Martin Garber
Birth 1761
York County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death 1814 (aged 52–53)
Shenandoah County, Virginia, USA
Burial
Lydia Garber Cemetery
Forestville, Shenandoah County, Virginia, USA
Martin Garber was the son of Elder John H. Garber and Barbara Miller Garber. Born in York County, PA, he grew to adulthood in Frederick County, MD. When his parents and younger siblings moved to Virginia, he remained behind with older brothers to pursue farming. He married Rebecca Stoner, daughter of Jacob and Magdalena Stoner, of Frederick County, MD. His brother Samuel married Molly Stoner, sister to Rebecca. In 1782, both of the newlywed couples, along with a few other families, moved to the Flat Rock vicinity, joining their parents and the rest of the Garber family. Some of the Stoner family also moved to the area. Several of them are buried in the Stoner family cemetery, located off Route 881 northwest of Timberville, Rockingham County. Tradition persists that these families left Maryland because they had remained true to the non-resistant principles of their Dunkard faith, and as a result, the authorities had confiscated their property. Upon arriving, Martin Garber took his place as an Elder in the Brethren Church. He became one of the leading elders in that district, which contained the region from Harrisonburg, Va to the Maryland line at the Potomac River.
In 1783, Martin Garber was granted a deed for 400 acres in the Flat Rock vicinity.
Martin and Rebecca Garber had at least four children: Elizabeth, Jacob, Catherine, and Rebekah.
His death was considered a great loss to the community and church and widely mourned.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19603998/martin-garber
