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Lybarger Linkages NewsletterFall, 2005 . . . . . Vol. XXI No. 2 . . . . . ISSN 0887-9354Official Newsletter of the Lybarger Memorial AssociationLee H. Lybarger, editor llybarger@columbus.rr.com
LYBARGER REUNION AND MEETING The LMA annual meeting was chaired this year by Jack Lybarger, Johnstown, PA, as the president, John Lybarger of New Lexington, OH could not attend owing to his grandson's wedding. Attending the annual meeting were Bennet, Kathleen and Floyd Lybarger, Illiopolis, IL; Douglas Lybarger, Dayton, PA: Norma and Lindy Lybarger, North Mancheser, IN; Jack Lybarger, Johnstown, PA; Dave Heffner, Timberlake. OH George Heffner, Baltimore, MD: Barbara Gondeck, Baltimore, MD; Tim and Sally Lyberger. Sterling, VA: Ardith L. Blair, Partlow, VA; George Lybarger, Reynoldsburg, OH; and Lee and Connie Lybarger, Delaware. OH. The treasurer's report, sent in by Genevieve Lybarger, was received and approved (see separate story). Lee Lybarger's genealogical report contained some interesting new information about our Swiss roots, a possible family crest, and a new location of our German roots. VISIT TO FLIGHT 93 CRASH SITE A special feature of this years reunion was the excursion to the site of the crash of flight 93 Shanksville. PA on Sept. 11, 2003. Thanks go to Jack Lybarger for leading us to the site (see photo pg. 7). Thousands of visitors go there every month to see where the passengers forced the plane down, killing everyone on board and preventing the terrorists from piloting the plane toward the White House or the Capitol. It is reported that last July there were 13,000 visitors from 50 states and 19 countries It was a moving experience to visit the site and see all the mementos and inscriptions left by visitors. All told, more than 20,000 items have been left as tributes. A $30 million fund raising effort is under way to build a permanent memorial that will be maintained by the National Park Service. It is anticipated that a visit to the site of the martyrs of Flight 93 will become regular feature of the Lybarger reunions. After worship on Sunday a lunch was held in the Lybarger Grove. LMA FINANCIAL REPORT FY 2004-2005
Expenses
Painting and repairs to church $3.600.00 Curtains for church 117.25 Electrical power to church 80.00 Printing 2 issues of newsletter 590.06 Mailing two issues of newsletter 672.71 P.O. box rental and postage 63.52 Porta-john rental 148.25 Ohio Secretary of State charter fee 25.00
Beginning balance July 1, 2004: $9,834.99 Total income FY 2004-05: 1.877.83
Total expenses FY 2004-05:
5,296.79 Balance July 1, 2005 $6,416.03 The major expense was, of course the cost of painting the church. In spite of that we ended the year with a healthy balance thanks to the reserves built up over the years to cover this once-every-8-year expense. However, our income from dues contributions is down over the previous year by $200. We hope this is just a normal variation and not a trend. SPECIAL DONATIONS RECEIVED The LMA is not only thankful to those who make annual dues contributions of $10.00 but also for additional contributions. Michele B. Sims of Eagle River, Ark.. in addition to contributing for dues for two years, also contributed $10.00 to the church fund, and $20.00 for genealogical research. In addition to their dues, Judy and Richard Mayer of Omaha, Neb. gave $5.00 for the church fund and $5.00 for genealogical research in memory of her mother and father, Arlene (1922-2002) and Roy Joe Sr., 1916-2004. LYBARGER WEB SITE LOCATES A FRIEND Cornelia "Corky" Lybarger Neuswanger of Wray, CO received an e-mail from a long lost friend. Rose Mended, who once lived in Wray. She tells the story this way in an e-mail to Corky on June 28: "I decided to see if I could find you. I found your address which I kind of remembered, but then I found a site that has some history and updates about the "Lybarger" family. In one of those entries there was information about you and your husband's 50th wedding anniversary. There was an e-mail address. I figured it had to be yours, so here I am. Let me know if you received this e-mail and I will continue to give you an update on the family. Obviously, Rosie found the Lybarger web site that maintained by John L. Lybarger in Mansfield, OH. He puts the newsletter on it so that persons can read it online. It is yet one more way that the Internet and the LMA newsletter is able to bring people together. If anyone has a similar story to share please send it to the editor, Lee Lybarger, llybarger@columbus.rr.com or at LMA, P.O. Box 611, Delaware, OH 