| Death* | circa 1816 | Christopher died circa 1816. Christopher died in 1816 or 1817 at the age of 99 years and 2 days, at his home and was buried in the church-yard at Haycock. When Andrew Lambing visited the site of the old home, he met and talked with a very old but intelligent man, who, when a small boy, was at Christipher's funeral. His wife survived him, but the date of her death is not known; and in death she was laid by his side. But the place was marked with a simple flagstone, without inscription, and it is impossible to distinguish it from the other spots where "the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep"..2 |
| Biography* | | Andrew Lambing (18..) wrote: Christopher Lambing, - or Christopher Michael, as some maintain, although the one name only is given in the baptismal and marriage registers - who was commonly know as "Stofel", was the founder of the family in America. The name is not uniformly spelled, some having Lambing, others Lamping, Lampeng, Lambin, and even Langbein; but this is not to be wondered at when it is remembered that is was taken from sound rather than from written documents. To those familiar with the early history of this country, such variations are common. In the family register on the fly-leaf of the old German bible of Mathew Lambing, now before the write, it is spelled Lambeng; but a careful study of the matter is sufficient to prove beyond doubt that, the proper spelling of the name is that given in this sketch; and prsons who spell the name in the same manner, and not otherwise, are still found in that part of Alsace from which the family originally came from.
Christopher was the son of an officer in the French army, who as nearly as can be learned, lived near the village of Paults or Peltz, not far from Strasburg, where he owned extensive vineyards, which, it appears, were place in charge of his son. And, although they spoke of themselves as French, neither Christopher nor any of his children appear to have been scquainted with that language, but only with the German. The young man married; and seeing many of his countrymen emigrate to America, conceived the idea of doing so himself. This the father strenuously opposed, declaring that he had enough to keep his family comfortably at home; but after the birth of the second child Christophe determined to cross the water against the father's will. The parting was far from what should have been expected, and the father became so aggravated that he would hold no further communicaton with his son. For this reason all connection with the parent stock was broken off, and nothing further is known of it.
We have seen that a number of the children of Christopher drifted near the close of the last century (1700-1799), to that part of York county which was later cut off to form Adams county, and that two of them married daughters of Michael Kohl. |
| Emigration* | 1740 | He emigrated, in 1740. Point of origin:. Andrew Lambing wrote: No point has given the writer more difficulty than that of fixing the precise date of the arrival of Christopher Lambing in America; and stil the exact year is and must remain uncertain. The grounds on which the date must be determined is are these: When Christopher left the old world he had two children, the younger of which, Peter, was two years old, who as, nearly as can be ascertained, lived to the age of 106 years, and died in either 1844 or 1845, so that he must have been born in 1738 or 1739, which would place the date of Chrostopher's landin in 1740 or the year following. [In the manuscript the date sept 15, 1749 is added in handwriting]. This as we shall see, would make himlittle more, if as much as, 20 years of age when he was married. On his arrival in America he settled in Nockamixon township, Bucks county, in a rocky damp region on the hill about three miles west of the Delaware river, known as the "swamps" and about 70 miles above Philadelphia. Here he spent the remainder of his long life, and from the appearance of the place he must often have regretted his parting from the scenes of his childhood. The writer saw the ruins of the foundation of his cabin, and celebrated Mass in the church of Marienstein which stand not three hundred yards distant, and is attended from Haycock, five miles to the south.. |
Christopher (Michael) Lambing1