Person:Christian Geiger (1)

Since many of the passengers on board the "Charming Nancy" were from the Kraichgau region of Germany, near Stuttgart, Christian could well have come from that area where there were many Geiger families.

Christian Geiger's will was made in May 1779 and entered into probate June 19, 1779 at Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Last Will and Testament Christian Geiger 1700 - 1779 In The Name of God Amen

I Christian Geiger of Warwick Township in the County of Lancaster in Pennsilvania, Farmer being old and weak of Body but of sound and disposing Mind, Memory and Understanding and calling to mind the uncertainty of human Life, and that it is ordered for all Men once to die, I therefore make and publish this my last Will and Testament in the manner following, Viz_____

First I commend my Soul into the Hands of God, and my Body to the Earth, to be buried in a Christian Manner in hopes of a glorious Resurrection through the Merits of Jesus Christ my Redeemer, And as to my worldly Estate, I bequeath the same in manner following. That is to say , I order and direct that in the first Place all my just Debts and funneral Charges be paid and discharged by my Executors as soon as conveniently may be after my decease.

Item: I give devise and bequeath unto my beloved Wife Christina the Sum of Twenty Pounds Lawfull Mony of Pennsilvania namely the said Sum in Coin Gold or Silver to be paid to her immediately after my decease also out of my Personal Estate. And I further give and bequeath unto my said Wife Christina one Feather Bed, Bedstead with Curtains and everything thereunto belonging, also a Spinning Wheel, and a Swarm of Bees with the Hive, a Table a Cloathes Press, one Iron Kettel, one Iron Pott, two Iron Laddles, one Iron fork and Pewter soop Dish and a Pewter large Plate four Pewter Plates six Pewter spoons, two Water Pails two Dutch Panns, one washing Tub, six Bushels of Potatoes, yearly two Baggs, one new Woman's Saddle and all the furniture which has brought to me at the time of our Marriage.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Christina the Sum of Fifteen Pounds Lawfull Mony of Pennsilvania over and above her equal share with the rest of my Children, which said sum shall be paid to her immediately after my decease out of my Personal Estate, but if any Personal Estate should not be sufficient, then the said Sum hereby bequeathed to my said Daughter together with the Sum above be bequeathed to my said Wife shall be paid to them out of the Mony which my Son George Geiger is to pay for my Plantation and that out of the first Payments.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my Son George Geiger all my Plantation or Tract of Land situated in said Warwick Township whereon I now live with all the Buildings and Appurtenances thereunto belonging for the Sum of Four Hundred Pounds Lawfull Mony of Pennsilvania, To hold to him my said Son George Geiger his Heirs and Assigns forever. Subject never the less of allowing and permitting my said Wife Christina to live in the house adjoining the big dwelling House on said Land. With a Right and Privilege to the Rooms, Chambers, Cellar and Kitchen in said House on said Land. And that my Son George his Heirs and Assigns shall give and deliver unto my said Wife, yearly and every Year as long as She remains my Widow, Twelve Bushels of Wheat, four Bushels of Rye, and bring it Quarterly to the Mill and in flour sacks again to her door also Ten Pounds of hachett Hemp, one hundred Pounds of good Pork two Pounds of good Wool one Barrel of Cyder with the Barrel, and the choice of two Apples Trees with the Apples, half a Bushel of Salt all Yearly and fire wood as much as she has need of delivered to her door, also keep and give her a good Milk Cow also a right to the Garden and as much Dung as shall be needful for the said Garden Yearly, and also keep the dwelling House of my said Wife in good Repair, and all these things shall be allowed done and performed and delivered unto my said Wife during her Widowhood as aforesaid and no Longer.

And it is my Will and I do hereby declare that the several Articles things Privileges and Premises herein before given and bequeathed to my said Wife are and shall be deemed and taken in full and for and in Lieu & Satisfaction of her dower of third and all Claims and Demands of in to and out of my Estate Real and Personal.

