OHNA GEORGE PEIFFER, son of JOHANNES and MARIA BARBARA PFEIFFER, was born September 15, 1756 in Heidelberg Twp, Berks Co, Pa., and died January 19, 1823 in Woodcock Twp, Crawford Co., Pa.. He married MARY MAGDALENA SCHAFFER April 03, 1781 in Himmel Church, Northumberland Co, Pa, she was the daughter of JOHANNES SCHAFFER and MARIA SAB. She was born June 02, 1762 in Heidelberg Twp, Berks Co, Pa., and died October 10, 1844 in Woodcock Twp., Crawford Co., Pa.
Johan George Peiffer moved from Berks County, Pa. with his parents to Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, Pa in 1771. He was confirmed into the Christian Evangelical Church at the age of sixteen in 1772 by Rev Pastor Enderline. George Peiffer never learned to write.
George Peiffer served in the American Revolutionary War, first in "A" Regiment commanded by Col. Oshterman under Gen. Potter, volunteering in 1777, where he participated in the Germantown Battle near Philadelphia. He also served under Captains Gray, Reid and Adam Schaffer. Israel Berlin remembered George's story where General Lafayette made his celebrated retreat he (George) was with the Pennsylvania militia on the opposite side of the Schuylkill River. Between Christmas and New Year's Day he crossed the Schuylkill River with the army on a bridge constructed of wagons. He received an honorable discharge in the spring of 1778.
Between 1777 and 1779 Northumberland County settlers were attacked by Iroquois from the north. The
Iroquois aligned themselves with the British when they were offered eight pounds for each scalp. When Colonel Thomas Hartley, serving under General Washington, entered the area in September 1779 he wrote:
"In lonely woods and groves we found the haunts and lurking places of the savage murders who had desolated our frontier. We saw the huts where they had dressed and dried the scalps of the helpless women and children who fell into their hands."
After being discharged from the Revolutionary War, George volunteered for scouting forays up the Susquehanna River as a Pennsylvania Militia soldier. In 1781 he went up the west branch of the Susquehanna near Fishing Creek in pursuit of Iroquois. The word was brought that the Indians were coming at the time of day when the women were milking the cows. George complained that he was diverted from his march by flying milk pails. That same year he assisted Michael Rhodes in making shoes.
In spring or summer of 1782 George marched up the north branch of the Susquehanna. He assisted in burying the dead that were killed by the Iroquois at Freelings Fort. He may have served under General Sullavin who eventually recruited 4,000 men to fight the Iroquois and put an end to the invasions in the area. In 1787 George paid taxes on 200 acres, two horses and two cows in Mahanoy Twp. He looked after his widowed mother until she died in the winter of 1798-99
George Peiffer and Henrich Minium left Mahanoy Twp and arrived with their families in Bloomfield Township, Crawford County on May 15, 1802. Other Mahanoy Township names that later appeared in Crawford County include Mead, Furst, Hetrick and Schaeffer.
In 1810 George and Magdalena Peiffer and children Margaretha, Magdalena and Samuel settled south of Saegertown near their twenty seven year old son, George. This area was called "Peiffertown". John George Sr. built
a large frame tavern and a log schoolhouse which was used by several different denominations for religious
services including the Zion Evangelical Church..
"........ Back in the early settlement of the county George and Samuel Peiffer bought of the Holland Land Co. 640 acres, at that time all timberland. They built a large hotel of eight rooms, a mansion in those times, which later consisted of a blacksmith shop, two distilleries, sawmill, boatyard, tollgate, schoolhouse
and cemetery. In 1862 there was a well drilled for oil to a depth of 384 ft. and abandoned." (Herman Waelde's
notes per Virginia Burke)
The first Lutherans in the vicinity of Saegertown were members of the Venango Congregation,
organized in 1816. The Zion Evangelical Lutheran, General Council Church was organized by Rev. Colson with fourteen members. John and Michael Peiffer and John Stokes were original members of this church. For the convenience of the members in Woodcock Township, services were held sometimes in Peiffer's Schoolhouse, two miles below Saegertown, until about 1828, when a separate congregation was formed.
"John George Peiffer died on Sunday January 19, 1823 at 5:00 P.M. from a suffocating catarrh after
having complained on the evening of the 14th that he was sick. His last yearning was for the spring of life, the
work of God which was spoken to him by Reverend Pastor Meyer according to the Gospel of Luke Chapter 7 v 1-8
in the presence of his entire family and others on which occasion, upon being questioned, he replied, acknowledging and confirming his faith. In his lifetime he was known as a kind father to his children, a tender husband, a loyal citizen, an earnest follower of his religion and church and he died as a Christian awaiting the reward of his Lord following a virtuous life at the age of 67 years 4 months and four days."
MAGDALENA (SCHAFFER) PEIFFER moved to Northumberland County from Berks County with her parents, Johannes and Eva (Sab) Scheaffer and eight siblings. She likely first knew John George Peiffer when he moved to Northumberland County in about 1771.
