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Project Background

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Abstract



Peter and William ARTERBURN of Shenandoah County, Virginia, have been documented as the 18th-century progenitors of the ARTERBURN family in America. Another Peter ATTERBURN who first appears in Maryland as an indentured servant and later in Virginia was probably their ancestor. The only known Old World record of the ARTERBURN surname, prior to Peter and William, is the marriage of an earlier William ARTERBURN in London, in 1676. Prevailing family traditions among descendants and other clues point to a German ancestry, although some contemporary researchers have proposed a Scottish or English origin. Several different surnames have been considered as a possible precursor of ARTERBURN, but DNA tests thus far have yielded negative results. The spelling of our surname may have been changed, or Anglicized, in London and America if originally a German name. ATTERBORN families currently reside in Sweden, the homeland of a Germanic people, and may represent the best hope for further DNA testing.

Contents



Introduction
German or East European?
English or Scot?
German or East European and English?
Which Way Now?
Endnotes
Bibliography (Print)

Introduction



This project [1] was inspired by the original research during the 1970s of Carroll Norben "Art" and Janet D. Arterburn, who published their results as the book entitled, The Arterburn Cousins. [2] Of the many American Arterburns they were able to trace and document through personal contact or from public records, all were linked to two ancestral brothers, PETER ARTERBURN (ca.1740-1803) and WILLIAM ARTERBURN (ca.1740-1817), of Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County, 1772-1778), Virginia. WILLIAM would move his family about 1800 to Beargrass Creek near the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville), in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Around the same time (before 1806), PETER'S son, James, removed with his family, along with others from Shenandoah County, to Kendrick Creek in Sullivan County, Tennessee. From these two primary resettlements of ARTERBURNS away from Virginia, descendants have since spread across the United States. [3]

Unfortunately, Art and Jan were unable to find a paper trail beyond PETER and WILLIAM. Neither were they able to find a record of the voyage to America for PETER or WILLIAM, and eventually concluded that these two brothers may not have been our initial immigrant ancestors. [4] The search continues for earlier ancestors, and for evidence of the ocean transit of our first ancestor to America. The search also continues for the ultimate origin of the ARTERBURN family and surname.

Prior to PETER and WILLIAM in America, the ARTERBURN spelling has been found only once so far in public records of the Old World. The marriage of "William Arterburn" to "Jane Wilkinson" was recorded in the English port city of London, in 1676.

Various similar surnames/spellings have been considered as possible precursors or variants: "Adalbern, Arthaber, Atterbury, Arterberry, Atterborn, Atterburn, Edeborn, Edeburn, Otterbein, and Otterburn," among others.

Art and Jan Arterburn began their research with two differing hypotheses: Art believed that our family/surname was Scotch-Irish, or Scots-Irish (i.e., originally, those Scottish emigrants who first settled in Ireland before coming to America, prior to 1777), while Jan was persuaded that the ARTERBURNS' roots were in Germany. In the end, they both concluded that our family most likely came from one of the German-speaking cultures of Europe. [5]

German or East European?



DNA analysis has determined that the ARTERBURN family's Y-chromosome genetic code, or Haplotype, as interpreted for genealogy, belongs to the Haplogroup, "R1a1," [6] a subclade or branch of the larger Haplogroup, R1a. The R1a1 Haplogroup has been found in highest concentrations among the peoples of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Southern Asia. When or where or how often migrations of our ancestors may have occurred away from their earliest identifiable culture of origin, before their later appearance in England and America, remains unknown to us (see the Genographic Project, under "News," on sidebar above).

Green Arterburn (1834-1903), great grandson of PETER, reported in a published biographical sketch that the ARTERBURNS were of German descent. [7]

The majority of ARTERBURNS interviewed by Art and Jan also believed that their family roots were in Germany. [8]

German emigrant, Philip William Otterbein (1726-1813), a German Reformed clergyman who co-founded the Church of United Brethren in America, may have visited the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the course of his mission work. According to historians at Rockingham County Historical Society, one of his churches provided the namesake for the community of "Ottobine," in neighboring Rockingham County. Recent DNA testing of an Otterbein descendant proved negative for any relationship between the ARTERBURN and Otterbein families and surnames (see "Results," on sidebar above).

