There are two branches of original Newfarmers in America, one found in Ohio, and one in Indiana. We previously were almost certain that the original immigrants were Henry and John Newbauer, listed in the Erie County, Pennsylvania naturalization records as arriving in 1850 in Philadelphia. Henry’s listed year of birth is 1825, which matches closely with later census data, and John Jr.’s is 1817. Both are listed as coming from Darmstadt, Germany. After corresponding with the Erie Genealogical Society, it appears that these two Newbauers stayed in Erie, Pennsylvania and retained their name Neubauer. Henry (groceries and produce) and John (bookkeeper) Neubauer are found in the 1877 Erie City Directory living at the same address. Although there are minor discrepancies, Henry and John can be found in Erie, Pennsylvania in the 1880 census, still engaged in the grocery and allied business. They were city folks, while our Henry was a farmer, and we now believe that these Neubauers were not connected with our Newfarmers.

If these are not the original Newfarmers, it resolves certain inconsistencies in the data. The naturalization records say that the two emmigrated from Darmstadt in 1850. Henry Sr., his probable mother Catherine, and Henry Jr. all say they were born in France, and Darmstadt is some distance from the French border. Also, Henry Sr. reports in the 1900 census that he arrived in the U.S. in 1848 and had lived in the U.S. for 52 years. It is clear from census pages that Henry was living in Ohio from 1860 to 1900, not in Erie, Pennsylvania.

We recently came across an on-line database, the Ohio Death Index, 1907-1944, which, along with William, Frederic, and Oakley Newfarmer, holds records for Henry Newfarmer (d. 1914), John Neibauer (d. 1914), and William Neibuhr (d. 1921). We sent for copies of these death certificates, and unfortunately, none hold any new information. Henry Sr.’s death certificate was filled out by his son William, and William did not know his grandfather or grandmother’s names.

We have accumulated a lot of information on the Newfarmers, and will summarize our findings, first with Henry and then with John. All of the source documents used in this history, as well as the traditional genealogy charts and lists, are in the Newfarmer Family Research Papers in the possession of Shirley Pace Newfarmer.

We first find Henry in the 1860 census for Logan County, Ohio, near the town of DeGraff. He is 32 years old, living with his wife Christina Swolp Newfarmer and their seven children. Also living with Henry is Catherine Newfarmer, 58, almost certainly his mother. He is listed as a farmer, born in France. Also listed as being born in France are his wife, first son Henry Jr., and mother Catherine. In later census documents, both Henry and his children waver between whether he was born in France or Germany.

The name Neibauer (also Neibuhr) came from Northern Germany, the Southern version being Neubauer. Both names literally translate to new farmer (or young farmer). Some language authorities argue that "nei" actually translates to "none", and the nei in Neibauer comes from a prefix meaning lowlands. Other German-American name sources say that the Northern German spelling was Neibuhr. In any case, the northwest section of Germany borders on France, the Rhine River being the boundary. It’s entirely possible that Henry’s family were of German descent but farming across the river in France. Unfortunately, according to a Newfarmer who visited the region in Germany, Neibauer and its variants are as common a name in Germany as Smith or Jones in the U.S., and until we find more information on Henry's parents, it will be impossible to trace his ancestry.

Regarding the Neibuhr surname, we have recently received an index from the centennial of Clyde, Ohio, located far north of Logan County, that lists Henry Newfarmer (Neibuhr) and his wife; Edwin (aka Edward) Lisk Newfarmer (Henry's son in his second family) and his wife; Lexie Terrell Newfarmer (Edwin's daughter); and Christine Neibuhr as being in the Sesquicentennial Genealogy Celebration - 1966 genealogy file. In all probability Lexie was living in Clyde, age 77, and was interviewed as an old-timer for the event. We sent an inquiry in Fall, 2002 to the Clyde City Library where the file is kept to see what the contents are, but did not receive a reply. It is interesting to note that these descendants of Henry Sr.'s second family believe his former name was Neibuhr.

