Berks County, Pennsylvania Land
The first concrete evidence available to prove that John Bitner settled in Berks County was his presence in the 1850 federal census. Although he did not own land at that time, it appears that he lived just east of the village of Bernville in Penn Township. (See highlighted location on the map in Figure 65.) I was able to deduce this by examining his neighbors in the census and locating them on the 1861 landowner map of Berks County. Penn Township is just northwest of Bern Township and the city of Reading.
Figure 65 - 1861 Map of Penn Township
John first purchased land in 1854 when he bought a 10-acre tract in eastern Penn Township, on the border with Bern and Centre Townships. (See Figure 68, tract 1.) He purchased another small tract (tract 2) about the same time. He added an adjacent tract in 1861 (tract 3) and another in 1863 (tract 4). The entire tract totaled over 35 acres. The property is on the north side of Bloomsburg Road as it winds from Plum Creek Road into Bern Township. See Table 10 - Berks County, Pennsylvania Deeds on page 206.
George Pfeil, a fellow immigrant from Reichensachsen, purchased a 13-acre tract adjacent to John Bitner's tract in 1853. (See Figure 68, tract 5.) He arrived in Philadelphia in 1847, a year before John did. George sold his tract in 1864, but I have not discovered where he relocated. I found two references to George's son William in a Snyder County will and estate sale, but I have found no other evidence of their presence there.
The 1861 landowner map of Penn Township shows both John Bitner and George Pfeil (Phile) in the vicinity of Bloomsburg Road, though it is hard to determine the exact location of the property. (See highlighted area of Figure 66.) Neighboring landowners correspond to names mentioned in various deeds. Just to the east of the Bitner property, in Bern Township, is the name of John Kilmer. John was another immigrant from Reichensachsen who arrived in 1847. None of these people appear on the 1876 landowner map of Berks County. We know that Bitner and Pfeil had sold their land and moved by that time. Kilmer was found in the 1870 census of Northumberland County.
Figure 66 - 1861 Map of Penn, Bern, and Centre Townships, Berks Co., PA
Figure 67 - Topographical Map of Penn, Bern, and Centre Townships, Berks Co., PA
John Bitner sold his property in April 1866 and moved to Snyder County. Neither this sale nor any of his purchases were recorded in the land records of Berks County. The reference to John's original purchases of the three tracts was included in a subsequent deed recorded in 1868 (Judah Davis to Amos Hechler).
Figure 68 - John Bitner Tracts in Penn Township
Gottlob Schrey married his first wife before 1860, and they were living in the town of Hamburg in that year. Sometime before 1870 his wife died, and he moved to Bern Township. His biography alludes to a change of job, but the time frame is not precise. Gottlob had married Elisabeth Bitner and was living with her and the children from his first marriage in the 1870 census of Bern Township.
In 1868 Gottlob purchased a 15-acre tract of land in northwestern Bern Township along Ziegler Road. (See Figure 69, tract 1.) This road begins across from John Bitner's land in Penn Township and continues east from there until it stops at Grange Road. The total distance is only 2 miles. The relationship of the Bitner and Schrey properties can be seen in Figure 67. A tannery owned by Benjamin Parvin is less than a mile down the road from Gottlob's property, noted at the top right of Figure 66. According to his biography, Gottlob worked for Mr. Parvin.
Figure 69 - Gottlob Schrey Tracts in Bern Township
In March 1872 Gottlob sold the first tract that he bought a few years earlier and bought a 57-acre tract further east. It is at the intersection of Ziegler's Road and Grange Road. (See Figure 69, tract 2.) Note that he bought this property soon after his wife Elisabeth Bitner's father died in Snyder County. When comparing information from the 1861 landowner map, it appears as if his property was adjacent to the Parvin Tannery. This property was much larger than the first, so perhaps Gottlob did some farming on this land.
The deed for the purchase of the latter property was not recorded until 1895. I was not able to find a recorded reference to the sale of this property. We know that Gottlob and Elisabeth moved to Snyder County about 1875 to take over John Bitner's farm. Perhaps Gottlob kept the property in Berks County until much later in life and rented it out. However, it was not mentioned in his estate. Or perhaps he transferred the property to his son, who might have sold it later.