The "Arthaber" surname, uncommon both in America and in Europe, has been considered by some a possible precursor of ARTERBURN. One Arthaber family registered a distinctive crest or coat of arms in Vienna, Austria, in 1841, as documented in Rietstap's Armorial General. However, recent DNA testing of an Arthaber who immigrated to America from Vienna during the 1950s has also yielded negative results (see "Results," on sidebar above).

What can we learn from our earliest ancestors' given names? "William," from the old German name, "Wilhelm," was used by both German and English families. Its use by the English dates from the time of the Norman Conquest (A.D. 1066) and William I (the Conqueror), and the advent of surnames (11th-16th centuries).

"Peter," a name with Biblical (Greek) roots, appears to have been fairly common in German-speaking families during this period, but relatively uncommon among English and Scottish Protestants after the Reformation, whether Conformist (Anglican) or Nonconformist (e.g., Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Quaker).

Rev. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807), a 1st-generation German American and Lutheran clergyman from Pennsylvania, served for four years as pastor to the German families in the new county of Dunmore (later Shenandoah), in northern Virginia. [9] Peter's brother, Rev. Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg, also a Lutheran pastor, later served in Congress as the first Speaker of the new U.S. House of Representatives. Their father, Rev. Henry (originally, Heinrich) M. Muhlenberg--a German emigrant from Hanover, is considered one of the principal founders of the Lutheran Church in America.

While he may not have been typical of most Germans in colonial America, Peter Muhlenberg's story does present a telling example of how the Germans and the English interacted during the colonial era. Born in Pennsylvania, he was sent back to Germany as a youth for schooling, but later enlisted in the British Army. Returning to America, Muhlenberg studied theology and pastored churches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before accepting a pastoral call to the German Lutherans of Woodstock, Virginia, about 1771. [10] In 1772, he traveled to London for ordination in the (Anglican) Church of England, the official church of the Royal Colony of Virginia. The Lutherans and Anglicans--both originally high church communions, evidently got on well together in colonial Virginia, and even shared the same church house in Woodstock where Muhlenberg preached. After his ordination, Muhlenberg was recognized as the Rector of the new Anglican parish of Beckford in Dunmore County, and apparently served the English Anglicans there as clergyman, too.

On July 11, 1773, Rev. Peter Muhlenberg baptized PETER & SARAH ARTERBURN'S infant daughter, "Henry," [11] which was recorded at the courthouse in Woodstock. Henry's baptism was most likely performed in the first Lutheran church in Woodstock, believed to have accomodated both Lutheran, German Reformed, and Anglican worshippers before the Revolution (see Endnote #10, below).

The histories of the Irish and Scots-Irish in Ireland during the 16th-18th centuries were scarred by discrimination and persecution, with resulting antipathies that were often carried to the New World. If PETER were Irish (Catholic) or Scotch-Irish (Presbyterian), it seems unlikely that he would have presented a child for baptism to a German Lutheran who, as an ordained Anglican priest, also represented the official church of the English Establishment, which had been implicated in two centuries of sectarian and political oppression in Ireland. [12]

It seems equally doubtful that PETER could have been a Scot, whether Presbyterian or Quaker, since both sects were in "nonconformity" with the Church of England. Whether Presbyterian or Quaker, Baptist or Methodist, a Nonconformist or Dissenter in colonial Virginia would not likely have sought baptism in the Lutheran or Anglican Communion (see also Endnote #28, below). While marriage was both a religious and civil rite in colonial Virginia, baptism was essentially a religious rite, and would almost certainly have reflected the sectarian loyalties of the practitioners.