Between 1860 and 1870, Henry’s wife Christina had at least three more children, and died in childbirth in 1867 at age 40. As was common practice in those days, all the children were distributed among friends or church members. Farmers weren’t equipped to deal with children and still maintain their livelihood, and there were no elder daughters to take over. Henry remarried in about a year to Henrietta Hines, a widow born in Pennsylvania, and they relocated to Champaign County (a short distance from DeGraff, over the Logan County border) and had three more children. There is no evidence that Henry’s eight living children from his first marriage ever visited their father, and in fact the evidence shows that there was probably great animosity over the death of the mother and the breaking up of the family. Henry’s mother Catherine took daughter Magdalena, and possibly Mary and Jacob, and moved to Randolph County, Indiana, probably to be with her other son John. The rest of the family scattered. Tracing the children of Henry and Christina, in order of birth, after Christina’s death:

• Henry Jr., born 1848 in France, was found in the 1870 census, age 22 and single, still living around DeGraff, Ohio, and working as a farm laborer on the farm of Milton Wolfe. After 1870 he disappears from the records and is not to be found again.

• Frederick, born 1850 in Ohio, also stays in the vicinity of DeGraff working as a farm laborer in the 1870 census on the farm of Margaret Spence. In the 1880 census he can be found working as a laborer, still in DeGraff. He shows up again as a bachelor living with his brother William and William’s family in DeGraff in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census. It appears that Frederick never married. He died in 1937.

• Solomon, born 1852 in Ohio, like his older brothers is found as a farm laborer in the 1870 census, working on the farm of Samuel Koegler in Logan County. He stays in Logan County where he marries Sarah Elizabeth Line in 1881, and has one child, Phinton R. Newfarmer, born in Logan County, Ohio, in 1881. Solomon is last found in the 1900 census listed as having one child, none living. So, we can assume Phinton died before age 19, and Solomon had no more children.

• Mary, born 1851 in Ohio, probably went with her grandmother Catherine to Indiana after her family was broken up. She married in 1874 to Lewis Klamberg in Randolph County, Indiana. In 1898 she married George Yeager, and when she is found with him in Randolph County, Indiana, they have her son William Klamberg and daughters Amelia and Adelia Klamberg with them. At this point she says she has had seven children, six living. In the 1910 census of Madison County, Indiana, taken in April, 1910, she is living alone and says she had four children, one living. In August, 1910 she married Abraham Whelchel in Madison County, Indiana, and we have not yet found her in 1920. It’s probably appropriate to note here a number of names from Indiana that come up again when we visit the descendants of John Newfarmer. The surnames Kepner, Whelchel, and Pettigrew consistently come up as being associated with both the families of Henry and John, and establish another probable link between the two brothers (or possibly cousins).

• Jacob, born either 1852 or 1855 (his age in the census is not consistent) is found in the 1870 census in Green County, Ohio, single, age 15, also working as a farm laborer. After that, he disappears from the records. The History of Madison County, Illinois, in its biography of George Washington Pettigrew, lists the living children of George’s father Samuel Pettigrew including a Mary E., widow of Jacob Newfarmer. So we now know that Jacob married Libbie Pettigrew (see the section on Libbie later) in Indiana, and died sometime before the book’s publication date of 1914. They had three daughters.

• Magdalena, born 1857, was taken by her grandmother Catherine to Randolph County, Indiana. In all probability, Magdalena (also called Lena) suffered some birth defect or retardation, since she lived with her grandmother until her grandmother’s death, then was a servant in several households from 1880 to 1900, and then was committed to a hospital for the insane where she lived from about 1910 until after 1920. She probably did not have children, although one census lists her as having one child, none living.

• William, born 1859, Ohio, lived out his life near DeGraff, Ohio, marrying Lou Belle Able in 1886 in Logan County, Ohio. He had one child, Oklahoma Newfarmer (also called Okley and O.K.) born in 1888. Oklahoma died in 1915 at the age of 27 and there is no record of his marrying or having children. William died in 1933 in Logan County, Ohio.