Snyder County, Pennsylvania Land
In March 1866 John Bitner purchased a 128-acre farm in Chapman (now Union) Township of Snyder County. (See Figure 70.) This was substantially larger than the property he sold in Berks County. By analyzing the inventory of his estate, it is clear that he farmed this land. Several of his sons married soon after they arrived in Snyder County, and they all lived nearby their parents. So they probably all helped on the farm. By that time John was nearly 55 years old and his sons were in the 20s, so it would make sense that they helped to support their parents. This land is tract 18-08-42 (A and B) on the map in Figure 71.
Unfortunately, John Bitner died within six years of moving to Snyder County. In his will, John left the farm to his eldest son George. A deed (7-256) dated 28 March 1872 describes the agreement among the heirs. John's widow Anna Martha received a third share of the estate, and the remainder was to be divided equally. George was supposed to pay his siblings a certain amount of money each year until their inheritance was satisfied. For whatever reason, this arrangement did not last very long. At the time of the 1870 census George was living in nearby Washington Township. Perhaps Casper was already farming the property and it made more sense for him to continue there. In late 1873 Casper bought his father's farm from his siblings and paid an equal amount to each of them to satisfy their inheritance. See Table 11 - Snyder County, Pennsylvania Deeds on page 208 for a list of relevant deeds.
Figure 70 - 1868 Map of Chapman (now Union) Township, Snyder Co., PA
In 1875 Casper sold approximately half of the farm (Figure 71, tract 18-08-42B) to his brother-in-law Gottlob Schrey. It is evident that Gottlob and Elisabeth must have moved to Snyder County at that time. A deed of assignment from George Bitner to Gottlob in 1875 appears to transfer George's right in the property.
Figure 71 - Topographical Map of Union Township, Snyder Co., PA
In addition to his father's farm, Casper Bittner also bought another 30-acre tract on the south side of the original farm (Figure 71, tract 18-08-38) in 1874. In 1876 the sheriff of Snyder County transferred 94 acres of land belonging to Casper Bitner - first to his brother Adam, then to Gottlob Schrey. These transactions were recorded in the Orphan's Court records of Snyder County. It would appear that this land consisted of the 30-acre tract and the balance of John Bitner's tract (approximately 60 acres) that Casper did not sell to Gottlob. It is unclear why the sheriff sold this land, although possibly it was because Casper could not pay his siblings according to the stipulations of the earlier agreement.
Gottlob almost immediately sold the 30-acre tract (18-08-38) to his brother-in-law Christian Bitner. At the death of Christian's wife, Martha Jane Bitner, this land was given to their daughter Jennie Brubaker. But in 1924 the county sheriff sold it to her brother Frank Bitner. In a deed dated 1940 Frank and his wife sold it to another sister, Dolly Bitner. (This must have been sold by Frank's estate, since he died in 1938.) However, the property was subsequently sold to the Farmers National Bank, which had a claim on it. Gottlob Schrey maintained the original John Bitner farm (18-08-42) until his death in 1916. According to his will the property passed to his son Charles. In 1935 a deed transaction transferred the property to his daughter Mae Varner, who then transferred it back to her parents in 1936. Charles Schrey finally sold the land in 1947, shortly before his wife died.
George Bitner purchased a 204-acre tract in 1875 that was adjacent to his father's land on the north (part of Figure 71, 18-07-02). It is apparent from later transactions and court records that George borrowed the purchase money from the sellers, V. Irene and George W. Walls. George and his brother Casper were named on a bond issued in September 1874 that required them to pay interest on the loan yearly. For unknown reasons, George transferred the land to Casper in 1875, who quickly transferred it back to George's wife Susan.
In 1879 George and Casper were brought to court by their creditors and were found in default on the original bond. Through several other proceedings over the next few years the land was eventually sold back to the original owners by the county sheriff in 1881. See court cases referenced in Table 11 on page 208.
