James Huffman was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to his German immigrant parents Johann Adam and Anna Maria (Unknown) Huffman. His father came from the Palatinate region of Germany where the turmoil of the era and persecution by the Catholic Austrian Monarchy who, with Papal backing, were seizing land from and decimating the Protestant population. During that time, William Penn acquired a large tract of land in 1681 in the new world from a debt owed to him by the English crown (purportedly from a card game with the King). Penn sent his son and other agents to Europe to distribute handbills and posters inviting people to come and settle in Penn's Sylvania to populate the area. He offered the religious freedom and land ownership that enticed tens of thousands of Lutheran Germans, Swiss and French from their beleaguered lives in Europe in the 1700s.
The Huffmans with their relatives, the Walter family, escaped Germany in 1737 and traveled to the Netherlands, where they were offered sanctuary just as the Dutch did for Jews during Hitler's persecution of that religion two centuries later. The Huffman and Walter families lived for a year in Holland before acquiring their passage to America. They left from Rotterdam, sailing aboard the ship "Saint Andrew", commanded by Captain John Stedman. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia on 27, Oct 1738, not all the Huffmans and Walters had survived to live on American soil. A plague had broken out while the ship was at sea, killing many passengers including one of the Huffman men who died at the dock along with two of the Walter men. William Penn's English agents at the dock recording arrivals would not allow the people in sick bay from the ship to disembark because they were afraid the deadly illness would spread to the established citizens there. The agents were English speaking men who could neither understand or speak German and the names of our ancestors changed from its proper German spelling of Hoffman to Huffman because of the way our ancestors pronounced their name in the gutteral-sounding Germanspeak. In the mid 1800s, most, but not all of the family changed their name back to the proper spelling of Hoffman. Many of that era were born Huffman and buried Hoffman as is seen on documents and headstones of the time.
The Huffmans migrated with their relatives, the remaining three Walter boys, across the lower third of Pennsylvania. They settled first in Lancaster County which had been formed in 1729 and moved westward as territories opened up and counties were formed from Lancaster's western and southern sections. They went to Bedford county which was formed in 1771 out of western Cumberland County and our branches of Johann Adam Huffman's family settled in Westmoreland County which was formed out of the western part of Bedford County in 1773 where James was born. (Hence all Huffman children born before 1773 can claim their birthplace in either Lancaster or Bedford Counties.)
In 1796, James arrived in Allegheny County (the part which is now Venango County) with his brothers, Adam, Jacob, John and Philip Huffman. The men had come to seek out plots for farms but their residences were still in Unity, Westmoreland in 1800 and they are listed on the census there. Venango County was formed in 1800 out of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. About 1800, James Huffman married Mary Ann Ghost, the daughter of Phillip and Anna Barbara Keltz Ghost whose family had settled in what would become modern day Clinton Township of Venango County in 1796. James' brother Philip married another of the Ghost girls, Christena. James, and his brother Philip settled in what was then called Scrubgrass Township where James was known as "the Wagonmaker". Brothers, Adam, John and Jacob settled in what became Irwin Township in Venango County. Brother Philip Huffman moved to Medina County, Ohio.
James and Mary Ann had 11 known children:
Barbara m. John Layton McFadden
Adam - forthcoming info from DNA
Mary m. George Hovis
John m. Jane Donaldson
James m. Christena Monjar
Daniel m. Margaret Layton
Philip Ghost m. Elizabeth Miles
Jacob m. Nancy Stewart, Mary Galloway
Elizabeth died young
Christena m. John Walter Huffman Jr.
and Catherine died young
The Huffmans with their relatives, the Walter family, escaped Germany in 1737 and traveled to the Netherlands, where they were offered sanctuary just as the Dutch did for Jews during Hitler's persecution of that religion two centuries later. The Huffman and Walter families lived for a year in Holland before acquiring their passage to America. They left from Rotterdam, sailing aboard the ship "Saint Andrew", commanded by Captain John Stedman. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia on 27, Oct 1738, not all the Huffmans and Walters had survived to live on American soil. A plague had broken out while the ship was at sea, killing many passengers including one of the Huffman men who died at the dock along with two of the Walter men. William Penn's English agents at the dock recording arrivals would not allow the people in sick bay from the ship to disembark because they were afraid the deadly illness would spread to the established citizens there. The agents were English speaking men who could neither understand or speak German and the names of our ancestors changed from its proper German spelling of Hoffman to Huffman because of the way our ancestors pronounced their name in the gutteral-sounding Germanspeak. In the mid 1800s, most, but not all of the family changed their name back to the proper spelling of Hoffman. Many of that era were born Huffman and buried Hoffman as is seen on documents and headstones of the time.
