Paul Arnspiger ^{2 3 4}

   Other names for Paul were Paul Arnsberger, Paul Arnsparger, Paul Ehrensberger ^{3 5} and Paul Ernspiger.³

  General Notes:

(Source: Genealogy.com, WFT Vol. 111, Ed. 1, Tree #0637, submitted by Amanda F. Philbeck-Keener)

Paul is first listed in the records of Strasbourg Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as a Freeman. It is well known that he married Maria Thorodea Bruner, but no marriage record has been found. A daughter, Esther Maria, was born 9 March 1775 and died 22 August 1775. This record was found on an obscure church record on microfilm. It was the Old Trinity Luther an Church records. Sometime in 1775 Paul and Maria, along with most of Maria's family moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Located in close proximity to Bedford, is York and Cumberland, where Paul's mother and stepfather, Magdalena and Christian Fox (Fuchs) resided. Also, Henry Arnsberger, probably Paul's brother, was living in Cumberland County. Christopher Ernsberger, probably another brother, was residing in Washington, Maryland, which is right next to York County. So although Paul seemed to be moving with his wife's family, it appears he was also moving closer to his own family. Paul is listed on the tax lists in Bedford County, Turkeyfoot township in 1776 and paid 7.2 1/4 pounds. There is a request for ownership of land in Turkeyfoot township on 16 October 1776. In 1783, Paul paid taxes of 5.5 (pounds) and had 2 horses, 3 cattle, 2 sheep and 150 acres. In the 1784 census, Paul is found with 7 people and 150 acres. On January 10, 1785, Paul received Warrant #32 for 100 acres named "Does Range". The patent was received 7 April, 1795. After much searching, a record of Paul's military service was found. He is listed as a member of the Second Battalion, Second Company, commanded by William Jones, dated May, 1788. Another record, dated 5 February, 1788, lists Paul as subject to militia duty in Milford township, Bedford County. In the 1790 census of Bedford, Paul is listed with 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16 and 3 females. Sometime between 1790 and 1795, Paul traveled to Kentucky with other members of the Bruner family. Paul was present in Jessamine County, Kentucky for the first 4th of July celebration given by William Price. It was in honor of those who served during the Revolutionary War. On May 8, 1795, Paul gave his Power of Attorney to Henry Bruner, a brother-in-law, to make a deed to George Friend. The Ernstberger's were in Kentucky. Henry Bruner sold Paul's land on September 5, 1796 to George Friend for 75 pounds. Paul and his family were in Jessamine County, Kentucky by that time.
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The following is an excerpt from the book entitled "The History of Jessamine County":
"Jessamine Creek winds its course through a soil of wonderful fertility, and then narrowing to a modest width, glides through meadows and woodland. Hard beaten roads intersect each other over a fine landscape of rare beauty, at times winding past neat and pretty farmhouses and spacious barns; and at others lost seemingly in the dark woods of oak and cedar which cast their shadows over the way. The writer well remembers that one pleasant September morning in 1869 he set out on foot to visit the mouth of Jessamine Creek. After following the course of the creek about sixteen miles, arrived at the point where the creek empties into Kentucky River. The road was exceedingly rough and tortuous and led along the tops of high banks and precipices, through which the creek tumbled and foamed over a rocky bed to the river. The scenery all along Jessamine creek is strikingly beautiful. The hills and cliffs are admirably set off by a growth of cedar trees. The stream, where it empties into Kentucky River, runs smoothly over a solid bed of limestone rock of great depth. As you stand on its border, with the rocks rising perpendicularly before you, watching the silvery tide pouring itself as it were from the blue bosom of the sky into the depth below, the scene is irresistibly charming."
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No record has been found of Paul's initial land purchase in Kentucky. However, he is listed in the 1799 tax list as owning 80 acres. He appears on the tax list every year after that until 1822. Paul and Mary, as his wife was called, bought and sold land over the next twenty years in Jessamine County. It appears they were never rich land owners, but prosperous enough in their own right. To survive the rigors of settling a new and wild country like Kentucky is testimony enough of what kind of people the Arnspigers were. No record is found of Paul after the 1821 tax list. It appears he and Mary were living with their daughter, Polly and her husband, John Houser, as an old couple is listed in the 1820 Federal Census. Mary lived to be 96 years old and died in Eminence Township, Logan County, Illinois. where she had been living with her daughter Polly Arnspiger Houser.
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Survey 10 Jan 1785 Doe's Range, Milford Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Note: The survey was made 7 June 1787. It included 97 acres, 90 perches. The patent was recorded 7 April 1795, in Patent Book No 25, page 42 15 April 1795 for the consideration of 75 pounds. (It was 10 years from the survey until patent). The land was named Does Range in the survey.
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Although an official marriage record has never been found for Paul and Maria they most certainly were married in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where they had both grown up. Maria's parents were Ulrich and Veronica Bruner, both of whose families had emigrated from Switzerland.