It is unclear to what extent Casper's debt with George affected the sale of his property by the sheriff in 1876. Whether Gottlob allowed Casper to remain on the property after the transfer is uncertain. But by 1881 George and Casper had to repay the money for the land they purchased in 1874. George died in 1883, and by 1884 Casper had moved to Akron, Ohio.
The Pennsylvania State Game Commission now owns the land labeled 18-07-02 on the map. When they purchased it in 1946, it consisted of 6 tracts, one of which was the 204-acre property that George bought. It also included a 202-acre tract that had been owned by John Herrold Sechrist. Four smaller parcels were included in the purchase. Unfortunately, none of the deeds provided the actual dimensions of either large tract. All we can tell is that Sechrist owned the upper portion of the property and Bitner the lower portion. On the map in Figure 70 the name of J. H. Sechrist can be seen toward the top of this property. The location of Mary Snyder near the middle of the property is probably where George Bitner lived. But that is as close as I can get to determine the exact dimensions of the two tracts.
Reuben S. Aucker owned this property from as early as 1882 until his executor sold it in 1942. He was a lumberman and furniture dealer from Shamokin. Since much of this land is heavily wooded, it would appear that he bought the land for the lumber. He bought George Bitner's tract in 1882 from the former owners, George and Irene Walls. The executors of John Sechrist's estate sold his 202-acre tract and a smaller one to Mr. Aucker. With three smaller tracts he acquired the property that was eventually sold to the Game Commission.
The 168-acre tract on the map in Figure 71 labeled 18-08-40 originally belonged to John Peter Gemberling and his wife Catharine. (This land has subsequently been divided into several tracts on the county tax map, of which 18-08-40 is only one.) Peter Gemberling died in 1872, and the land passed to his wife Catharine, who lived another 12 years. Christian Bitner, who married their daughter Martha Jane, probably took over responsibility for the farm after Peter's death.
When Catharine died in 1884, Sophia Haas purchased the land from her estate. She sold it back to Martha Jane Bitner (not Christian) the following year. Sophia Haas was also mentioned in Martha's will, but I have not discovered any other relationship.
Martha and Christian continued on this farm until her death in 1920. Christian died less than a year later. Martha's will was very specific about what her children could do with the property. They were not permitted to sell it until five years after Christian's death. Several of the siblings farmed the land after Martha and Christian died. I found a very detailed account of Harry Bitner's use of the land in the Snyder County land records. See this account on page 249. The siblings finally sold the property in 1929.
Just adjacent to John Bitner's property on the western side was a 160-acre tract (Figure 71, 18-08-36). Emanuel Aucker owned it when John Bitner bought his land. His estate sold the tract in 1894 to Abraham Deppen, who quickly sold it to James Rathfon. James was the son-in-law of Gottlob Schrey, married to his daughter Sally. James sold the tract to J. Irvin Aucker in 1919.
The one other tract adjacent to John Bitner on the map is 18-08-39. This tract was probably originally owned by Isaac Deppen, and later Reuben S. Aucker. By 1920 it was owned by Martin Musselman.
Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Land
As stated before, George Bitner's widow Susan and their children moved to the town of Northumberland, Northumberland County sometime between 1883 and her death in 1898. I have found no evidence that Susan purchased property in that town, and no evidence of where she lived. However, the fact that she was buried in Northumberland and all her children were living there in 1900 is a strong indication that she moved from the farm in Snyder County after George's death.
Of George and Susan's children, the first to purchase property in Northumberland was Ammon Bitner. He bought a lot on Queen Street in 1900, and another adjacent to it in 1903. Ammon and his wife Clara bought a 10-acre tract in Point Township in 1914, but sold it by 1917. In 1917 they bought another lot at 496 Queen Street, where they were living in 1920 and 1930. (See Figure 72, mark A.) They sold the first two lots in 1919 and 1920. See Table 12 on page 215 for a list of deeds in that county.
George and Helen Swartz bought a lot at 545 King Street in 1909 (mark B). In 1929 George, a widower, sold this lot to Harvey Bitner, his brother-in-law. George was living in the house with Harvey and wife Carrie in the 1930 census. Harvey sold the property in 1947 to Bertha Meiser.