Muhlenberg's ordination in London may have been motivated as much by political ambition as anything else, since Anglican ordination of American Lutherans wasn't typical. Church and politics were very much interwined in colonial Virginia, and Muhlenberg quickly became a rising star politically, on the eve of the American Revolution. In the brief time he was in Dunmore County (1772-76), he led the Committee of Safety and Correspondence--early activists for independence, and was elected to the legislature, the House of Burgesses, in 1774. Muhlenberg was asked by George Washington, in 1776, to raise and lead a Virginia regiment of Germans for the new Continental Army. [13] Colonel Muhlenberg was commissioned a Brigadier General (brevetted a Major General by war's end) of the Continental Army, in 1777. After the war, he eventually returned to Pennsylvania, and later served in Congress and in Pennsylvania state offices. Although he gave up the ministry for politics, Muhlenberg remained an active Lutheran until the end of his life.

On the other side of the pond, King George III (German by ancestry) would enlist some of his German subjects and allies from the mainland, including the Hessians, to help the British Army put down those rebellious colonists in America!

PETER ARTERBURN was a landowner of record in Shenandoah County for a relatively short period of time--from 1780 to 1785 (see Endnote #3, below). Yet, baptismal, census, and other public records indicate he and his family evidently lived there from as early as 1773 until his death, in 1803. There are no Deeds for WILLIAM in Virginia, but WILLIAM also appears in public records of Shenandoah County, from about 1775 until his move to Kentucky, about 1800. These few but telling clues suggest that PETER and WILLIAM were tenant farmers and/or landless craftsmen during most of their residency in Virginia. [14]

We know that WILLIAM'S family--and probably also PETER'S--was in Culpeper County, in 1771, where WILLIAM'S son, Samuel, was born--as indicated on Samuel's headstone. Culpeper County was the site of an early German settlement known as the Germanna Colony (see Endnote #32, below), with additional satellite settlements at Germantown, in Fauquier County, and in the Robinson River Valley of present-day Madison County.

Peter was a carpenter, according to the authors of The Arterburn Cousins, although the source for this was a local historian and the primary source was either not disclosed or unknown. Shenandoah County court records (1795) show that WILLIAM was a shoemaker. These ARTERBURN families probably relied on both farming and craftwork for their livelihoods.

A more recent discovery of a "Peter Atterburn" in public records of Charles County, Maryland, may prove to be a missing link. This "Maryland Peter," apparently not a landowner, first appears as a defendant debtor in Charles County Court, in 1743. The court found for the plaintiff, Richard Gambra, [15] and ruled the defendant's personal property (one horse and 379 lbs. of tobacco) be attached to satisfy his debt of 600 lbs. of tobacco, plus additional assessments of 600 lbs. for damages and 500 lbs. for costs. The court record indicates that the defendant "is run away from the place of his late abode," and was not available to appear in court. [16] Colonial Maryland's agricultural economy thrived on growing tobacco, and relied on both slave and indentured immigrant labor. [17] This early form of contract labor sometimes resulted in the exploitation and mistreatment of immigrants. [18]

The description of Maryland Peter's circumstances and the additional assessments for damages and costs indicate that he was most likely an indentured servant. PETER and WILLIAM, and/or their parents, may have begun their lives in the New World as indentured servants, or redemptioners. The Library of Congress estimates this to have been the plight of one-half (50%) of all the Germans who came to America during the 17th-18th centuries. [19] This could also be the reason that our surname has not been found in any ship's passenger list. Before 1820, captains or masters of vessels were not even required to keep a passenger list.

In 1748, Maryland Peter was deposed in Charles County Court as a witness verifying that John Gardiner had once pointed out his land boundaries to Peter and his wife. In this deposition, Maryland Peter attests his age of 37 years (thus, born about 1711), and that his wife had been deceased for 11-12 years. From this, we can deduce that Maryland Peter had been in America since at least 1737. This could have been about the time of his arrival in the New World, since contracts of indenture were typically 4-7 years in length, which would fit with the date of his court case, in 1743. Maryland Peter appears again in Charles County Court records, in lists of personal names that appear to be either receivables or assets (debtors or human assets?) in two estate settlements--the latest in 1754. [20] He may have continued as an indentured or tenant farmer--his contract could have been extended due to earlier default, or, voluntarily due to the burden of economic necessity, during his stay in Maryland.

