EVERHART FAMILY OF MARYLAND

My mother, Nan Musselman Everhart, started by telling me stories of various family members. After her death in 1994 I went further to research the information. I now have a fairly complete story (but still being verified) of the Everharts in Manchester and Frederick, Maryland. --- SPECIAL NOTE: August 9, 2005 (Tuesday) marks the 90th Birthday Anniversary of Nan Everhart Kershaw *** presented by Alice L. Luckhardt

Click on the line of 30 other family stories to learn about Alice's first published book LEGENDS - FAMILY STORIES & MYTHS: Learn about 30 other family stories and how the truth was learned.

The following is an outline of descendents from PAULUS EBERHARDT to present-day.

Descendants of Paulus Eberhardt Everhart:

1   Paulus Eberhardt EVERHART Born: 1727 in Paltz, Germany Died: Bef. May 1765 in Manchester, Md.
.     +wife? Born: Unknown in Paltz, Germany Married: 1744 in Paltz, Germany Died: Aft. 1765 in Manchester, Md.
.. 2   George EVERHART, Sr. Born: August 11, 1745 in Germantown, Pa. Died: April 13, 1835 in Manchester, Md.
...... +Eva Elizabeth ZACHARIAS Born: February 12, 1748/49 in Pipe Creek, Md. Married: 1770 in Maryland Died: July 12, 1830 in Manchester, Md.
....... 3   George EVERHART, Jr. Born: November 10, 1771 in Old Homestead, Md. Died: July 04, 1857 in Manchester, Maryland
.......... +Elizabeth WEAVER Born: January 05, 1778 in Maryland Married: 1796 in Maryland Died: March 05, 1868 in Manchester, Md.
........... 4   Jacob EVERHART Born: June 06, 1797 in Homestead, Md. Died: September 16, 1872 in Manchester, Md.
............... +Elizabeth BORN Born: January 09, 1791 in Manchester, Md. Married: May 30, 1821 in Manchester,Baltimore County, Md. Died: November 10, 1840 in Manchester, Md.
................ 5    George W. EVERHART Born: March 28, 1835 in Buchaman's Valley, Reisteistown, Carroll, Md. Died: January 15, 1914 in Manchester, Carroll, Md.
................... +Rachel W. FRANKFORTER Born: February 06, 1835 in Manchester, Carroll, Maryland Married: September 04, 1859 in Manchester, Carroll, Md. Died: December 27, 1905 in Manchester, Carroll, Md.
.................... 6    Charles Jacob EVERHART Born: September 10, 1862 in Manchester, Carroll, Md. Died: August 19, 1956 in Frederick, Frederick, Md.
........................ + Josie (Josephine) Smith GROFF Born: July 01, 1870 in Frederick, Frederick, Md. Married: May 1890 in Frederick,Frederick, Md. Died: July 11, 1942 in Frederick, Frederick, Md.
......................... 7    David Groff EVERHART, Sr. Born: September 08, 1890 in Manchester, Carroll, Md. Died: December 06, 1944 in Frederick, Frederick, Md.
............................ + Eva Savilla BIXLER Born: June 11, 1891 in Hanover,York, Pa. Married: November 23, 1911 in Manchester,Carroll, Md. Died: September 20, 1940 in Frederick, Frederick, Md.
............................. 8    David Groff EVERHART, Jr. Born: September 09, 1912 in Manchester, Carroll, Md. Died: March 18, 1984 in Frederick, Md.
................................. + Marybell CASTLE Born: July 21, 1914 in Md. Married: December 06, 1935 in Frederick, Md.
............................. 8    Nan Musselman EVERHART Born: August 09, 1915 in Frederick, Frederick, Md. Died: July 10, 1994 in Flagler Beach, Flagler, Fl.
................................. + Harry KERSHAW Born: September 23, 1905 in Gorton, Manchester,England. Married: April 27, 1949 in Bonifay, Fl. Died: May 25, 1978 in Longwood, Seminole, Fl.
............................. 8    Joseph Groff EVERHART Born: April 03, 1925 in Frederick, Maryland Died: April 06, 1925 in Frederick, Maryland
......................... *2nd Wife of David Groff EVERHART, Sr.:
............................ + Eleanor LINTHICUM Born: July 1902 in Md. Married: 1941 in Frederick, Md. Died: January 1994 in North Carolina

NOTE: Nan Everhart Kershaw had four children (I am the oldest). Her brother, David, had no children.

