Felix2 Arner (Ulrich1), born 02-03 January 1726/7(14) at Windlach, Zurich, Switzerland and christened 05 January 1726/7 at Stadel, Zurich, Switzerland (Sponsors: Felix Vogel and Anna ______?)(1)(Baptismal Record, from Beth Snyder);  died 20 February 1777 aged 50 years, 01 month, 06 days(14)[although his gravestone says 1776(14)] in Whitehall, Northampton (now North Whitehall, Lehigh), Pennsylvania, USA and was buried 22 February 1777(34);  married to Maria Elisabetha ________ who was born about 1726 at Stadel and died after 1778 probably in Whitehall.

[NOTE: When you add the 11-day difference (at that time) between the Julian calendar (still in use in Protestant areas, including Canton Zurich, in 1727) and the Gregorian calendar (adopted in British colonies in 1752), you have to subtract 17 days instead of 06 days from Felix’s death date to calculate his birth date. However, there are two different ways that different people used to make this calculation. Some people counted the day of death as another day even if it wasn’t a full 24 hours from the time of birth (which figures out to a birthdate of 03 January) and some people didn’t count that day (which figures out to a birthdate of 02 January). The stone-carver or somebody else had obviously done the math between the two calendars (although not correctly , which is probably why it says 1776), because otherwise it would mistakenly say aged 17 days. But we have no way of knowing which calculation method they used to count the days.]

He received warrants to buy land in what is now Lehigh County on 04 November 1749, 18 October 1752, 20 August 1765, 28 January 1771, and 14 September 1772. [Photos of Felix’s house (as it appeared in August 2002): photo 1, photo 2.] He was naturalized on 22 September 1765 in Whitehall.

His estate (Northampton Will File #0741), Letters of Administration to Elizabeth Arner and Jacob Arner; Final Inventory filed 06 January 1778 lists, among other payees, Reverend Abraham Blumer for the funeral and sermon, and George Ecker for “Crying the Vandue” [conducting the public auction]. Other documents (Northampton Orphans Court Book D, page 267 and Book E, page 021) mention children Jacob, Anna Margaretha, Susanna, Catharina, Elizabetha, Margaret, minors over fourteen Salome and John, and minors under fourteen Felix, William and Dorothea [as of 18 March 1778]. On 20 March 1783, the court appointed Jacob Wert of Whitehall Township as the new guardian [replacing the former guardian Joseph Balliet] for two minor children of Felix Arner of Whitehall Township, Felix and William, both over age fourteen.

He is buried at Schlosser’s Union Church at Unionville (now Neffs), North Whitehall Township, Lehigh, Pennsylvania [NOTE: go to that church page for photographs of his gravestone].

[Interesting side note: A Newspaper Notice about stolen horses, posted by widow Elizabeth on 29 March 1777.]

[She was married second before 18 March 1778 to Johann Peter Anthony (Senior) of Whitehall, who also had several children from a previous marriage.]

Children, most or all born in Whitehall (now North Whitehall):

+    Johann Jacob3 Arner, born 05 April 1750(14);  married Anna Margaretha Kern;  moved to Forks, Northampton, Pennsylvania.

+    ANNA MARGARETHA3 ARNER, born about 1752 and christened 29 December 1754(5);  married John Kern.

+    SUSANNA MARGARETHA3 ARNER, born about 1753;  married Jacob Burger.

+    ANNA CATHARINA3 ARNER, born about 1754;  married Jacob Hunsicker.

+    ELIZABETHA3 ARNER, born 15 May and christened 15 July 1756 (Sponsors: Jacob and Anna Elisabeth Rex)(2);  married Daniel Rex;  moved to Menallen, York (now Butler, Adams), Pennsylvania.

Margaretha3 Arner, born about 1758;  married about 1774 in Whitehall to Hans Jacob Haussli (his second marriage)(son of Joachim Haussli and Elsbeth Ochsner) who was born 21 February 1733/4 at Brütten, Zurich, Switzerland and died after the 1800 census in Rowan County, North Carolina. [Haussli genealogy is in D. Beahm’s GEDCOM.] [His family came to America on the ship Jamaica Galley which sailed from Rotterdam via Cowes, England and arrived at Philadelphia on 07 February 1739.] They moved to Virginia, then to North Carolina. Known child:  Anna Elisabeth Haussli, born 07 November 1774 and christened 05 June 1775 (Sponsors: Felix Arner and Elisabeth [the maternal grandparents] )(3).

+    Catherine Maria Salome3 Arner, born about 1760;  married Jacob Rittenhouse;  moved to Sugarloaf, Luzerne, Pennsylvania.

+    Johannes3 Arner/Ahner, born about 1762;  married Catherine Scherrig;  moved to Macungie, Lehigh, Pennsylvania.

+    Felix3 Orner, born 31 December 1764(14);  married Juliana Becker;  moved to Menallen, York (now Butler, Adams), Pennsylvania.

+    William3 Arner, born about 1766;  married MAGDALENA KRUMM;  moved to West Penn, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania.

Dorothea3 Arner, born about 1767;  possibly married to a Daniel Schneider. [NOTE: But, even if so, it can’t be the same Daniel Schneider as shown in other Arner genealogies, unless she was his second (or later) wife. That Daniel Schneider and his wife Dorothea had children at least as early as 06 November 1769, when their daughter Maria Elisabeth was born [and baptized 03 December 1769 (Sponsors: Felix Arner and Maria Elisabeth, above)(3)]; and in fact he may be the same Daniel Snider who was appointed as her guardian in 1778. That Daniel Schneider and his wife Dorothea had another child also sponsored by an Arner couple (Jacob and Margaretha (Kern) Arner, above) on 24 May 1778(3), so they were obviously fairly close to the Arner family.]

She would appear to be the Dorothea Arner who was a baptismal sponsor for John Daniel Rex on 20 February 1785 (recorded at Schlosser’s Church(3)), so she must have been born early in 1767 (or late in 1766) because a minor could not have been a baptismal sponsor [assuming that the minister knew what her age was]. [Or unless something else was involved, such as that the baby was expected to die (which it didn’t though), and they just grabbed the closest person to be a sponsor.]

Then, just a few days later, on 01 March 1785 a “Dorothy, widow of Daniel Schneider” was also a baptismal sponsor (also recorded at Schlosser’s Church(3)). However, it’s entirely possible that there was more than one Daniel Schneider with a wife Dorothea living in that area.

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Felix Arner (son of Ulrich).                                               Last revision: 11 Aug 2009

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