• Samuel, born 1862 in Ohio, is the father of Roy and Ray Newfarmer. He shows up on no census in 1870 or 1880, but his youth can be reasonably chronicled from family history. Samuel lived during the latter part of his life with his son Roy in Colorado and likely commented on his youth. Excerpts from notes written by Roy and later Newfarmers show that Samuel, like his siblings, was sent off to live with another family when his mother died in 1867. Samuel would have been five years old. Comments from the Newfarmer documents are:
  • ...he (Samuel) was apprenticed as a blacksmith, but his master worked him night and day, and whipped him, so Sam ran away and lived with another family, where he learned to become a blacksmith.

  • Samuel worked as a blacksmith in Philadelphia, and later owned a blacksmith shop in Montrose, Colorado from about 1919 to 1923.

  • (I’ve misplaced or returned the source document, but this is close) Samuel was apprenticed out at age 12 as a blacksmith, and was so upset at being sent away that he never spoke to his family again.

  In 1870, Samuel would have been eight years old, and likely had lived with his second family for three years. He would have been apprenticed out in 1874 as a blacksmith with another family, spent several years suffering, and then ran away to Philadelphia where he either apprenticed or worked in the shipyards. It would not be surprising for the census takers to miss him there in 1880, and in any case, he may have been using some other surname than Newfarmer.

  By 1887 Samuel had traveled to Randolph County, Indiana, probably to visit his relatives, and married there to Emma Allen on August 6, 1887. He shows up in the 1900 census for Randolph County, Indiana, as a blacksmith, with his wife and two sons, Roy - age 11, and Ray - age 9. From there, we have a complete history of his family.

• David, born 1856, and Emma, born 1867, both died at about two months old. Both are buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Logan County, Ohio, along with their mother Christina, William and his wife Lou Belle and child Oklahoma. Emma’s age and date of death are particularly significant, in that they calculate to a birth date exactly the date that Christina died.

That accounts for all of Henry’s children by his first wife, and with the exception of Samuel, it appears that none of Henry’s male children had male offspring who lived to have other Newfarmers. Henry’s second marriage resulted in two female children and two sons. Edward had one daughter, and Walter had one daughter, so no new Newfarmers there either. Thus, any existing Newfarmers from Henry’s line are through Roy Newfarmer, and we can account for all of them. Which leads us to the more speculative issue of "the other Newfarmers."

Newfarmer is not a common name in the U.S. It appears that most of the immigrant Neibauers and the like kept their German name. There are hundreds of Neubauers, Newbauers, Neibuhrs, and Neibauers in the U.S. A search of all of the phone directories in the U.S. shows only 20 Newfarmer families, and most can be accounted for by Roy’s descendants. In 1984-85, Ross Newfarmer discovered the "other Newfarmers" when he answered an ad for a "Newfarmer Family Heritage Book." The resulting list of Newfarmers included an unknown James D. Newfarmer of Bourbonnais, Illinois. Ross’ son Don began a correspondence with (James) David Newfarmer which resulted in some conflicting information from David, but a complete listing of his siblings and their children, and enough facts to establish the family ancestry.

The inconsistencies in the information provided by David can be accounted for by the fact that like Henry’s children, David’s ancestral twins, Henry and William, were orphaned at age 5, and hardly knew their true parents. However, we can piece together the probable ancestry of these Newfarmers.

It is undisputed that there were twin boys, Henry Otto Newfarmer and William Watt Newfarmer, born in 1875 to William Newfarmer and Jane Kepner. William Newfarmer was born in Indiana or Ohio, most likely the son of John Newfarmer and Barbara Kepner. It was very common for pioneer families to stick together and intermarry for generations, and the Newfarmer, Pettigrew, Kepner, and Whelchel families can be found together from 1850 forward. David Newfarmer sent for his father’s death certificate, which attests to his parentage. Henry Otto Newfarmer is not accounted for after age 24, but William Watt Newfarmer is easily found. Both twins can be found in their early years. There is a solvable mystery which surrounds their parentage, and takes a few facts to get started:

• Marriage records for Randolph County, Indiana, show that Elizabeth Jane Kepner married George Washington Pettigrew in September, 1869. George was previously married to Elizabeth Davis Williams and had eight children with her. Elizabeth Jane Kepner was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Kepner.