        PAULUS EBERHARDT/EVERHART arrived in America on October 20, 1744 on the ship "Phoenix" under Capt. William Wilson's direction across the Atlantic from the port of Rotterdam. He was a young man of 17 years old from Paltz, Germany. He already had a young family back in Germany, a daughter named Gertrude (Hakrood) and his wife. He wanted to make a new home for his family in this new America, in the area of Pennyslvania. He was in the area of Germantown when he sent for his family in 1745. The first child of his family born in America was George Everhart on August 11, 1745.   Two other daughters were born during the late 1740's. By 1750 Paulus had purchased 300 acres of land in Bachman's Valley (what is Carroll County now) in Maryland. He found a good source of water in a nearby spring and that is where he first built a small house and later a much larger home for his family. He worked the land as a farmer and made a good living from it. But Paulus died before May of 1765 and the responsible of the land was turned over to his son, George.
        GEORGE EVERHART was first a carpenter for five years in Baltimore City. After his father's death he inherited his father's estate and ran the farm. The land was rich in iron ore and this helped developed the farm area around Bachman's Valley.    At the time the land was referred to as a "plantation" with part of it in Baltimore County and part in Frederick County. The land was also next to land held by Jacob Bixler. He was a church member of the German Church (Zion Church) that was established in Manchester. George married Eva Elizabeth Zacharias in 1770. They had six children all raised at what was called the "Old Homestead", the farm. Their first born was their son, George Everhart, Jr., born November 10, 1771.   When many American's wanted to break from British rule in 1776, George, Sr. joined the cause. He served as a 2nd Lt. with the Maryland forces during the American Revolution. George made it back from the warfare to live a very long life until 1835. He had witnessed many changes in the Manchester area over his 89 plus years.
        GEORGE EVERHART, JR. married Elizabeth Weaver in 1796. They continued on the Homestead farm and worked alongside George, Sr. It was George, Jr. who added lime to the soil then fertilzer to enrich the soil. They had nine children (4 sons and 5 daughters). They had three negro servants to assist, they were Henry Williams and Jesse Williams (who were given their freedom after George's death) and Charlotte Williams (who was freed after Elizabeth's death). The first son born was Jacob Everhart on June 6, 1797. George, Jr. was the first elected commissioner for the newly formed city of Manchester, Maryland in 1834. He served as one of their leading citizens until his death in 1854. Elizabeth lived until 1868 but was blind the last 11 years of her life.
        JACOB EVERHART took on a different occupation than his father and grandfather before him. After marrying Elizabeth Born in 1821 and starting his family of seven children. He first moved to a farm owned by Conrad Kerlinger located about 4 miles NE of Manchester. Later he purchased a farm near Bachman's Valley and worked the farm for two years.   He then moved his family to Reisterstown, Maryland (16 miles north of Baltimore) to start a hotel for travelers who were in route on the turnpike from Chambersburg and Cartisle, Pennsylvania. His wife, Elizabeth, died in late 1840. With young children still at home he remarried in late 1841 to Elizabeth Christ. Another child, Julie, was born to Jacob and his new wife. They moved to Blue Ball, which was north of Reisterstown and lived there for two years. Then in 1843 he moved to Westminister, Maryland on East Main Street and had his hotel there for seven years. In 1850 he was in Carrollton, Maryland for two years before permanently returning to Reisterstown.   Both of his living sons, George W. Everhart and Samuel P. Everhart were interested in being "husksters"-selling merchandise. Jacob died in 1872 in Reisterstown and was buried in Manchester.