About 1775 Paul and Maria and their family left Lancaster County and moved west to Bedford County, Pennsylvania along with Maria's parents and other members of her extended family. By this time Paul's mother was married to Christian Fox, and they were living in Cumberland County which was not far away from their new location. Paul's name appears on the tax lists of Bedford County throughout the 1770s and 1780s. The 1783 tax list states that he had 2 horses, 3 cattle, 2 sheep and owned 150 acres of land. His name also appears on a 1789 list of men available for the Milford township local militia.

Paul moved his family one more time --- this time to Kentucky. By 1796 he had purchased 50 acres on Jessamine creek in Fayette County. This was a very beautiful area of fertile farm land, meadows and woodlands'97what is now referred to as the Bluegrass area of Kentucky. In 1799 Jessamine County was created and without moving again they were now a part of the newly formed county. The following is from a history of Jessamine County:

"Early Settlers on Jessamine Creek. The early settlers on Jessamine creek were mostly German Protestants who came in large part from Pennsylvania and Maryland, with a few from Virginia. The following are the names of the early settlers who were of German parentage and belonged to the Moravian Church, or "United Brethren": Arnspigers, Alcorns, Cormans, Bowmans, Bruners, Earthenhousers, Easleys, Funks, Fraziers, Grows, Gilmans, Goforths, Hiffners, Howsers, Harbaughs, Horines, Ritters, Rices, Masners, Zikes, Ketrons, Waggamans, Warmslys, Overstreets, Quests, Yosts, Hoovers, Trislers, Turks, Turpins, Shreves, Veatches, Vantresses, Naves, Cogars, Crows, Cooleys, Cawbys, and Schmidts. Nearly all of these names were in the list of German settlers in the western part of Jessamine county, who were largely the followers of John Huss. They were men of great common sense, good judgment, honesty, a high sense of morality, and great lovers of freedom, and their descendants still reside in that part of Jessamine county which their ancestors in the early history of the state settled."

Also found in the history of Jessamine County is an amusing story about Paul's son, Michael, who would have been about 20 years old at the time of this incident. A Revolutionary War veteran, Major Benjamin Netherland was an influential person in Jessamine county at the time. He was "passionately fond" of horse racing, and had built a race track for that purpose which he maintained at his own expense.

"In 1802 there was a quarter race on the track, and in the hearing of the crowd, Major Netherland announced that on a certain day (naming it) there would be another race for a purse of $50, one mile heats, which was "free for anything with four legs and hair on." At that time there was working on a farm a young man named Michael Arnspiger who had broken a bull to the saddle, which he rode to mill. He immediately put the bull in training and for several days gave him turns around the race track. He used spurs on the bull and when these were dug into his sides, he was accustomed to bellow. On the day of the race Arnspiger appeared on the ground with his bull. He had placed a dried hide of an ox on the bull's rump, and he carried a tin horn in his hands. He demanded of the judges the right to enter his animal, to which the owners of the horses vehemently objected, but Arnspiger answered by appealing to Major Netherland if he had not said that the race was free to "anything with four legs and hair on." Maj. Netherland admitted that he had, and explained that the bull had a right to enter. When the drum was tapped, Arnspiger blew his horn, planted his spurs in the sides of the bull, which bounded off with a dreadful bellow, with the ox-hide flapping on his sides and presenting a spectacle, combined with the noise, that had never been seen on the race track before. The horses immediately flew the track, and Arnspiger galloped home a winner. The losers contended that they were swindled out of their money; that Arnspiger should not have been allowed to blow the tin horn, or use the ox-hide, and that but for this he could not have won the race. Thereupon Arnspiger offered to take the ox-hide off and leave his tin horn at the stand and run them from end to end. Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Netherland were judges at the next start. Arnspiger again planted his spurs into the sides of the bull with redoubled fury. The loud bellow that followed drove the horses from the track despite the exertions of the riders, and Arnspiger pulled in the second $50 purse. With the money thus obtained he purchased a blacksmithing outfit, working for many years at his trade near Wilmore, and died there in the sixties, in the 85^th year of his age."

