An American Family History

Susanna Barbara Bauman Kern was born October 27, 1768 in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Heinrich Bauman and Catherine Dreisbach.

She married Christopher Kern. Christopher was born on October 27, 1768 in Heidelberg Township. His parents were William Kern and Maria Salome Baer.

Christopher and Barbara's children were Susanna Kern Peters (1796, married Joseph Wilson Peters), Henry Kern (1798), Nicholas Kern (1800), Daniel Kern (1802), Charles Kern (1805), Anna Maria Kern Reber (married John Reber), and Stephen Kern (1810).

In 1800 Christopher and Barbara were sponsors at Nicholas Snyder's baptism and in 1801 at Johan Dieter Bauman's Baptism at the Towamensing Church.

Christopher Kern appeared in the 1812 Tax List of Heidelberg Township.

In 1840 the Christopher Kern household appeared in Heidleburg Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The household include a man between 70 and 79, a woman between 60 and 69, 2 men between 20, and 29, and a girl between 15 and 19.

Christopher died on March 28, 1843. Susanna died on March 8 , 1869.

History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania by Lehigh County Historical Society Susanna B. Bauman was born Oct. 27, 1768 and died March 28, 1842. She married Christopher Kern and had nine children.

Nicholas Kern, the ancestor of the Kern family, sailed from Rotterdam, Holland, on the ship "Adventurer" and arrived at Philadelphia on Oct. 2, 1727. The first mention of him in Lehigh region is on Sept. 23, 1734, when he and wife were sponsors to the child of Peter Troxell, baptized by Rev. John Philip Boehm.

He probably lived in Wihtehall township sometime before securing title to land. The first warrant for which he applied was dated Dec. 3, 1735, for 150 acres; the second, Feb. 24, 1737, for 100 acres; and the third on Oct. 28, 1737, for 50 acres. The first and third warrant for 200 acres were surveyed Nov. 7, 1737, described as situated on a branch of the Lehigh creek, in Bucks county, beginning at a marked elm tree by vacant land, south 20 degrees, west 142 perches, north 70 degrees, west 239 perches; then by land of Caspar Wistar, north 20 degrees, west 63 perches, and by vacant land north 20 degrees, west 79 perches; thence by vacant land south 70 degrees, west 239 perches to the place of beginning; containing 200 acres and 16 perches.

The warrant dated Feb. 24, 1737, was for 100 acres beginning at a small white oak; thence by vacant land south 20 degrees west, 136 perches to a post, a corner of Leonard Steininger's land; thence by the same north 70 degrees west, 160 perches to the corner of Jacob Weaver's land; thence by the same north 20 degrees east, 106 perches by vacant land south 70 degrees east, 160 perches to the place of beginning.

On Feb. 27, 1739, Nicholas Kern and wife, Maria Margaret, sold these tracts to Lawrence Guth.

The names of Nicholas Kern and his wife appeared as sponsors in the Egypt Reformed church records in 1736, 1739, 1740 and 1741. On Dec. 13, 1744, Cornelia Kern, daughter of Nicholas Kern, was a sponsor to the child of John Nicholas Schneider. June 14, 1741, Nicholas Kern and his wife Margaret, were sponsors to John Nicholas, son of John Senders, and Nov. 29, 1741, to John Nicholas, son of Ulrich Sensinger.

Lorentz Kern, son of Nicholas, was born March 5, 1741, and baptized May 7, 1741, at the Jordan Lutheran church. His sponsirs were Lorentz Guth and wife, Salome. On Nov. 24, 1737, he secured a warrant for 300 acres, and on March 15, 1738, one for 200 acres of land situated along the Lehigh river, described as the west branch of the Delaware. Gottfried Knauss 'n 1739, secured 200 acres adjoining Kern on the south.