• In the 1870 census, taken in July, Elizabeth Pettigrew (20) is found back with her parents, William and Elizabeth Kepner, in Hamilton County, Indiana, just a year after marrying George Pettigrew. George is nowhere to be found. Living with this family is a William Kepner listed at the end - a listing like this means that William is not an immediate member of the family. In the 1850 census, Elizabeth Jane is the oldest child, which further confirms that William, age 24, is not a member of William and Elizabeth Kepner’s family. Pure speculation, but could this really be William Newfarmer? It's not uncommon for an individual to assume the name of the people he's living with, particularly in this case, if his father was John Newfarmer and his mother Barbara Kepner; and two individuals aged 24 and 20 and living in the same house would certainly set up a relationship that could have resulted in the twins, Henry and William. An interesting addition to the record is that in the 1870 census, young William Kepner (or is it Newfarmer) reports that he was born in Indiana. In the recently released 1930 census, William Watt Newfarmer reports that his father was born in Indiana, so there is no inconsistency there.

• Elizabeth and George are divorced in 1872 in Hamilton County, Indiana. This information came from a recent correspondence with Teresa Pettigrew from Madison County, Indiana, who also provided additional information on George Pettigrew and Elizabeth.

  "George (Pettigrew) then married Elizabeth Jane Kepner 9-30-1869 in Hamilton County, Indiana. Probably to help care for his children. She is back in her father's household on the 1870 census. She has a son, Cordie L. Pettigrew born in 1871. He died when he was three and is buried in the Kinnaman Cemetery, Hamilton County, Indiana. We found a divorce record for George and Elizabeth in Hamilton County in 1872. Custody of the child given to Elizabeth's father. We don't know what this situation was or why she left George. My theory was that the child was not George's. And that she did not want to care for step-children. Maybe she was forced to marry him. We want to get back into the court records and see if it tells why they divorced...... Teresa."

• In 1875, the twins, Henry and William, are born to Elizabeth Jane Kepner and William Newfarmer. No birth record for the twins, or marriage record of Jane and William can be found, but the death record of William Watt Newfarmer, obtained by David Newfarmer, lists his parents as William Newfarmer and Jane Kpner.

• In the 1880 census, William and Henry Newfarmer, both 5 years old, are found with their mother Elizabeth J., living with William and Elizabeth Kepner in Hancock County, Indiana. In the same census, just down the road in Madison County, Indiana, George Pettigrew and Elizabeth are reported living with one of George’s daughters by his first marriage. Originally we thought that this was Elizabeth Kepner, but it turns out that George remarried to Sarah Elizabeth Whelchel in 1880, so there is no duplication there. William Newfarmer is nowhere to be found.

• Elizabeth J. Pettigrew then marries Levi L. Whelchel in February, 1882, and they move to Illinois. George Pettigrew dies later in 1882.

• In the 1900 census, Elizabeth and Levi Whelchel are found with their three children, and just down the street are Wat and Ott Whelchel, both born 1875 (24 years old and single), living with the William and Alta Grace family. The twins full names were William Watt Newfarmer and Henry Otto Newfarmer, so Wat and Ott are obviously the twins. Alta Grace is Levi and Elizabeth’s daughter, so that fits also.

• The 1910 census finds William Newfarmer, now 35 years old, still living with Levi and Elizabeth Whelchel in Jackson County, Illinois. In his correspondence, David Newfarmer says his grandfather didn’t get married until he was 42 years old, so this also fits. The other twin, Henry Otto Newfarmer, is not to be found.