Paul's name does not appear on the 1820 census in Jessamine County. It is thought that he and Maria might be the individuals listed as over 45 years of age in the household of John Howser, their son-in-law married to their daughter, Mary Ann. Paul died 18 July 1822 in Jessamine County. Maria continued to live with the Howsers and moved with them to Logan County, Illinois where she died in 1847.
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  Burial Notes:

On 28 Jun 2000, a descendant of Paul Arnspiger, Gene and Jo Arnspiger, located the grave of Paul Arnspiger in Jessamine County. It was located near the fork of the Jessamine Creek, east of the old Abraham Houser mill, on property believed owned by Christopher Arnspiger, a son of Paul. The stone reads as follows: "P. E. (Paul Ernspiger) Jy 18 1822". It was located on the Otis Wilder Farm on Short Run Pike which is adjacent to land owned by Bill Kenkel, of Jessamine County, Kentucky.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He has alternate birth date of 1750 and a birth location of Conestoga, PA, British Colonial America.

• He has alternate birth date of 1752 and a birth location of , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America.

⁴

• He appeared on the 1790 US Census in Turkeyfoot Township, Bedford County, PA in August 1790. ⁵

1790 US Census
Page 259, Roll 9
Turkeyfoot Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania
1 male over 16....."Paul Errenceberger" age 44, Occupation: Cooper

(Living with wife and 4 children.)
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• He was buried after 18 July 1822 in the Arnspiger-Grow Cemetery in , Jessamine County, KY.

Find a Grave Memorial 28363442
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Paul married Maria Dorothea Bruner, daughter of George Ulrich Bruner and Fronica Egle, about 1772 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America.^{1 2} (Maria Dorothea Bruner was born on 1 December 1751 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America ^{2 6}, baptized on 1 December 1751 in Muddy Creek, PA, British Colonial America,³ died on 18 October 1847 in Eminence Township, Logan, IL ^{1 2 6} and was buried on 20 October 1847 in , Logan County, IL ^{3 6}.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1790 US Census in Turkeyfoot Township, Bedford County, PA in August 1790. ⁵

1790 US Census
Page 259, Roll 9
Turkeyfoot Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania
1 male over 16....."Paul Errenceberger" age 44, Occupation: Cooper
2 males under 16....(any two: Henry, Christopher, or Michael)
3 females...(Maria plus any two: Anna, Sally, or Elizabeth)

NOTE - There were 4 male children within the household around 1790 including Henry, Christopher, possibly Benjamin, and Michael. To be counted as "under 16", their birth date had to have been in 1774 or later.

Henry's birth date is believed to be 1769 so he probably was not one of those that were under 16. So where was Henry? His actual birth year is subject to much debate but he could not have been much younger because most marriage records suggest a marriage date of about 1795. If he were older than thought, then perhaps he was out of the family household by 1790 either living on his own or indentured to some other family.

Christopher's birth date was 1776 so he was probably one of those that were "under 16".

Benjamin's birth year is not known but since there is no other information about him, it is possible that he died at an early age so therefore Benjamin is not one of those that were "under 16".

That leaves only Michael whose birth date is only known to be before 1790 and is verly likely the second male child that was counted as "under 16".

The 3 females in the household were most certainly the wife, Maria, and 2 daughters. There were possibly 3 daughters in the household at the time, Anna Maria, Elizabeth, and Sally.

Anna Maria would have been 13 years old at the time of the 1790 census and she was probably one of the 2 daughters listed on the census.

Elizabeth's birth year is not known with any certainty but best records would seem to place it between 1790 and 1795 which would have made her about 17-22 years old when she was married in 1812. She could have been even older so it is possible that she was the second daughter included on the 1790 census.

Sally's birth year is also not known with any certainty. She was married 3 years after Elizabeth which means it is also possible that she was the second daughter included on the 1790 census.

What is clear that either Elizabeth or Sally was born BEFORE the 1790 census while the other was born AFTER the 1790. There just is not enough information to know which one was really the oldest.
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  Marriage Notes:

1784 Census of Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Milford Township
"Powel Earnsbarger"
7 white persons....."Powel", Maria, Anna, and 4 others (Christopher, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Henry, Michael, or Sally)
2 horses
3 cattle
2 sheep
150 acres
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