43015. NEBRASKA FAMILY REUNION The 10th Nebraska Lybarger reunion was held at Arcadia on September 25, 2005. Those coming were the descendants of Farron "Fay" Henry (1868-1940) and Jessie (Barr) Lvbarger. They had 10 children all of whom lived in Arcadia area at one time or another. Key organizers were Marjo Sell and Jerry and Cathy Lybarger, Relations came from 10 cities and towns of the state. It was wet and cold most of the day but everyone enjoyed themselves. The next reunion will be held on the last Sunday of September, 2007 at Arcadia. All are welcome. Cathy reported that their great granddaughter, Hope Elizabeth, was born on April 30 at Kearney, NE to their granddaughter, Adam and Tara (Lybarger) Pickel of Elm Creek, NE. Tara is the daughter of Bob and Tina Lybarger of Elm Creek, NE. UP AND COMING LYBARGER DISCOVERED The editor discovered an interesting story about an aspiring Lybarger when his sister's friend sent her a 2004 Christmas card from the Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS), Boston, that featured two students decorating a Peace Tree one of whom was an Elizabeth Lybarger. The editor's sister forwarded the card to him who searched out Elizabeth Lybarger. Here is what he found: Beth (Elizabeth) graduated from ANTS in 2004 with an MA in theological research. She is now the Director of Christian Education at a United Church of Christ church in Sylva, NC. and is teaching religion at Western Carolina University. She met her husband. Asher Millen. at ANTS and was married in July, 2004. Rather then adopting each other's names they took a new last name, Walden. On June 15 their first child, Gabriel Jae, was born. Beth is the daughter of Jon Edward Lybarger and Kay Ellen Wheeler and was born in July, 1978 in Indianapolis, IN. Her paternal grandparents are James and Flossie (Fenstamaker) Lybarger. Her older sister, Julie Marie, born in 1971, died in 1995 in Indiana. Beth's brother Michael Kurtis recently moved to Japan. EDITOR'S NOTES WORTH NOTING The editor is happy to announce that two persons have contributed articles to this issue of the Linkages. The first is Kathy L Romstedt, 50, daughter of Raymond Lybarger and wife of Karl Romstedt. She is the mother of two children. They live in Upper Arlington (Columbus), OH. She has contributed articles for the linkages in the past. Her special interest is Lybarger family recipes. She teaches second language acquisition at Ohio State and can be reached by e-mail at kromstedt@hotmail.com Gary L. Hines, 52, is a descendant of William Lybarger (1815-1899) of Van Wert County. (1815-1899) He is married to Jennifer Doerflein. They live with their three children near Auburn, IN. He is a software engineer with Raytheon. Although this is Gary's first article he has been researching his Lybarger roots since 1969. You can e-mail comments directly to him at garyjennyhines@cs.com . A follow-up article on his sources of evidence, areas where further research is needed, German pedigree chart, etc. will appeal in the Spring, 2006 issue of the newsletter. Stay tuned. The 1997 and 2000 editions of Lybarger family history are sold out. Over 600 copies were published. Credit for getting the books printed and distributed goes to John L. Lybarger of Mansfield, OH. Whether an updated edition will be published is hard to say given that it took 5 years to sell 100 copies of the 2000 edition. Poetry books are in good supply and can be ordered using the form on page 7. LYBARGERS IN THE NEWS by Kathryn L. Romstedt Lybargers from across the nation have been appearing in the news in the past six months as reported in their local home town newspapers. Readers should note that not all sources could be included as some have restricted access and there were far more sports stories than could be used. Family connections are noted where known. At school Fountain City, Indiana. Jordyn Lybarger, seventh grader, was on the second-term Honor Roll for the Northeastern Junior and Senior High Schools at the end of the 04-05 academic year. Mooresville. Indiana. Ashleigh Lybarger, tenth grader, and Ryan Lybarger, eleventh grader, made the fourth nine weeks honor roll at Mooresville High School. In 4-H North Manchester, Indiana. Abby Lybarger and her brother, Zach. They are children of Todd and Amy Lybarger, and grandchildren of Lindy and Norma Lybarger. Abby and Zach showed Gelding ponies at the Wabash County Fair in July and participated in a varied of races and other competitions. Zach won honors for the Reserve Champion Gelding pony. Mount Vernon, Ohio. Tony Lybarger won a prize for first-year showmanship which emphasizes