• In the 1930 census William Watt Newfarmer is found with his family, reported as Wat Newfarmer, which further solidifies the naming conventions.

So, it appears that the elder Henry Otto Newfarmer had no children.

As a recent aside, Elizabeth may have had an additional relationship besides George Pettigrew, William Newfarmer, and Levi Whelchel. The census page I sent to a Newfarmer showing the twins in 1880, both age 5, also showed a Dora Guynn, age 3, listed just below the twins. Randy Newfarmer wrote back:

"I wanted to draw your attention to one of the census sheets you sent us. It is page #30, or your page #6. Listed under Henry Newfarmer is Dora Guynn. This is one of Grandpa's half-sisters that I was telling you about. I don't know if she was married to the Guynn, or had a child out of wedlock. And I don't know if Dora was her only child by the Guynn. I talked to Dora's granddaughter last week and again Monday night, and they are trying to piece together what information they can gather. Will share it with you as soon as we have it. She is buried at the Crain Cemetery, where our great grandmother Elizabeth is apparently buried. "

William Newfarmer has been confirmed as father of the twins through his son's death certificate, obtained by David Newfarmer. Before receiving the death certificate, David, through the recollections of his Aunt Beulah, listed the parents as John Newfarmer and Barbara Kepner. Chances are the confusion results from William-Jane being the parents and John-Barbara being the grandparents. This needs further study.

The interesting part of this family’s history is the close relationship with the same locations and surnames as Henry’s first family. When Henry’s first wife died, his mother and some of his children relocated to Randolph County, Indiana, the same location where George Pettigrew married Elizabeth Jane Kepner and probably where William Newfarmer settled. Henry’s daughter Mary’s third marriage was to Abraham Whelchel in Madison County, Indiana, and her first and second marriages were in Randolph County. Samuel’s marriage was in Randolph County, Indiana. Elizabeth Pettigrew married Jacob Newfarmer in Indiana. I think that the strong link between the two Newfarmer families is through Catherine, presumably Henry’s mother. I suspect she is either John’s mother or aunt. Why else would she go to Randolph County, Indiana when Henry's wife died, except to live with a relative.

A most intriguing individual is Libbie Newfarmer, shown in the census for Madison County, Indiana, taken in June, 1880. Originally we speculated that Libbie, based on the information in the census, was probably married to Henry’s son Jacob Newfarmer. From a recent posting to the Internet, we have confirmed that Jacob Newfarmer was the husband of Libbie. In "The History of Madison County, Indiana, published in 1914, a biography of George Washington Pettigrew (not our George Jr. - there were three of them in the family) there is a listing of the living children of George’s father Samuel Pettigrew. Among these are a "Mary E., widow of Jacob Newfarmer." Mary E. would be Mary Elizabeth "Libbie" Pettigrew Newfarmer, and she would be the niece of the George Washington Pettigrew Jr. who was the first husband of Elizabeth Jane Kepner, the mother of the Indiana Newfarmer twins. So we have established both the Indiana and Ohio Newfarmers marrying into the same Pettigrew family. While not conclusive evidence, with the other circumstances stated earlier, it would seem almost certain that our original Catherine Newfarmer (or Neibauer or Neibuhr) is the matriarch of both the Indiana and Ohio Newfarmers.

We recently contacted Teresa Pettigrew of Madison County, Indiana, who is doing research on the Pettigrew families, and confirmed that Libbie married Jacob Newfarmer. She provided much additional information on the Pettigrews, and due to her proximity to the home of the Indiana Newfarmers, promised to look around for any information on the Newfarmer surname. She also provided new information on the relationship between George Pettigrew and Elizabeth Jane Kepner, which has caused me to significantly revise my theories regarding Elizabeth.

That's about where we stand. We have a number of inquiries out that may solve some of the issues and add to the genealogy file, and it often happens that posting the ancestors to the Internet will smoke out some relatives with information. We'll keep the file updated.

Jim Pearce