John George KUHN, Bavaria to Pennsylvania

John George KUHN, is my 4th great-grandfather on my mother's father's KUHN line, my children's 5th great-grandfather, my grandchildren's 6th great-grandfather.  

Born about 1720 in Bavaria or Württemberg, he was the 2nd son of the three sons and one daughter of John KUHN & Anna Barbara ADAMS. The parents and their four children likely immigrated about 1730, settling in Goshenhoppen, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That time period is suspected because of the marriage dates of John George and his brothers before 1741. To date I have not found the family on ship lists coming to settle in Pennsylvania. 

An excerpt from The Gettysburg Compiler, PA, on July 19, 1911, written by John Reilly Kuhn, provided some brief information on the immigrant settler John KUHN:

     "The first priest to come to America to minister to the German Roman Catholics was Rev. Theodore Schneider, S. J., who landed at Philadelphia in 1741, and was conveyed to the settlement at Goshenhoppen, where he established headquarters at the house of John Kuhn, a carpenter and farmer.
     In the course of two years, John Kuhn, with his sons and neighbors, erected a dwelling-house for Father Schneider, with a very substantially constructed Chapel as an addition thereto. This Chapel was completed in 1743, and remains as part of the magnificent church at Bally, Berks County, Pa.   This church compares favorably with Conewago Chapel, and is filled several times every Sunday by the devout descendants of the first settlers in that community.
     The writer of these notes is a grandson of John Kuhn, who settled near Conewago Chapel in 1785, who was a grandson of John Kuhn the carpenter who built the original chapel." 

John George KUHN married Catherine RIFFEL on 27 Nov 1744, at his father's home in Macungie.  The marriage was registered at St. Paul's Catholic Church, Goshenhoppen. Witnesses were John George's parents and siblings. 

John George and Catherine had the following known children:
    1.  George Jacob, chr. 31 Mar 1746, Goshenhoppen PA, d. 17 Nov 1825,
             Pikesville, MD; m. Magdalena Topper/Tapper.
    2.  Barbara, b. abt 1748, Goshenhoppen PA; 
    3.  Mary Eva, b. abt 1750, Goshenhoppen PA; d. 1778, Lancaster Co., PA
    4.  Anna Margaret, chr. 28 Apr 1752, Goshenhoppen PA; d. 12 Apr 1802,
            Adams Co., PA
    5.  John I[Ignatius] ancestor, b. abt 1754, Greenwich, Berks co, PA,
             d. 1 Mar 1826 Reading, Berks PA; m. Theresa FRICKER, 25 Apr 1775
            in Goshenhoppen, b. 1 May 1760 Reading, Berks PA, d. 20 Apr 1821;
            12 known children

John George KUHN died unexpectedly in early 1762.  His widow Catherine married about October 1762, to Joseph Ehrmann. They had a daughter Appolonia in 12 July 1763. 

So little is known about John George's life. He was a farmer, also known as a carpenter, was married, had 5 known children, little is known about his children except his younger son, John I. KUHN, who had 12 children. John George KUHN died only 42 years of age.  

I have a list of more research resources to work through, and hopefully will be able to add more to this sketch of my 4th Great-grandfather, son of our first KUHN settler in Pennsylvania. 
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If any of these people are also your ancestors, I am happy to share what I have about their families and ancestors as well. You can best contact me at celiaDOTwinkyATgmail.com - as Blogger is not allowing me to reply to any comments on my posts.