"Peter Atterburn" subsequently appears in Prince William County, Virginia, in 1762-63, as a defendant in court unable to satisfy his creditors, John Glassford and William Carr. [21] John Glassford & Company was a large Scottish mercantile firm with stores in both Virginia (including Dumfries, in Prince William County) and Maryland (including Port Tobacco). Prince William County, Virginia, is just across the Potomac River from Charles County, Maryland. Maryland Peter's destination may have been "Germantown," or its environs (located in Fauquier County, after 1759), an early satellite settlement of the Germanna Colony of Culpeper. Germantown is less than 40 miles from Dumfries. Fauquier County is directly adjacent to Culpeper County and to that part of Shenandoah County (Warren County, after 1836) where PETER and WILLIAM are last known to have lived in Virginia. WILLIAM'S daughter, Mary "Polly" Arterburn, would later marry John Wey of Fauquier County, in 1795. [22]

That WILLIAM'S son, Samuel, was born in Culpeper County, and, that WILLIAM'S daughter later married a German from Fauquier County suggest that Maryland Peter and/or his family migrated from Prince William County through Fauquier County, wherein the rural community of Germantown was located, and then on to adjacent Culpeper County, before eventually settling in present-day Warren County (Dunmore County after 1772, Shenandoah after 1778).

These early records in Prince William County, Virginia suggest that the ARTERBURNS were still struggling to make ends meet. Maryland Peter's early loss of his wife and mother of his young children--if both were the parents of PETER and WILLIAM--may have been a severe setback for him. If Maryland Peter was our ancestor, it may have taken another generation--that of PETER and WILLIAM or their children, to more fully achieve the promise of a new life in America.



English or Scot?



The Dictionary of American Family Names suggests that ARTERBURN is probably a variant or derivative of the surname, "Attebury/Atterberry/Arterberry," but offers no specific evidence for this claim. As far as is known, there are no family traditions or documentary evidence of a relationship between these two families in America. Neither does the "Arterberry" surname appear in Shendandoah County, Virginia public records. I grew up in a Kentucky county populated by families of both ARTERBURNS and Arterberrys, without any recognition of kinship. Recent DNA analysis also seems to support the conclusion that these families are not related (see "Results," on sidebar above).

ARTERBURN has also been considered a variant of the surname, "Otterburn." Likewise, there are no substantive clues of tradition or evidence to indicate that these families/surnames are related, and the DNA evidence also seems to support this conclusion. Although the family of Adam Otterburn appears as early as the 16th century in Scotland, all of the Otterburns who lived in the British Isles in 1881 inhabited northeast England, in Northumberland and Yorkshire, where the two villages of "Otterburn" and "Otter Burn" stream are located, and in Durham, an adjacent northeast county. The Otterburn family line from northeast England that we have recently tested for DNA yielded negative results (see "Results," above). [23]

"Otterburn" has been found only once in Virginia as a contemporary and variant spelling for PETER'S surname--in Shenandoah County, in the courthouse record of the baptism of PETER'S infant daughter, Henry (cf. Wayland, 1927), soon after their arrival in the county. [24] According to the authors of The Arterburn Cousins, Rev. Peter Muhlenberg recorded the entry himself. If PETER was illiterate and only vocalizing his name, Muhlenberg's rendering might have been because "Otter," a German surname and also the prefix of more than one compound German surname (e.g., "Otterbach, Otterberg, Otterborn") of that era, was more familiar to him. The name "Atterburn," or its possible precursor "Atterborn," might have been unknown to Muhlenberg.

"Atterborn" appears to have been uncommon as a surname, since it has yet to be found in early Continental European records, even though "Atter" and "Born/Borne" occur both as surnames and place names in Germany. Atterborns can be found today living in Sweden, but nothing more is currently known about their origin or history (see "News" on sidebar, above).

