in the July Sessions. This probably means he ran a tavern at the time. Note that the court record for this license shows his name as Haymaker, not as recorded in church records as Heumacher.
Stoffel was in western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which began about 1754, but it is not known if he played a role in the early skirmishes around Fort Duquesne (built at present-day Pittsburgh) or Fort Necessity. During that time the settlers had to be on constant guard against Indian attacks, as the Indians worked with the French in attempting to dislodge the English settlers. Christopher was probably an Indian trader and he may have been killed by Indians. "One of the pioneer men was an Indian fighter. He was a huge man, over 7 feet tall. Legend has it that he killed several Indians single-handed. They vowed they would "get" him, and they did. When they buried him, they cut off his feet at the ankles. Dr. Edward M. Haymaker, retired Missionary from Guatemala, was present when this grave was exhumed for some reason. The grave revealed the skeleton of an extremely tall man, minus feet" (source: Ralph & Dorothy Hodgdon, Zoar Ohio, 1978 letter to Mary H. West in author's files). Christopher's son, Jacob Haymaker, moved his family to the Pittsburgh area prior to the Revolutionary War, so Christopher was in Pittsburgh when he died. It's likely that he was living with son Jacob for the last few years of his life, perhaps in Plum township where Jacob owned land. He was originally buried in a cemetery where the village of Verona now stands. His remains were reportedly lifted and interred in Old Plum Creek Cemetery, now called Laird Church Cemetery, but no stone has been found.
Stoffel bought 201 acres of land January 26, 1739 in Bucks County, PA (Weinberg, Warrants & Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 7, p. 135) but later lost it, possibly because he did not file the correct papers. He also had 50 acres of land in Bucks County purchased 25 Aug 1739. Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties in PA. Stoffel is known to have been in Pennsylvania in the 1750's, and he is listed along with William Haycock in land records for Bucks County, PA in 1756 at Rockhill. It appears he bought 10 acres adjacent to the plantation of Daniel Huertner (source: Land Records for Bucks County, PA: www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/landrecordspage2.html). "Rockhill was one destination of a wave of German immigration that came up the Perkiomen and set across into Bucks county, 1720-1730. Germans were among its very earliest settlers and it has maintained its German status ... Our knowledge of the pioneers is limited, being of that class that rarely preserves recorded family history or tradition. The earliest purchase made in Rockhill was by John Furnace, a barber of Philadelphia, the deed bearing the date December 11, 1701, for 300 acres" (Davis, 1876).
On 16 Dec 1752 he is reported by Sower's Newspaper to be living on the Little Lehigh, "in der Schmaltzgasz", in Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania. He is again listed in Sower's Newspaper on 16 May 1753 as living at Macumgy on the Little Lehigh in Lehigh Co. which is about 5 miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Another record found: "Plantation in Maccungle Twp., Northampton Co., late the estate of Christopher Haymaker, taken in execution at suit of Dirk Johnson, will be sold (3 May) by Sheriff William Craig" (1753, p. 229). In 1753, he sent letters to Lewis Gordon Esquire Attorney of the Court of Common Pleas of the county of Northampton, PA regarding money owned to Nicholas Snyder (52 pounds 10 shillings) and to David Geessy (23 pounds 7 shillings 2 pence). He authorized Attorney Gordon to appear in court for him. In one of the letters he called himself of Salisbury and Innholder.
By 1767, Christopher Haymaker was in Manchester Twp, York Co, PA. He was "licensed to sell Beer and Cyders by small measures" in the July Sessions. This probably means he ran a tavern at the time. Note that the court record for this license shows his name as Haymaker, not as recorded in church records as Heumacher.
Stoffel was in western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which began about 1754, but it is not known if he played a role in the early skirmishes around Fort Duquesne (built at present-day Pittsburgh) or Fort Necessity. During that time the settlers had to be on constant guard against Indian attacks, as the Indians worked with the French in attempting to dislodge the English settlers. Christopher was probably an Indian trader and he may have been killed by Indians. "One of the pioneer men was an Indian fighter. He was a huge man, over 7 feet tall. Legend has it that he killed several Indians single-handed. They vowed they would "get" him, and they did. When they buried him, they cut off his feet at the ankles. Dr. Edward M. Haymaker, retired Missionary from Guatemala, was present when this grave was exhumed for some reason. The grave revealed the skeleton of an extremely tall man, minus feet" (source: Ralph & Dorothy Hodgdon, Zoar Ohio, 1978 letter to Mary H. West in author's files). Christopher's son, Jacob Haymaker, moved his family to the Pittsburgh area prior to the Revolutionary War, so Christopher was in Pittsburgh when he died. It's likely that he was living with son Jacob for the last few years of his life, perhaps in Plum township where Jacob owned land. He was originally buried in a cemetery where the village of Verona now stands. His remains were reportedly lifted and interred in Old Plum Creek Cemetery, now called Laird Church Cemetery, but no stone has been found.