The Huffmans migrated with their relatives, the remaining three Walter boys, across the lower third of Pennsylvania. They settled first in Lancaster County which had been formed in 1729 and moved westward as territories opened up and counties were formed from Lancaster's western and southern sections. They went to Bedford county which was formed in 1771 out of western Cumberland County and our branches of Johann Adam Huffman's family settled in Westmoreland County which was formed out of the western part of Bedford County in 1773 where James was born. (Hence all Huffman children born before 1773 can claim their birthplace in either Lancaster or Bedford Counties.)
In 1796, James arrived in Allegheny County (the part which is now Venango County) with his brothers, Adam, Jacob, John and Philip Huffman. The men had come to seek out plots for farms but their residences were still in Unity, Westmoreland in 1800 and they are listed on the census there. Venango County was formed in 1800 out of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. About 1800, James Huffman married Mary Ann Ghost, the daughter of Phillip and Anna Barbara Keltz Ghost whose family had settled in what would become modern day Clinton Township of Venango County in 1796. James' brother Philip married another of the Ghost girls, Christena. James, and his brother Philip settled in what was then called Scrubgrass Township where James was known as "the Wagonmaker". Brothers, Adam, John and Jacob settled in what became Irwin Township in Venango County. Brother Philip Huffman moved to Medina County, Ohio.
James and Mary Ann had 11 known children:
Barbara m. John Layton McFadden
Adam - forthcoming info from DNA
Mary m. George Hovis
John m. Jane Donaldson
James m. Christena Monjar
Daniel m. Margaret Layton
Philip Ghost m. Elizabeth Miles
Jacob m. Nancy Stewart, Mary Galloway
Elizabeth died young
Christena m. John Walter Huffman Jr.
and Catherine died young
James Huffman was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to his German immigrant parents Johann Adam and Anna Maria (Unknown) Huffman. His father came from the Palatinate region of Germany where the turmoil of the era and persecution by the Catholic Austrian Monarchy who, with Papal backing, were seizing land from and decimating the Protestant population. During that time, William Penn acquired a large tract of land in 1681 in the new world from a debt owed to him by the English crown (purportedly from a card game with the King). Penn sent his son and other agents to Europe to distribute handbills and posters inviting people to come and settle in Penn's Sylvania to populate the area. He offered the religious freedom and land ownership that enticed tens of thousands of Lutheran Germans, Swiss and French from their beleaguered lives in Europe in the 1700s.
The Huffmans with their relatives, the Walter family, escaped Germany in 1737 and traveled to the Netherlands, where they were offered sanctuary just as the Dutch did for Jews during Hitler's persecution of that religion two centuries later. The Huffman and Walter families lived for a year in Holland before acquiring their passage to America. They left from Rotterdam, sailing aboard the ship "Saint Andrew", commanded by Captain John Stedman. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia on 27, Oct 1738, not all the Huffmans and Walters had survived to live on American soil. A plague had broken out while the ship was at sea, killing many passengers including one of the Huffman men who died at the dock along with two of the Walter men. William Penn's English agents at the dock recording arrivals would not allow the people in sick bay from the ship to disembark because they were afraid the deadly illness would spread to the established citizens there. The agents were English speaking men who could neither understand or speak German and the names of our ancestors changed from its proper German spelling of Hoffman to Huffman because of the way our ancestors pronounced their name in the gutteral-sounding Germanspeak. In the mid 1800s, most, but not all of the family changed their name back to the proper spelling of Hoffman. Many of that era were born Huffman and buried Hoffman as is seen on documents and headstones of the time.
The Huffmans migrated with their relatives, the remaining three Walter boys, across the lower third of Pennsylvania. They settled first in Lancaster County which had been formed in 1729 and moved westward as territories opened up and counties were formed from Lancaster's western and southern sections. They went to Bedford county which was formed in 1771 out of western Cumberland County and our branches of Johann Adam Huffman's family settled in Westmoreland County which was formed out of the western part of Bedford County in 1773 where James was born. (Hence all Huffman children born before 1773 can claim their birthplace in either Lancaster or Bedford Counties.)