the skill and style of the presenter rather than the quality of the animal at the Knox County Fair in July. In sports, Noblesville, Indiana. Lauren Lybarger of the Hamilton Heights Huskies helped her team win the Lanes Invitational by placing 25th . Her success was reported in the Noblesville Daily Times on Sept. 2, 2005. Seattle, Washington. Andrew Lybarger was named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Track and Field All-Conference team this past spring. Eligibility is dependent on a grade point average of 3.2 or higher and at least one year of competitive experience at the university level. Andrew had the second highest grade point average with a 3.96 in Mechanical Engineering at Seattle University. Lima, Ohio. Ryan Lybarger's pitching led the Allen Express to victory in an exhibition game over the Lima Locos earlier this year. Mooresville, Indiana. Ashleigh Lybarger returned to play with the Pioneers, the girls soccer team in Mooresville. The Mooresville/Decatur Times reported that the Pioneers are expecting a winning season. Gypsum. Colorado. Emily LyBarger plays center field and pitches softball with the Devils in Eagle Valley. In an interview with the Vail Daily this summer, her coach expressed his appreciation of Emily's talent. In business Columbus, Georgia. Robin Lybarger, spokeswoman for T.G.I. Friday's reported that the restaurant chain would open a new location in Columbus by the end of 2005. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jim Lybarger, general manager for Blade Runners ice rinks, announced that reorganization of contracts with area organizations, including several local hockey associations will allow Blade Runners to remain in business for the foreseeable future. Winchester, Ohio. Mike Lybarger of Landscape Consulting and Design assisted with the landscaping of a 72-foot waterfall designed and built by Gil Agee on his own property earlier this summer. Wray, Colorado. Cris Stillwell (son of Debra Wykoff grandson of Cornelia Lybarger Neuswanger, great-grandson of Donald F. Lybarger). a civil engineering student at Colorado State University spent the summer with two friends building tennis courts for the firm Evergreen Tennis Courts of Loveland, Colorado. In community and civic affairs Mount Vernon, Ohio. John Lybarger, chairman of the Zoning Board for Pleasant Township measured public opinion about a proposed Planned Development Unit in the township and reported his findings at a Zoning Board meeting in July. Newburgh, Indiana. Nancy Lybarger, director of Historic Newburgh Incorporated, was in charge of coordinating the community fireworks display this year. Although it was her first time that she coordinated the display, she reported in June that she was comfortable with that task and with other fund-raising activities planned for this year. Brockton, Massachusetts. Barbara Lybarger, general counsel to the Massachusetts Office on Disability commented to the Brockton Mass Enterprise about the importance of having an evacuation plan for all public buildings that specifically addresses the evacuation of disabled persons in case of emergency. Gainesville, Florida. Lt. Jim Lybarger, (son of Raymond and Barbara Lybarger, grandson of Ray and Ocie Lybarger) head of the Alachua County Sheriff s Office training united commented on the death of a man participating in the physical ability test to become a detention officer for the sheriffs department according to the Gainesville Sun. Porterville, California. Mary and Richard Lybarger have become the guardians of their nieces Liz and Emily Davis of Bakersfield, California. Both girls are doing well in their new situation according to the Porterville Recorder. Barstow, IL. A 300 acre chunk of land hear Bastow, IL is now East Moline property. The City council voted to annex the land owned by the Riverside Group. This allows for meat processing and concrete recycling inside city limits. Neighbors say annexation is the first step in such development. Maureen Lybarger is a concerned homeowner and she is worried that the development will mean adding paving and buildings which will cause water to be forced elsewhere leaving residents yards vulnerable to flooding. Berkeley, California. Kathryn Lybarger participated in a protest at the University of California over sweatshop labor. She was one of over 100 students and union members who were pushing the university to crack down on clothing contractors who use sweatshop labor to manufacture their products. "They support fair labor policies, but instead they say we can't do that, and I think we know why," said