"...Somewhere about the year 1770 , her father moved with his family to Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, Pa. .....During her husband's first absence on duty in the spring of 1782 deponent was baking bread in an oven a short distance from the dwelling and while attending to it she became so alarmed from dread on the Indians that she fastened herself in the house and was unable or unwilling to return to take her bread from the oven in consequence of which it was lost......"
" (in 1802)... we moved away from our first place of resident (Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.)
and took up our domicile in Crawford county, Bloomfield township. Where God gave us another young son, who
due to his weakness, saw the light of this earthly world only for one year and nine months. In 1810 we again
moved from our domicile and now live in Crawford County, Mead (Woodcock) township."
As his widow, Magdalena tried to prove that her husband had fought in the Revolutionary War for a time
period exceeding six months which would have qualified her for a federal pension but was not able to prove it and
never received a federal pension for his service. However, she did receive a pension from Pennsylvania. (State
Pension Roll 0003 Vol 12 P89)
The Fraktur that John George and Magdalena kept throughout their life together was used as proof that
Magdalena was the wife of John George Peiffer. This was probably their most treasured document and it survived
to make its way to the National Archives and a digitized version was put on line in February of 1999 almost 200
years after Magdalena and George Peiffer's ninth child was born. Johan and Magdalena are buried in the Peiffer Cemetery, Crawford County, Pa
(Sources: John George Peiffer Rev. War Pension File and History of Crawford County, Pa., Bates)
The children of JOHN PEIFFER and MARY SCHAFFER are:
i. Barbara Peiffer, b. February 21, 1782, Mahanoy twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Abt. 1886,Northumberland Co., Pa.; m. Christian P. Furst/Furster, 1798, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; b. Abt. 1778, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. 1847, Mercer Co, Pa..
ii. John George Peiffer, b. August 22, 1783, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. August 03, 1868,
Venango Twp , Crawford Co., Pa.; m. (1) Maria Catherine Minium daughter of Henrich and Catharina (Schaffer)
Minium; b. April 21, 1787, Mahanoy Twp. Northumberland Co. Pa.; d. October 17, 1828, Venango Twp , Crawford Co., Pa.; m. (2) Elizabeth; b. Abt. 1783.
iii. Eva Peiffer, b. May 28, 1785, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Bef. 1844, Crawford Co, Pa; m.
Niclaus Schaffer son of Michael and Elizabeth (Brosius) Schaffer; b. August 24, 1782, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. 1829, Crawford Co, Pa.
iv. Elizabeth Peiffer, b. October 06, 1787, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Crawford Co, Pa.; m.
Henry Minium, son of Henrich and Catharine (Schaffer) Minium; b. January 28, 1789, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Crawford Co, Pa.;.
v. Johannes Peiffer, b. May 16, 1789, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. July 05, 1864, Venango,
Crawford Co., Pa.; m. (1) Susanna Hetrick daughter of Peter and Hanna (Schaffer) Hetrick, Abt. 1809, Crawford Co, Pa; b. 1788, Northumberland Co, Pa. d. July 27, 1838, Venango, Crawford Co., Pa. m. (2) Elizabeth Minium Knerr, daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Wohlgemuth) Minium, Abt. 1859, Crawford Co, Pa; b. 1808, Crawford Co, Pa; d. Aft. 1870, Crawford Co, Pa.
vi. Michael Peiffer, b. May 20, 1791, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Bef. 1844, Woodcock Twp.,
Crawford Co, Pa.; m. Rebecca Berlin, 1816, Woodcock Twp., Crawford Co, Pa.; b. Abt. 1795, Crawford Co, Pa.;
d. Bef. 1845, Crawford Co, Pa.
vii. Samuel Peiffer, b. April 16, 1794, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. December 29, 1876,
Venango Twp , Crawford Co., Pa.; m. Susanna Minium, daughter of Henrich and Catharine (Schaffer) Minium,
August 22, 1816, Mead Twp., Crawford Co., Pa.; b. December 25, 1795, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. September 02, 1865, Crawford Co, Pa..
viii. Magdalena Peiffer, b. May 14, 1796, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. February 12, 1865, Crawford Co, Pa.; m. John Lasher, February 02, 1815; b. March 07, 1789, Lancaster Co. , Pa.; d. December 21,1852, Crawford Co, Pa..
ix. Catharina Peiffer, b. May 14, 1799, Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, Pa.; d. Bef. 1810,
Bloomfield Twp., Crawford Co, Pa..
xi. Margartha Peiffer, b. January 18, 1802, Mahanoy Twp, Northumberland Co, Pa.; d. Crawford Co, Pa; m.
Jacob Kepler; b. 1793, Crawford Co, Pa.; d. 1877, Crawford Co, Pa..
x. son Peiffer, b. 1802, Bloomfield Twp., Crawford Co., Pa; d. 1803, Bloomfield Twp., Crawford Co., Pa..