"Atterburn" seems to have been the most common variant of ARTERBURN in Virginia public records for PETER and WILLIAM, and also for Maryland Peter. Variation in the spelling of names was rife during the colonial era, as anyone who has pursued genealogy can readily attest. Language differences and literacy were undoubtedly factors, and another culprit may have been differences in pronunciation. The factor of pronunciation can partly be attributed to the English heritage of "received pronunciation" (RP), or the "King/Queen's English," and the dynamics of an evolving English language in both the Old World and New.

King's English, which prevailed among some English American immigrants (particularly those from London and the southeast midlands of England) during the colonial era, was characterized by non-rhotic pronunciation (omitting the R consonant sound unless followed by a vowel) and the prevalent use of broad A. This English pronunciation of ARTERBURN would likely have sounded something like, "Ah' tuh buhn" (A as in father).

If Maryland Peter, whose name appears in public records as "Atterburn," was a German-speaking immigrant, the German pronunciation of this name would probably have sounded remarkably similar. German double consonants (in this case, "tt") are preceded by the short vowel sound--in this case, short A. The German short A vowel sound is the sound heard between the English vowels in hut and hot, or "utter" and "otter," and is pronounced as a short, clipped sound.

Scottish and English emigrants who did not use broad A and non-rhotic pronunciation may have heard a sound--especially if slurred after exposure to diverse English speakers--very close to English short A, and have written "Atterburn" just as we find it in Maryland and Virginia. Those English Americans who were accustomed to King's English, on the other hand, may have heard this German short A sound as English broad A, and may have supplied the first non-rhotic R in spelling (see Endnote #25, below), resulting in ARTERBURN. Since German short A and English short O are also very close in sound, it seems surprising that more instances of the "Otterburn" spelling did not occur in Maryland or Virginia—perhaps another clue that "Otterburn" was mostly recognized as a misspelling of our surname.

American English would absorb much from the different dialects of English and other languages of immigrants. In this ferment of languages, dialects, and variable literacy that characterized early America, the ARTERBURN spelling persisted. This may have happened in part because rhotic pronunciation eventually prevailed (except for some sections of the American South and Northeast), since pronouncing R may have helped to establish the spelling of ARTERBURN. [25]

Professor Wayland's research reveals abundant evidences of Anglicization of German names in the Shenandoah Valley. [26] Political, social, and economic influences of Crown and Colony were probably underlying factors. Governor Spottswood's early experiments with the Germanna Colonies in northern Virginia had already paved the way for German immigrants in the Piedmont. Across the Blue Ridge, George Washington had begun his career as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax in the Shenandoah Valley, in 1748. Washington had a lifelong interest in land speculation, and began to acquire claims to western lands from this period. (By the time of his death, according to historian Richard Brookhiser, Washington's scattered estate holdings amounted to 60,000 acres.) Later, Washington would make Winchester his headquarters and his home while commander of the 1st Virginia Regiment, and while living there was elected Frederick County's representative to Virginia's colonial legislature, the House of Burgesses.

The town of Muellerstadt, founded by Jacob Miller (Mueller) in Frederick County, in 1752, was officially chartered and renamed, "Woodstock," in 1761. (Woodstock later became the seat of the new county of Dunmore, in 1772.) Washington himself sponsored the town charter in the House of Burgesses. From the time of the French & Indian War (1754-1763), Washington and others labored to bring the Shenandoah Valley into the orbit of Tidewater commerce and politics.

Muhlenberg's later presence there, as an influential German fluent in English with strong ties to both the Virginia gentry and the Anglican Church, seems to mirror the trend towards assimilation to English customs and language among the Germans of the Shenandoah Valley, by the time of the Revolution. This trend did not result in complete abandonment of German culture or language, as Wayland points out. Elements of both were often preserved within the family, at home, or even within the community, and Wayland cites evidence of this in subsequent generations of German families who remained in the Valley.