Kathryn, a gardener. "Fights never end under a system where there is a drive for profit, so we have to keep fighting." Kathryn is the daughter of Lee Lybarger, Delaware, OH and granddaughter of Donald F. Lybarger (1896-1970) In other news Jacksonville, Fl. Despite many successful evangelistic events. Woodland Baptist Church in Bradenton held for community children, something seemed amiss when it came to enlisting students to be baptized. But then the church came up with a seven minute solution in the form of a DVD that relates baptism to a birthday party. Chris Lybarger, pastor of Rima Ridge Baptist Church used the DVD during a sermon and was so pleased with it that he requested copies to keep on hand. Lybarger said that "because we live in a multi-media generation" the DVD is an effective way to gain and keep the attention of young people and adults as they learn about baptism. Independence, Missouri. Stacy Lybarger is a Neonatal Intensive Care registered nurse who will work with babies in the new level III Neonatal ICU at the Medical Center of Independence. Level III is the highest designation for neonatal intensive care units. RUBY BECKER KUCKEIN 1912-2005 Ruby died on Jan. 16, 2005 in Ft Wayne, IN. Born on Aug. 7, 1912, she was the 7th of 10 children of Elmer and Catherine Faye (Lybarger) Becker. She married Arthur Kuckein on June 24, 1948. WANDA R. DeLUCENAY 1927-2005 Wanda DeLucenay died on Sept. 19, 2005 in Fort Wayne, IN. Born on April 22, 1927 in Chester, IL, she was the eldest of 4 children of Samuel Joseph and Iva (Yankey) Lybarger. She married Herman DeLucenay (1920-2003) in August, 1947 and they had 6 children 4 of whom survive her. She had 13 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She was retired from the family business and painted pictures as a hobby. She was buried in St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery. Waterloo. IN.
The
Lybarger Home Town in Germany Some exciting discoveries have recently been made concerning the S. W. German origin of the original Lybarger immigrant to America. Previously the town of Brenschelbach near the Saarland/Palatinate border seemed the most likely place, but the town of Volklingen, further west in the Saarland, may be likelier. Researchers in Kaiserslautern, Germany were asked to extract from their records the Leyenberger families who located to the Palatinate region in Germany from Switzerland. Of the families whose origins were listed prior to coming to Germany, all were from Canton, Bern, Switzerland, with the Swiss spelling of their name being "Leuenberger." The researchers identified about a dozen Leyenberger family groups, including those of Nikolaus Leyenberger of Brenschelbach and Nikolaus Leyenberger of Volklingen. No American records or family traditions have yet been found that name the home town of the original Lybarger immigrant. That means we have to piece together whatever we can from the American records to develop a profile of the original Lybarger immigrant and then use this profile to determine the most likely German home town. Research on the original Lybarger immigrant to America focuses on the Philadelphia passenger lists. Of the "Lybarger" - like names in Ralph Strassburger and William Hinke's Pennsylvania German Pioneers (Norristown, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934). it became clear that Nicolaus Levenberger, who arrived in 1739 on the snow Betsey, was the most likely immigrant. Given that this Nicolaus Leyenberger was the immigrant ancestor, another curious aspect of the immigrant's profile is that he traveled with a (presumed) relative who also was named Nicolaus Leyenberger. Assuming that one or both of them were our ancestor we can now work back to Germany to find the town from which he (they) came. Given that at least one of Nicolaus's children (Nicolaus) was born in Germany, the immigrant most likely would have been age 26-46 when he landed in Philadelphia. Thus, our immigrant ancestor must have married in Germany prior to leaving for America in 1739. From a baptism recorded in Frederick, MD. we also know that Nicolaus's wife was name Maria Catherine. We suspect that Nicolaus was a Lutheran and that the religion of his family changed (probably while living in Germany) from a Swiss one, such as Calvinist, Reformed, or Mennonite. Finally, we should not expect to find mention of the immigrant after 1739 in the German records. If such a post-1739 record is ever found, it will be important evidence disqualifying an immigrant candidate. We can now evaluate the evidence for our immigrant's German origins being in