Christopher Haymaker's name was spelled Heumacher in an early St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church baptismal record. Family lore says he was a German peasant, a refugee, who made his escape to Scotland where he was employed by Lord or Earl Gordon. The legend goes on to say Christopher, called "Stoffel or Stoephel" married a Lady Gordon (perhaps Elizabeth Gorden) in England, and that she sold her jewels to pay for their trip to America in about 1730. Supposedly, he was a large man (about 7' tall) and remarkably handsome. In Historical Record (1863), p. 125, there is a short piece of information about Lewis Gorden, a Scotchman, who "came to this country after the battle of Culloden, and lived in Philadelphia." He was an attorney and served as a clerk for William Peters. Gorden practiced law in Northampton and Bucks County. It's not known if this is the same man. No record of Christopher's wife has been found in Pennsylvania. Ray Dieffenbach wrote to my mother 24 Nov 1976 and he mentioned"the Hamacher Heumacher which is German for Haymaker are still around this area in Womelsdarf (Palatinate?).
Stoffel bought 201 acres of land January 26, 1739 in Bucks County, PA (Weinberg, Warrants & Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 7, p. 135) but later lost it, possibly because he did not file the correct papers. He also had 50 acres of land in Bucks County purchased 25 Aug 1739. Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties in PA. Stoffel is known to have been in Pennsylvania in the 1750's, and he is listed along with William Haycock in land records for Bucks County, PA in 1756 at Rockhill. It appears he bought 10 acres adjacent to the plantation of Daniel Huertner (source: Land Records for Bucks County, PA: www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/landrecordspage2.html). "Rockhill was one destination of a wave of German immigration that came up the Perkiomen and set across into Bucks county, 1720-1730. Germans were among its very earliest settlers and it has maintained its German status ... Our knowledge of the pioneers is limited, being of that class that rarely preserves recorded family history or tradition. The earliest purchase made in Rockhill was by John Furnace, a barber of Philadelphia, the deed bearing the date December 11, 1701, for 300 acres" (Davis, 1876).
On 16 Dec 1752 he is reported by Sower's Newspaper to be living on the Little Lehigh, "in der Schmaltzgasz", in Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania. He is again listed in Sower's Newspaper on 16 May 1753 as living at Macumgy on the Little Lehigh in Lehigh Co. which is about 5 miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Another record found: "Plantation in Maccungle Twp., Northampton Co., late the estate of Christopher Haymaker, taken in execution at suit of Dirk Johnson, will be sold (3 May) by Sheriff William Craig" (1753, p. 229). In 1753, he sent letters to Lewis Gordon Esquire Attorney of the Court of Common Pleas of the county of Northampton, PA regarding money owned to Nicholas Snyder (52 pounds 10 shillings) and to David Geessy (23 pounds 7 shillings 2 pence). He authorized Attorney Gordon to appear in court for him. In one of the letters he called himself of Salisbury and Innholder.
By 1767, Christopher Haymaker was in Manchester Twp, York Co, PA. He was "licensed to sell Beer and Cyders by small measures" in the July Sessions. This probably means he ran a tavern at the time. Note that the court record for this license shows his name as Haymaker, not as recorded in church records as Heumacher.
