Digging Up The Shefflers

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September 28, 2004

Let's Get Started

This post is essentially the "about us" page. A great many SHEFFLER families in America right now can trace their origins to three distinct Sheffler groupings: 1700's Eastern PA, 1800 Western PA, and the mid- to late-1800's Ohio/Indiana.

From what I've seen Shefflers began landing in the American Colonies in the early 1700's, a great many of them in Philadelphia. I don't see much documentation on the other areas of early immigration like New York and North Carolina, hence my above generalization about Eastern PA origins.

The Schäfflers, Schefflers, Shaefflers, and Shefflers of Pennsylvania flourished, and I am from a line that by 1800 arrived in the Western Frontier near present-day Pittsburgh. I don't know how the Western PA Shefflers link up the the Eastern PA Shefflers so I treat them as separate groups for now. Through the 1800's, many descendants from both these PA Sheffler groups moved on to Ohio and Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.

Starting in the mid-1800's Shefflers also began arriving from Europe via the Great Lakes and settling directly in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. One particular Schoeffel became a Sheffler and this family has spread greatly.

Others who came into both PA and the Great Lakes arrived with the Scheffler spelling and remained distinctly "Scheffler". They are not considered in my above 3 main "Sheffler" groupings.

In any case, I would like to hear from any and all Shefflers and Schefflers, and family lines related to them.

My own line is from a George Sheffler born about 1779, somewhere in Pennsylvania, perhaps Northampton County in the East. In any case he arrived in Westmoreland County by 1800 and raised a family there. See www.Sheffler.org.


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