Brenschelbach vs. Volklingen. The Brenschelbach evidence consists of a marriage record in 1727 and an assertion that the person who married was an emigrant on the Betsey in 1739. The marriage evidence is that in 1727 Nikolaus Leyenberger son of Benedikt Leyenberger, married in Brenschelbach. The marriage appears to have taken place in a Reformed church, and there is no indication that Nikolaus or Benedikt were of a different religion. The Volklingen evidence currently consists of baptism, confirmation, death, and marriage records in the Catholic and Lutheran churchbooks. The most relevant evidence follows. Baptisms found in the Catholic churchbook: 22 Sept. 1686, Maria Elisabetha, daughter of Nicolaus Leyenberger and Anna Maria Margaretha Mullmann. Nicolaus was a "Calvinist, Hirt aus der Schweiz" (Of the Calvinist religion, a herdsman from Switzerland). Baptisms in the Lutheran Churchbook: 4 Oct. 1705. Johann Nicolaus, son of Nicolaus Leyenberger and Anna Maria Margaretha Mullmann 6 Jan. 1739, Johann Nicolaus Leyenberger and Mana Catherina Kurtz Marriages in the Lutheran Churchbook: 18 Nov. 1732. Nicolaus Leyenberger and Catherina Kurtz. The Brenschelbach Evidence vs. the Profile We now compare the Brenschelbach evidence with the immigrant profile developed above:
In summary, of the 11 elements in the profile, the Brenschelbach evidence fully supports three (1, 2, 6), probably supports two (5. 11), may or may not support four (3, 4, 7, 8), and does not support two (9, 10). The VoIklingen Evidence vs. the Profile We next compare the Volklingen evidence with the immigrant profile developed above: 1. From a German-Speaking Land — The evidence supports this well, Volklingen being a city in present day Saarland. Germany. 2. Named Nicolaus Leyenberger The 1705 baptism record and 1732 marriage record support this, as well as the baptism records of three of his children, 1733-1739. 3. Two with Same Name on Passenger List The evidence provides an explanation for this: The immigrant Nicolaus Leyenberger's father was also named Nicolaus Leyenberger, and they may have immigrated together. 4. May Have Traveled with Associates from Same Town — In addition to the two Nicolaus Leyenbergers, several other passengers on the Betsey have been shown to have Volklingen ties. a. Hans Jacob Geiger (married 1739 to Anna Esther Leyenberger) b. Peter Blaser (brother of Christian Blaser, husband of Ana Gertraud Leyenberger, who emigrated in 1733)c. Bastian Unberhent d. Jacob Unberhent e. Vallentin Unberhent f. Conrad Unbehendt (sons of Joh. Sebastian Unbehend) 5. Born around 1693-1713 — Nicolaus Leyenberger was baptized 4 Oct. 1705, which places his birth in the required period. 6. Married in Germany before 1739 — Nicolaus Leyenberger married in 1732. 7. Wife Named Maria Catherine — Nicolaus Leyenberger married 1732 in Volklingen to Maria Catherina Kurtz. 8. Son Nicholas Born in Germany Nicolaus Levenberger and Maria Catharina Kurtz had a son Johann Nicolaus born 1739 in Volklingen. 9. Probably a Lutheran The immigrant Nicolaus Leyenberger was baptized 1705 and married 1732 in the Lutheran congregation at Volklingen, 10. Family Changed Religion — Nicolaus Leyenberger, father of the immigrant, is described as Calvinist, consistent with someone from Switzerland. Interestingly, there were only Catholic and Lutheran congregations in Volklingen at that time and no Reformed ones. Of the children of the Swiss Nicolaus Leyenberger, four baptisms are listed in the Catholic churchbook, three baptisms in the Lutheran churchbook, two confirmations, and one death in the Lutheran churchbook. His first wife Anna Maria Margaretha Mullmann, was described as Lutheran, and his second marriage in 1711 to Anna Reischer was recorded in the Lutheran churchbook. So, clearly the religion changed from Calvinist to Lutheran while the family was living in Volklingen. 11. Disappears from German Records after 1739 No further mention of Nicolaus Levenberger has been found in the Volklingen records. In summary, of the 11 elements in the profile, the Volklingen evidence fully supports nine (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), probably supports one (11). and may or may not support one (3). A more formalized study between the Brenschelbach and Volklingen theories would assign weighting factors to each element of the immigrant profile we are trying to fit. But our simple method above would probably result in the same conclusion: the Volklingen evidence clearly supports the immigrant profile better than the Brenschelbach evidence.
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