Stoffel was in western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which began about 1754, but it is not known if he played a role in the early skirmishes around Fort Duquesne (built at present-day Pittsburgh) or Fort Necessity. During that time the settlers had to be on constant guard against Indian attacks, as the Indians worked with the French in attempting to dislodge the English settlers. Christopher was probably an Indian trader and he may have been killed by Indians. "One of the pioneer men was an Indian fighter. He was a huge man, over 7 feet tall. Legend has it that he killed several Indians single-handed. They vowed they would "get" him, and they did. When they buried him, they cut off his feet at the ankles. Dr. Edward M. Haymaker, retired Missionary from Guatemala, was present when this grave was exhumed for some reason. The grave revealed the skeleton of an extremely tall man, minus feet" (source: Ralph & Dorothy Hodgdon, Zoar Ohio, 1978 letter to Mary H. West in author's files). Christopher's son, Jacob Haymaker, moved his family to the Pittsburgh area prior to the Revolutionary War, so Christopher was in Pittsburgh when he died. It's likely that he was living with son Jacob for the last few years of his life, perhaps in Plum township where Jacob owned land. He was originally buried in a cemetery where the village of Verona now stands. His remains were reportedly lifted and interred in Old Plum Creek Cemetery, now called Laird Church Cemetery, but no stone has been found.
Stoffel bought 201 acres of land January 26, 1739 in Bucks County, PA (Weinberg, Warrants & Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 7, p. 135) but later lost it, possibly because he did not file the correct papers. He also had 50 acres of land in Bucks County purchased 25 Aug 1739. Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties in PA. Stoffel is known to have been in Pennsylvania in the 1750's, and he is listed along with William Haycock in land records for Bucks County, PA in 1756 at Rockhill. It appears he bought 10 acres adjacent to the plantation of Daniel Huertner (source: Land Records for Bucks County, PA: www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/landrecordspage2.html). "Rockhill was one destination of a wave of German immigration that came up the Perkiomen and set across into Bucks county, 1720-1730. Germans were among its very earliest settlers and it has maintained its German status ... Our knowledge of the pioneers is limited, being of that class that rarely preserves recorded family history or tradition. The earliest purchase made in Rockhill was by John Furnace, a barber of Philadelphia, the deed bearing the date December 11, 1701, for 300 acres" (Davis, 1876).
On 16 Dec 1752 he is reported by Sower's Newspaper to be living on the Little Lehigh, "in der Schmaltzgasz", in Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania. He is again listed in Sower's Newspaper on 16 May 1753 as living at Macumgy on the Little Lehigh in Lehigh Co. which is about 5 miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Another record found: "Plantation in Maccungle Twp., Northampton Co., late the estate of Christopher Haymaker, taken in execution at suit of Dirk Johnson, will be sold (3 May) by Sheriff William Craig" (1753, p. 229). In 1753, he sent letters to Lewis Gordon Esquire Attorney of the Court of Common Pleas of the county of Northampton, PA regarding money owned to Nicholas Snyder (52 pounds 10 shillings) and to David Geessy (23 pounds 7 shillings 2 pence). He authorized Attorney Gordon to appear in court for him. In one of the letters he called himself of Salisbury and Innholder.
By 1767, Christopher Haymaker was in Manchester Twp, York Co, PA. He was "licensed to sell Beer and Cyders by small measures" in the July Sessions. This probably means he ran a tavern at the time. Note that the court record for this license shows his name as Haymaker, not as recorded in church records as Heumacher.
Stoffel was in western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which began about 1754, but it is not known if he played a role in the early skirmishes around Fort Duquesne (built at present-day Pittsburgh) or Fort Necessity. During that time the settlers had to be on constant guard against Indian attacks, as the Indians worked with the French in attempting to dislodge the English settlers. Christopher was probably an Indian trader and he may have been killed by Indians. "One of the pioneer men was an Indian fighter. He was a huge man, over 7 feet tall. Legend has it that he killed several Indians single-handed. They vowed they would "get" him, and they did. When they buried him, they cut off his feet at the ankles. Dr. Edward M. Haymaker, retired Missionary from Guatemala, was present when this grave was exhumed for some reason. The grave revealed the skeleton of an extremely tall man, minus feet" (source: Ralph & Dorothy Hodgdon, Zoar Ohio, 1978 letter to Mary H. West in author's files). Christopher's son, Jacob Haymaker, moved his family to the Pittsburgh area prior to the Revolutionary War, so Christopher was in Pittsburgh when he died. It's likely that he was living with son Jacob for the last few years of his life, perhaps in Plum township where Jacob owned land. He was originally buried in a cemetery where the village of Verona now stands. His remains were reportedly lifted and interred in Old Plum Creek Cemetery, now called Laird Church Cemetery, but no stone has been found.
Family Members
Children
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