After 1741, we find no mention of Nicholas Kern in Whitehall, and it is probable that at that early date he removed to his 500-acre tract and began to cultivate the land. He was naturalized April 10, 1742. At this time several of his sons were nearing manhood and with their assistance, at an early date, he erected a grist mill and a saw mill on his land, which he mentions in his will. He died in the early part of 1749 and his will was probated May 11, 1749. This will was one of the first will recorded by an inhabitant of this section and is recorded at Philadelphia in Book I, page 120. It reads as follows:

"In the Name of the Holy Trinity, Amen. I, Nicholas Kern, being afflicted by the Lord's Providence with Sickness and weakness of Body, which makes me doubtfull about my recovery, but being by God's Mercy of Sound Mind, I first of all recommend my soul into the hands of my dear Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and have declared this to be my last Will and Testament in the presence of the under-written Witnesses in manner as follows, vizt; first, it is my will and order that my wife Maria Margaretha after my decease shall hold our Plantation, Grist Mill and Saw Mill, all our cattle and implements, together with all the moveable or Household furniture until the youngest of our children, vizt; Lorentz Kern, will be of age; that is, my said wife Maria Margaretha shall, until the time above limited, have full power to manage and act with all and every of our aforesaid goods or estate of what denomination soever, for the best of herself and the children, according to Justice, and as it ought to be done and at the time our said youngest son will be of age then all our Estate above mentioned, to be justly divided according to our law of Pennsylvania, that is to say, one just and equal third part of all our Estate unto my wife Maria Margaretha and the remainder two-thirds parts unto my eight children, vizt; Henry, Frederick, Cornelia, William, Nicholas, John, George and Lorentz Kern share and share alike, and as my daughter Maria Barbara, now living in Philadelphia, never did contribute and assist us in the least about that which I and the rest of my family earned by hard labour, but on the contrary has spent the time she lived in this county for her own advantage, nevertheless, notwithstanding to withdraw my affection as a father from her or to exclude her totally from her portion, I therefore bequeath unto her 10 pounds, our lawful Pennsylvania current money, which shall be paid unto her at the time of the reparation to be made amongst my remaining children, moreover, I give and bequeath unto my last mentioned daughter Maria Barbara, one cow, which shall be given and delivered unto her the next spring. Moreover, I ordain and state my wife Maria Margaretha and Jacob Farber to be guardians of my children and executors of all my estate to the end that they have direction of my children under age for their instruction and education in the Christian Religion, as also that nothing may be wrong, administration be lost but rather increased of what I left behind me and to the end, that all which is above mentioned may be firmly and unchangeably kept and followed, I do confirm these presents with my own hand writing and seal and is attested by the under written witnesses:Done in Bucks County, Near Lehigh, December ye 28th, 1748.

(s) Nicholas Kern.

J. Ch. Seybert
Jacob Heffelfinger
Jacob Farber
John Nicholas Sneider

Translated September 18, 1749, by Joseph Crell.

Salford, the 11th day of May, 1749, There personally appeared Jacob Farber and John Nicholas Schneider, two of the witnesses to the within written will, and on their oath respectively declare they saw and heard Nicholas, the testator within mentioned, sign, seal, publish and declare the same will to be his last will and testament, and that at the time thereof he was of sound mind, memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge. Cosam. Jacob Reiff, by authority for William Plumstead, Recorder General, May 11, 1749. Proved. Letters testamentary granted to Maria Margaret Kern, Jacob Farber, the other executor having renounced executorship."

Margaret, widow of Nicholas, was still living in 1770, and on Jan. 4, 1770, with Henry, Frederick, William, Nicholas, George and Lorentz Kerns, and Martin Singling and wife, Cornelia, released to John Kern for 200 pounds part of a tract of 226 acres of land, and to William Kern, a tract of 140 acres of land for 300 pounds.

Of the children of Nicholas Kern, as it was customary to name the children in order of their age in wills, we assume that Henry was the eldest.

He was taxed in Heidelberg township four pounds in 1762, and in 1763, when his brother William was tax collector, his name is marked Poor, o.