In 1796, James arrived in Allegheny County (the part which is now Venango County) with his brothers, Adam, Jacob, John and Philip Huffman. The men had come to seek out plots for farms but their residences were still in Unity, Westmoreland in 1800 and they are listed on the census there. Venango County was formed in 1800 out of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. About 1800, James Huffman married Mary Ann Ghost, the daughter of Phillip and Anna Barbara Keltz Ghost whose family had settled in what would become modern day Clinton Township of Venango County in 1796. James' brother Philip married another of the Ghost girls, Christena. James, and his brother Philip settled in what was then called Scrubgrass Township where James was known as "the Wagonmaker". Brothers, Adam, John and Jacob settled in what became Irwin Township in Venango County. Brother Philip Huffman moved to Medina County, Ohio.
James and Mary Ann had 11 known children:
Barbara m. John Layton McFadden
Adam - forthcoming info from DNA
Mary m. George Hovis
John m. Jane Donaldson
James m. Christena Monjar
Daniel m. Margaret Layton
Philip Ghost m. Elizabeth Miles
Jacob m. Nancy Stewart, Mary Galloway
Elizabeth died young
Christena m. John Walter Huffman Jr.
and Catherine died young
The Huffmans with their relatives, the Walter family, escaped Germany in 1737 and traveled to the Netherlands, where they were offered sanctuary just as the Dutch did for Jews during Hitler's persecution of that religion two centuries later. The Huffman and Walter families lived for a year in Holland before acquiring their passage to America. They left from Rotterdam, sailing aboard the ship "Saint Andrew", commanded by Captain John Stedman. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia on 27, Oct 1738, not all the Huffmans and Walters had survived to live on American soil. A plague had broken out while the ship was at sea, killing many passengers including one of the Huffman men who died at the dock along with two of the Walter men. William Penn's English agents at the dock recording arrivals would not allow the people in sick bay from the ship to disembark because they were afraid the deadly illness would spread to the established citizens there. The agents were English speaking men who could neither understand or speak German and the names of our ancestors changed from its proper German spelling of Hoffman to Huffman because of the way our ancestors pronounced their name in the gutteral-sounding Germanspeak. In the mid 1800s, most, but not all of the family changed their name back to the proper spelling of Hoffman. Many of that era were born Huffman and buried Hoffman as is seen on documents and headstones of the time.
The Huffmans migrated with their relatives, the remaining three Walter boys, across the lower third of Pennsylvania. They settled first in Lancaster County which had been formed in 1729 and moved westward as territories opened up and counties were formed from Lancaster's western and southern sections. They went to Bedford county which was formed in 1771 out of western Cumberland County and our branches of Johann Adam Huffman's family settled in Westmoreland County which was formed out of the western part of Bedford County in 1773 where James was born. (Hence all Huffman children born before 1773 can claim their birthplace in either Lancaster or Bedford Counties.)
In 1796, James arrived in Allegheny County (the part which is now Venango County) with his brothers, Adam, Jacob, John and Philip Huffman. The men had come to seek out plots for farms but their residences were still in Unity, Westmoreland in 1800 and they are listed on the census there. Venango County was formed in 1800 out of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. About 1800, James Huffman married Mary Ann Ghost, the daughter of Phillip and Anna Barbara Keltz Ghost whose family had settled in what would become modern day Clinton Township of Venango County in 1796. James' brother Philip married another of the Ghost girls, Christena. James, and his brother Philip settled in what was then called Scrubgrass Township where James was known as "the Wagonmaker". Brothers, Adam, John and Jacob settled in what became Irwin Township in Venango County. Brother Philip Huffman moved to Medina County, Ohio.
James and Mary Ann had 11 known children:
Barbara m. John Layton McFadden
Adam - forthcoming info from DNA
Mary m. George Hovis
John m. Jane Donaldson
James m. Christena Monjar
Daniel m. Margaret Layton
Philip Ghost m. Elizabeth Miles
Jacob m. Nancy Stewart, Mary Galloway
Elizabeth died young
Christena m. John Walter Huffman Jr.
and Catherine died young
Inscription
(New Stone): "In Memory of James Huffman who died August 18th, 1828 aged 55 years". (Original Stone): "Au 18, 1828 J H"
Gravesite Details
The true headstone and resting place of James Huffman, husband of Mary Ann Ghost is located 20 yards directly west of his wife Mary's grave marker. Another marker for James ("In memory of...") was erected next to Mary's stone later.
Family Members
Siblings