Item: It is my Will and I order that any my Son George shall pay the above mentioned Sum of Mony in Manner following, That is to say, The Sum of Twenty Pounds in the first two Years after my decease, and then Yearly the Sum of Twenty Pounds until the whole Sum is paid to the Amount of said Four Hundred Pounds. I further give and bequeath unto my said Wife the third part of all the Second Crop on the Place Bequeathed to my Son George Geiger to be given to her Yearly for the Use of her Cow, heretofore to her bequeathed.

Item: All the residue and Remainder of my Estate not herein before particularly given and bequeathed including the said Valuation Mony for my said Land, and also including the Sum of Twenty Pounds which I formerly gave to my Son William and the Sum of Fifteen Pounds which formerly gage to Elizabeth the Wife of Peter Leib. And N.B. when no Syder can be produced on the Place my Son is not Lyable to give any Sum of Fifteen Pounds which I formerly gave to my Daughter Margaret the Wife of John Bender, and all other Monys which my Executors have or may remain in the Hands of my Executors from the Sale of any of my Estate.

Item: I do give devise and bequeath to my Children all my Estate Real and Personal except as before granted and bequeathed. That is to say all the Mony which my Son George is to pay and the Mony heretofore mentioned, and all that which shall be in the hands of my Executors I bequeath and give to my Children George, and the Heirs of my deceased Son William, and Elizabeth and Margaret, and Anna Maria and Christina, to be paid to them and to each of them in equal Shares that Mony which the mentioned Children have before the others shall be counted a part of their shares, so that they or their Heirs shall have equal Shares all alike only what before bequeathed.

And if any of them shall die without Heirs, the Share of the one so dying shall be then divided among the others of my Children in Equal Shares. And lastly I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint my trusty friends , Peter Erman and John Shrantz sole Executors of this my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this third Day of May in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine.

Signed, Sealed and published N.B. the Cow of my said Wife pronounced and declared by shall have Pasture with the The Testator as his last Will Cows of my Son George and Testament in the Presence of us; when these and others words were interlined before the ensealing Christian Geiger (SEAL) of this last Will and Testament.

       Adam Molitor                                                                       Adam Molitor      Sworn
                his                                                                                 Nicholas Marret   Affirmed

Nicholas NM Marret The two Witnesses

              mark                                                                                Peter Erman       Sworn
                                                                                                       John Shrantz      Affirmed

Before me the 19th June 1779

John Hubley, Rep

The journey lasted from the beginning of May to October, down the Rhine to Rotterdam. The Rhine boats from Heilbronn to Holland, passed twenty-six custom houses and at each one of them the ship had to be examined. The trip took four, five and even six weeks. After arriving in Holland they were detained five to six weeks. At every stop the passengers had to spend money to survive. At Plymouth there were more delays either for the custom house or waiting for favorable winds. Then, depending on the winds, they began their real misery. It took anywhere from eight to twelve weeks before reaching Philadelphia. Even with the best winds the voyage took seven weeks. Passengers were packed densely like herrings without proper food and water and were subjects to all sorts of diseases such as dysentery, scurvy, typhoid and smallpox. Then there were frequent stops the ship and its passengers had to pass through, and many times the passengers feared they would go down with the ship. After arriving in Philadelphia, there was another delay. A health officer visited the ship. If there was infectious disease found on board, the ship had to be removed one mile from the city until safe to unload passengers. Christian took his oath of allegiance to the government on October 8, 1737. The above information came from "Pennsylvania German Pioneers," Strassburger & Hinke, Vol. I, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1975, and from "Pennsylvania German Immigrants" by Shellenberger & Heinke.

Margaret K. Miller has that he was a Mennonite in Europe since he came to Philadelphia on a largely Mennonite ship. The records of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania reveal that Christian's death or burial date is May 6, 1779 and he was age 78 years and 6 months. Christian is #10 in the church burial book.

1. ↑ Gail McLain.
2. ↑ Will of Christian Geiger.
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/1794/Geiger.html.
4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Margaret Miller at maggiem@@empnet.com.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Schwarz; Kaufman; and Jacober. The Giger's Early American Settlers
   p. 1.
6. ↑ The Kiger Kounter Volume 1, Issue 4
   p. 5.
7. ↑ LDS Ancestoral File.
8. ↑ The Kiger Kounter Volume 1, Issue 4.