My name is Michael Lee Silbaugh and I am the Site manager of this Web site. My genealogy research is focused on the following families: Silbaugh, Young, Cupp, Harrington, TissueIf you wish to contribute genealogy information or send your feedback, please contact me here. Thank you for visiting!
About our family
Conrad Silbaugh was born about 1740 in Germany. He died before 19 Dec 1824 in Addison Twp, Somerset Co, PA and was buried in Addison Twp, Somerset Co, PA.
BIRTH: b 1740, Prussia(I believe the place to be an error on the part of a census taker and that he is probably from the western Rhine region)
NAME: During Conrad's lifetime we see a number of spellings of his name.It was common to Anglicize foreign names, and the German ...BACH, meaning brook, usually became ...BAUGH.Early records show this transition from “SYLBACH”, to “SYLBAUCH, and eventually “SYLBAUGH”, which we find on the warrant map of his final land transaction in 1786.
From the book on German emigration to colonial America we learn that during this period the letters “i” and “y” were interchangeable‑‑SYL... and SIL... were considered the same.(We also find names beginning with SEL..., but the “e” was a substitue only for the two umlauts “a” and “o”, probably ruling out this spelling as a possibility.)It would appear that SYLBACH is perhaps the orginal name.
By the time Conrad died, however, the records all spelled the name "SILBAUGH", as did both sons, William and Philip.Later descendants have used a number of variations (either intentionally or, at times I suspect, by mistake), but the great majority retained that spelling to this day.
Emigrated to U.S., Allegheny Co, MD, perh. Abt 1750.In 1786 Conrad purchased land near William Tissue in Turkeyfoot Twp., south of the Casselman River near the town of Harnedsville.Conrad's farm was mostly on the north side of Turkeyfoot Road, situated on a high saddle, flanked by even higher elevations on both sides.In addition to the farm, a school was eventually built for all the children.The buildings were originally right on Turkeyfoot Road, thoughnone of the original structures remain.Later, son William was instrumental in building a Methodist Church on the property.The land next to the church, where the original farm was located, can still be seen.It is a beautiful location with a commanding view to the north and east
The book, HISTORY OF SOMERSET COUNTY, PA, (date unk.) p 572, contains the following entry.
Conrad Silbaugh, a native of Germany, was one of the early settlers of this township and improved the land on which his grandsons William and Robert, now live.His son William, born in 1779, farmed on the homestead until his death in 1832."
Methodist Church Records, according to a book written 18 March 1874, Somerfield, PA, gives "a short account of some of the families comprising the Methodist Episcopal Church in the territory now embraced in Addison and Confluence Circit Pittsburgh Conference"
"During 1765‑1770 the Silbaugh family moved to the farm now owned by Robert and William Silbaugh."
Following tradition, the first son remained on the farm, while the younger sons were forced to strike out on their own.Son Philip therefore headed for Ohio, probably about three years after his father's death.