Rev. William Williamson, a Presbyterian clergyman and a Scot from Edinburgh, [27] performed marriages for some of PETER'S and WILLIAM'S sons and daughters, in Front Royal, Virginia (Warren County, after 1836). [28] Are these marriages by a Presbyterian minister clues of a Scottish ancestry for the ARTERBURNS, or just snapshots of changing times in the Shenandoah Valley? [29]

The available evidence suggests that PETER and WILLIAM originally identified with either the Lutheran or German Reformed faith tradition. Both Lutheran and Reformed congregations of Shenandoah County were without a dedicated pastor from 1776 to 1806, and did not meet regularly in Woodstock during this time (see Endnote #10, below). PETER and WILLIAM lived east of Massanutten Mountain in northeast Shenandoah County (later southwest Warren and northwest Page Counties), along the south fork of Shenandoah River, or South River. While some of the landowners along South River were English and Scots, some were also Germans. German tenant farmers and craftsmen also lived there. [30] South Fork meeting house, located south of Front Royal along the Indian Road (highway 340) leading to Bentonville and Luray, was a union church house that later served both Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists. It's quite possible that PETER and/or WILLIAM or some of their children, influenced by their Scottish neighbors, might later have joined the Presbyterians.

However, Rev. Williamson wasn't the only minister to perform marriages for the children of PETER and WILLIAM in Shenandoah County. According to early marriage records transcribed by John Wayland in his book, A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia, the minister who officiated in the marriages of "Sarah Arterburn and Nicholas Haun," and of "Elijah Arterburn and Sarah Vinson" was Lewis Corbin, a Baptist clergyman in the Shenandoah Valley, who later moved to Eastern Kentucky. "William Arterburn and Rachel Smote" were married by Simon Harr, a Lutheran lay pastor and school teacher of Shenandoah County.

The First Great Awakening had already begun working its way through the churches of colonial America by the late 18th century, loosening Old World sectarian ties and witnessing the emergence of new and old dissenter groups. This new movement of the spirit emphasized personal experience and authority of scripture more than liturgy and received doctrine. After the War for Independence and adoption of the new Constitution, religious freedom and tolerance increased, as did the popularity of these new churches.

The families of PETER and WILLIAM appear to have imbibed this new spirit of the Awakening that spread across the early American frontier. PETER'S oldest daughter, Jemima, married Jeffrey Collins and remained in the Shenandoah Valley. Both were members of the Dunkard Church, or German Baptists, which grew out of the Lutheran and German Reformed traditions. [31] In Kentucky, WILLIAM'S family subsequently embraced the new Christian Church, of Presbyterian and Baptist origin. Rev. Williamson solemnized the marriage of James, son of PETER, to Mary "Polly" Elsea (Elzey/Elzia) in Front Royal, yet Methodism (of Anglican origin) became the church of choice for some of their family in Tennessee and Kentucky.

PETER & SARAH and WILLIAM & NANCY chose names for some of their children that are often identified with English or Scottish families (e.g., "James, Jemima, Presley"). They also used some Biblical names that were common in both German and English families (e.g., "Elizabeth, Jacob, John"). "Presley" as a surname has been traced by descendants to both England and Germany, and was later used as a given name. "James" shares Biblical roots with the name "Jacob," and although more popular with the English, it was also used by Germans. "Jemima," another Biblical name, was less common but also used by German families.

German immigrants in colonial Virginia used a variety of typically English given names in their families during this time, as revealed by early baptism records (1750-1780) of Hebron Lutheran Church, in Culpeper County (Madison County, after 1792). [32]

We can only guess about the reasons behind their choices, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to believe that our ancestors' choice of names may have partly reflected the new "melting pot" culture of America in which they now lived. Their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren intermarried with their English, German, and Scottish neighbors in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. [33] Economic and social ties probably counted more than ethnic or cultural origin.