His name appears in the 1770 release. He may have moved to Maxatawny, as a Henry Kern lived there in 1768.

Frederick Kern, second son, was born in 1719, and died Jan. 27, 1790, aged 71 years. He was buried by Rev. Blumer. He and his wife Catharine had a son Frederick, baptized Oct. 6, 1765, and a son John, born May 21, 1772. Frederick Kern was taxed 10 pounds in 1762; three pounds in 1763; one pound for 200 acres in 1764, and in 1768 was taxed on 60 acres of cultivated and 200 of uncultivated land.

Maria Barbara Kern, daughter of Nicholas Kern, lived at Philadelphia.

Cornelia Kern married Martin Singling. In 1762 they lived in Lehigh township.

William Kern was born in 1725, and died August 18, 1800. He is buried at Unionville. He was twice married. In 1762 he was taxed 20 pounds, in 1763 he was tax collector and taxed 24 pounds, of which 14 pounds was abated. In 1764 he was taxed 6 pounds on 260 acres and in 1782, 2 pounds, 8 shillings on 40 acres of cultivated and 200 acres of uncultivated land, a grist mill, three horses and three cows.

His son, William [Kern], Jr., was born Jan. 16, 1751, and died Jan. 21, 1841, of old age, aged 89 years. William Kern and his wife, Maria Salome, had sons:
Nicholas, born Oct. 2, 1773;
John, born Nov. 2, 1777;
George William, born May 15, 1772, and
Elizabeth Catharine, born Oct. 3, 1775

Nicholas Kern, son of Nicholas, with his wife Eva, was sponsor to John Nicholas, son of William Kern, in 1773. In 1762, Nicholas Kern was taxed 16 pounds in Towamensing township; in 1767, 20 pounds; in 1774, he was taxed 2 pounds, 4 shillings, as a farmer, on 200 acres;, in 1786, he was taxed on 225 acres of land and grist mill. Nicholas Kern, Jr., was assessed in 1785 for a grist mill and 75 acres of land. He was a lieutenant colonel in the Revolution. His son Nicholas, born in 1760, and died in 1829, was sheriff of the county.

John Kern, fifth son of Nicholas, the first, acquired 226 acres of his father's tract by release in 1770. He was assessed in 1762, 13 pounds; 1763, four pounds; 1764, three pounds on 200 acres; in 1768, on thirty acres of cultivated and 200 of uncultivated land, two horses and two cows. He and his wife, Annie Margaret, had the following children:
Annie Catharine, born January 22, 1771;
Susanna Margaret, born Feb. 28, 1773;
George Kern, born June 6, 1774, married in 1802,
Elizabeth Sensinger and had two sons:
John George, born in 1807; and
Conrad, born June 2, 1808; and
Daniel, who moved to Indiana in 1839.

George Kern, sixth son of Nicholas, the first, was single in 1764. His name appeared in the tax list of 1785. Lorentz, youngest son of Nicholas Kern, born in 1741, is mentioned in the Heidelberg tax list in 1762 and 1764 as a single man.

John George Kern, eldest son of George Kern and his wife, Elizabeth Sensinger, was born March 7, 1807; died April 6, 1861. He was buried at Frieden's Church cemetery. His far covered 120 acres and is now the center of the slate region. He was a member of the old state militia and of the Frieden's Reformed church, in the building of which he took a prominent part. His wife was Margaret Wert, daughter of Christian Wert, born June 6, 1805. Their children were:
Mary, who married John Kreitz;
Elias;
Thomas; Lucy, who died unmarried; and
Rufina, who married Jarret Farber.

Conrad Kern, the youngest son of George Kern, was born June 2, 1808, and married Polly Snyder, and had sons: Paul and John.

Daniel Kern, brother of George and son of John, removed to Indiana in 1839, and had children: John, Lewis, Mrs. John Rex, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Mertz.