        GEORGE WASHINGTON EVERHART was the second son, born in 1835 and set out to have a different lifestyle. From 1841 to 1852 (after his mother died) he went to live with his grandfather, George Everhart, Jr. He learned to be a shoemaker from his uncle, John Everhart. He was a shoemaker for many years. George found it a very difficult occupation on his health so he found his calling as a huckster. He mostly sold agricultural farm implements between Adams County in Pennsylvania to York County down to Baltimore County in Maryland. He made his home in Manchester and married Rachel W. Frankforter on September 4, 1859. They produced a family of nine children (5 sons and 4 daughters) with two of the children dying as infants. Charles Jacob Everhart was born September 10, 1862, the 2nd son of George and Rachel. The 1861 - 1865 timeframe was a difficult one in Maryland with war surrounding them. The Everharts were on the Union side and saw their share of rebel soldiers in Maryland. George W. Everhart was a member of the Immaneual Lutheran Church in Manchester for many years. He continued selling farm products until about 1895 when he retired. He remained in Manchester until his death in 1914.
        CHARLES JACOB EVERHART lived in Manchester, Lewistown and Frederick, Maryland over his 94 years. He married a girl from the city of Frederick, Josephine (Josie) S. Groff around 1889. His occupation was that of cigarmaker. He and Josie had only one child, David Groff Everhart, born September 8, 1890 in Manchester. After the turn of the new century, Charles moved his family to Lewistown to a small farm for several years. Years later (about 1919)Charles and Josie moved in with their grown son, David, and his family in Frederick. Even after Josie died in 1942, Charles was cared for my his family members. He died in 1956 in Frederick with two grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
        DAVID GROFF EVERHART went to college and then to dental school. He became a dentist in Manchester in 1910. He married his childhood sweetheart, Eva Savilla Bixler on November 23, 1911 in Manchester. Their first child was David Groff Everhart, Jr., born in 1912. The next year the family moved to Frederick where David established is dental practice. They had a daughter, Nannie Musselman Everhart on August 9, 1915 in Frederick. With the United States drawn into the war in Europe in 1918, David, Sr. enlisted in the US Army and served as a captain with the dental corp. He was stationed mostly along the east coast and was never sent overseas. This way his family was able to join him at his different assignments. After the war the family purchased a large home at 926 North Market Street in Frederick. The house was named "Alhambra". David was very involved in community affairs in Frederick and a leader in the Republican Party in the county. He saw that his two children received a college education, David, Jr. as a dentist and Nannie as an attorney. He took care of his parents in his home from the mid-1920's until his mother's death in 1942. David's wife, Eva, died very young, age 49 years, due to kidney problems in 1940. He remarried about 1941 to Eleanor Linthicum. But David died suddenly of a heart attack/stroke in December 1944 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
        NANNIE MUSSELMAN EVERHART, changed her first name to NAN after both of her parents had passed away. She was given a very good formal education, especially for women in the 1930's. She received her law degree from Eastern University, Mt. Vernon School of Law in 1941. She tried to be accepted as a female FBI agent but was refused by J. Edgar Hoover. Nan ran for the Maryland State Legislature and lost by a narrow margin. But with the outbreak of World War II she found her calling in the Women's Army Corp. (1942-1949).    She married Capt. Harry Kershaw, USAF in April 1949 and they both left the military. She was a housewife and mother of four during the 1950's. In 1960 she reentered the work force and became the Admissions Supervisor at Miami-Dade Jr. College in Florida. She retired in 1972 with Harry to Floral City, Florida.    They celebrated their 25th anniversary by renewing their vows in front of friends and family in April, 1974. Harry died in May of 1978 and it took Nan several years to move on after his death.   She became active in veteran organizations and The Women's Military Memorial in Arlington, Va. until her death (heart condition) on July 10, 1994.    Nan was buried alongside her father, David G. Everhart, Sr. in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on July 25, 1994.    In her 78 plus years she received a law degree, ran for political office, applied to the FBI, served in the military, helped at the Nuremberg Trials in Germany, was a mother, housewife, college administrator, and a grandmother.

PHOTO of (R)CHARLES JACOB, (his uncle GREENBURY EVERHART), DAVID JR. & DAVID SR. EVERHART

There are many Everhart families across America. Our one branch, starting with Paulus Eberhardt in 1744, made their mark on the history of Maryland. There are not as many present day descendents but the contribution of the ancestors is forever.