Surname Saturday: Feuerstein

Nicholas (Hans) Feuerstein, born on March 25, 1712 in the Alsace region of France, is my 6th great-grandfather on my father’s side. That area of France is next to Switzerland and Germany along the Rhine. He married Anna Nonnenmacher in the Berg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bas-Rhin, Alsace.  She was born on August 2, 1711 in that region. The couple had ten children: Anna Catherina, Johan Nicolas, Johan Joseph, Eva Catherina, Rosina (my ancestor), Mathias, Maria Dorothea, Maria Magdalena, Michael, and Theobald. After oldest son, Johan Nicolas, was drafted into the French army, the rest of the family moved to Holland and eventually set sail for America on the ship “Peggy.” In order to pay for their passage, father and sons were indentured for a period of five years. The family is located in records of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Daughter, Anna Catherina (b. August 23, 1733) married Conrad Stautzenberger (b. about 1730) on June 3, 1754 in the Trinity Lutheran Church and died in 1769.

Son, Johan Nicholas (b. April 17, 1735) married Eva Catharina Schwab (b. about 1739) about 1761. They had eight children. Johan Nicholas died in 1807 in Virginia.

Son, Johan Joseph (b. May 7, 1737) married Catharina (LNU) (b. about 1735) about 1764. They had seven children. He died in January 1793 in Virginia.

Daughter, Eva Catherina (b. June 3, 1739) married John Stiffler (b. about 1739) before 1763. Her death date is unknown.

Daughter, Rosina (b. March 13, 1741) married Phillip Hoff/Huff (b. about 1743) before June 1, 1768. They had six children. Rosina died after 1810 in Virginia.

Son, Mathias (b. April 5, 1744) married Anna Maria Bieber (b. July 15, 1752) on April 4, 1774. They had fourteen children. He was also known as Johann Mathias as well as Mathias Firestone. He died in 1829 in Columbiana, Ohio.

Daughter, Maria Dorothea (b. either February 17, 1746 or 1747) married John Wall or Waller (b. unknown) before 1779. Her death date is unknown.

Daughter, Maria Magdalena (b. either March 22, 1749 or 1750) married Philip Emig/Emigh/Emich. Her death date is unknown.

Son, Michael, is listed as born on June 10, 1750 (which, if correct, would mean that Maria Magdalena was born in 1749) but no further information is known about this son.

Son, Theobald, (b. March 3, 1752) died about 1760 in Pennsylvania.

(Source of above information: Shirer Family Genealogy Project; Denny Shirer; Ancestry.com; hosted by Rootsweb; 2014)

This is the family from which Harvey Samuel Firestone (founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company) descended. (Wikipedia)

My line from Rosina Feuerstein:

Rosina and Phillip Hoff/Huff > Susannah Huff and (George) Peter Werts > George Peter Werts and Margaret Catherine Maple > William Washington Werts and Louisa Bookless/Buckless > Mary Angelina Werts and William Henry Amore > Lloyd William Amore and Ella Maria House > my dad and mom > me! (So that means I am related to the Firestone founder which explains why I get my auto repairs and new tires from our local Firestone! And no, I don’t get a family discount!)