John and Mary Pearl Bitner owned two lots at 115 3rd Street (mark C) from sometime before 1910. In 1973 Mary Pearl gave the property to their daughter, Anna Bitner. The lots were finally sold in 1987 after Anna's death.
Although other family members lived nearby in Northumberland or in Sunbury, they all rented homes. William and Elmira Sechrist lived at 479 Duke Street (mark D). George and Annie Kistner lived nearby at 485 Duke (mark E). Jacob Sechrist lived a few doors from George and Helen Swartz at 553 King Street (mark F). The photograph (see Figure 59 on page 187) of Adam Bitner from Illinois and Ora Faust from Ohio was taken on the porch of this house sometime in the mid 1920s.
Jacob and Annie Goodyear lived at various addresses on Susquehanna Avenue in Sunbury before and after Jacob's death. Harvey Bitner, his wife, and young son were living next door to her in 1910. In 1920 Annie was living on Railroad Avenue in the same town, and Harvey Bitner and his son were boarding with her.
Figure 72 - Contemporary Map of Northumberland Borough
Summit County, Ohio Land
The next year, 1889, Casper sold that lot to Jacob Smith, as labeled on the map. The 1889 - 90 Akron city directory places Casper at 1188 South Broadway in Akron. The next year the directory shows the family living at 108 McCoy Street. From then until 1909 Casper was not found in the city directory. His children, who were born in 1891 and 1895, indicated their birthplace as Tallmadge, which is just east of the city. Laura, who was born in 1896, claimed her birthplace as Merriman Road in Portage Township. (See the highlighted area in Figure 75.)
Figure 73 - 1891 Map of East Liberty Village
Figure 74 - Casper Bittner house in East Liberty, OH
There are no land records to indicate that Casper owned property between 1889 and 1908. While he might have tried several occupations during the few years he lived in the city, it appears that he farmed while living in the outlying townships. The 1900 census listed his occupation as a farmer, and indicated that he was renting a house on a farm. Merriman Road can be found on the 1891 landowner map, just outside the city line (at that time). By analyzing the relationship of other families in the census to the Bittners, I can suggest that they lived not very far from where Merriman Road intersects with West Market Street. (See Figure 75.) They were probably living somewhere between the property of J. F. Miller, S. Koplin and the Summit County Infirmary. These names are all shown on the map, and were found on pages surrounding Casper Bittner in the census. While looking at nearby families in the 1900 census, I noticed that the Trumphour family also lived nearby. William Bittner married Elva Trumphour in 1942 after they had both been married once before.
In March 1908 Casper purchased a house at 399 Pearl Street in Akron, where he lived for the rest of his life. (See Figure 76.) As of the 1910 census, he had no occupation. We visited Pearl Street, now renamed Grant Street, in 2003. The location is on the southern edge of the campus of the University of Akron. The houses that would have been there in 1920 are gone, replaced by university housing.
Figure 75 - 1891 Map of Portage Township, Summit Co., OH
Figure 76 - 1910 Map of Akron, OH
Jackson County, Illinois Land
We know from family history that Adam Bitner first settled in Saint Clair County, Illinois after he migrated west from Pennsylvania. He lived in or near the small village of Lenzburg in Athens Township. Adam's son Filmore was born in nearby New Athens in 1888. This area is highlighted on the map in Figure 77. I have not done any research in Saint Clair County to determine whether Adam owned land there.
Figure 77 - 1875 Map of St. Clair Co., IL
Around 1890 Adam moved his family to Somerset Township, Jackson County, Illinois. The area north of Murphysboro is identified on the 1907 township map on page 205. Adam first rented land on the Schroeder farm located just under the section number 14. He later rented the partial section just above that from Emil Doerr. He later bought this property. The map inscription reads "Emil Doerr, Adam Bitner lessee".
To the south of Adam's property in section 23 is Zion Lutheran Church and Cemetery, which the family attended and where many of the family are buried. In the northeast portion of section 21 is the Lucier farm that Lafe and Sally (Bitner) Roberts rented and worked. The Bitner children attended school at the schoolhouse in section 22.
Figure 78 - 1907 Map of Somerset Township, Jackson Co., IL