Descendants of
Michael Hardenstine
of
Monroe County, PA
by
Robert C. Greiner
Laurel, MD
December 1995
I dedicate this book to my father-in-law
David Hardenstine, Jr.
1925-1988
Preface
There are several things the reader should remember about this book. It is primarily a working document, and therefore is subject to change as more information is discovered. Genealogy research is never complete. I would encourage any reader to respond with additional family information or corrections. That is one of the best ways to keep this a living document. I would also appreciate being made aware of any family member who already may have attempted to document portions of the Hardenstine family.
Secondly, this book is basically an effort to document the ancestors of my wife, Margie Lee Hardenstine Greiner. For that reason it may not be as complete as possible for persons who are not direct ancestors on her branch of the family tree. I have tried to include all the information I have in hand as of this date for each family line. For some of the earlier generations, Margie and I have tried to do as much research as time permitted to prove her ancestry and to promote further research along collateral lines. However, many of these are incomplete and would merit further research.
I would like to acknowledge with gratitude the help others have provided to help me complete this book. Although I received letters from many family members detailing their particular line, several have gathered information that I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. First of all Margie's mother, Phyllis Hardenstine, got us started several years ago by writing down all she and her husband Dave could find about their families. Jean and Francis Hardenstine of Bradford County sent me volumes on the Peter Hardenstine branch. Ardis and Paul Hardenstine drove Margie and I around Bradford County to show us the houses and cemeteries where Hardenstines are found.
Betty and Francis Hardenstine of Missouri graciously sent us their family Bible for safe keeping, which contained a wealth of information on the Godfrey Hardenstine branch. Sadly, Francis died recently before seeing the fruits of my efforts. It was the Martha Kays letters from this Bible that gave me the first clue to search for Peter in Bradford County. Margie's uncle Bill Hardenstine and wife Anna Maria sent us the first documents that showed where the Hartensteins came from in Germany. Margie's uncle Ed Hardenstine drove us around the cemeteries of Monroe County to find the origins of the family there. And of course Margie has been more willing than most wives to spend summer vacations in courthouses and cemeteries to do the research for this book. She has also been a helpful researcher and contributor who helps me keep the sometimes confusing family lines straight.
I hope you get as much joy from reading this book as I have had researching and putting it together. Margie and I have had a wonderful time meeting and getting to know relatives we didn't know of before we started. Although each new discovery is exciting at the time, the one that stands out in my mind is the discovery of the Herschberg church book. It was simply awesome to read a document that was written over two hundred years ago. The realization that the church records contained vital information on the entire Hartenstein family completed the link between the family in Germany and the United States. Experiences such as this are what make the hobby of genealogy exciting and worth the effort we put into it.
Bob Greiner
December 1995