The evidence clearly shows that Maryland Peter, and PETER and WILLIAM, began their new lives in America as poor and landless (and probably illiterate) immigrants. Their assimilation, even survival, would have depended on adapting to the dominant English culture and society in which they lived. The families of PETER and WILLIAM appear to have assimilated and adapted very well to their new homes in America.



German or East European and English?



The International Genealogical Index (IGI) has a record of marriage, extracted from church records, for "William Arterburn" and "Jane Wilkinson," in the English port city of London, June 21, 1676. Their marriage was consecrated in Allhallows-on-the-Wall Anglican Church, on Broad Street, by the old London City Wall. Allhallows is a very old church, and has been associated with the trade guild of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters for over 600 years. [34] Whether this William was an emigrant from another land or was born in England cannot be determined from his marriage record, which consists of only a single-line entry with no further information. [35]

Nonetheless, this record is particularly important because it establishes the earliest known spelling of our surname in the Old World that matches the American spelling. London William represents both the earliest and the only known public record of the spelling, ARTERBURN, in the Old World, prior to the appearance of PETER and WILLIAM in America.

Whether or not London William was our ancestor, he was most likely our kinsman. If he had migrated from his German-speaking homeland in Continental Europe, and was living and working in London as a craftsman or laborer, his original surname could have been Anglicized--either at the time of marriage, or earlier (see Endnote #25, below). Jane Wilkinson's surname also may have been Anglicized, since "Wilckes" and "Wilckens" and other variants appear in early German church records, and Wulkenzin and Wilken-Berg occur as place names in Germany. The "Wilkinson" surname spelling can also be found in contemporary Germany.

Many "Wilkins" and "Wilkinson" families appear in London records, from the 17th century, of the churches surrounding Allhallows Wall Church, including St. Dunstan Church in the nearby East End village of Stepney. According to genealogists affiliated with the Family History Library (LDS) in Salt Lake City, the greatest concentration of German immigrants in London occurred in the East End. Despite some language differences, the English and German peoples shared a common heritage, and many Germans immigrated to the British Isles, or passed through England en route to her colonies in America. [36]

The English Census of 1851 includes a young family of three ARTERBURNS living in the port city of Liverpool, in northwest England. The earliest date indicated, 1823, is for the birth of the male head of household, "John Arterburn," [37] born in the adjacent county of Cumberland. John appears in Liverpool several generations after William in London, but they were most likely related, and the presence of each in or near a major English port city may be clues about their status or origin. John and his male descendants must have moved on or died out soon thereafter, since there were no ARTERBURNS recorded, anywhere in the British Isles, in the British Census of 1881.
"George W. Arterburn" appears in the English Census of 1891 (see Ancestry.com) as the four-year-old grandson of Gilbert and Sarah Dowson, all of whom were born in Skerne, county of East Riding of Yorkshire. "John W. Arterburn," age 16 and single, was a draper's apprentice in the household of John Nicholson, in the 1891 Census, residing in Scarborough, county of North Yorkshire. According to this record, John W. was also born in Scarborough, even though no ARTERBURNS were recorded in the British Census of 1881. In the 1851 Census, John of Liverpool had a one-year-old infant son named "John," but this earlier John and his son were born in Cumberland County. These 19th-century ARTERBURNS in England were most likely related, but we have no clues of their parents' origins, and no real evidence that they were all of the same family.

The relatively brief appearances and apparent circumstances of these later ARTERBURNS in different places and at different times in the British Isles seem to suggest the greater likelihood that they were indeed migrants or recent immigrants, rather than multi-generational residents. It's possible, of course, that some might have remained in England, but without any male progeny to perpetuate the ARTERBURN name.

The IGI lists two female marriages and one female christening, extracted from London church records, for the surname, "Aterborne, Atterborne, Atterbourn," 1619-1726. The IGI has extracted records of one female marriage and one male christening for the surname, "Atterburn," 1726-1769 (see Endnote #40, below). Either or all of these surname records could be evidence of one or more families of ARTERBURNS in London, or not.

"George Atterborn" (age 20, thus born about 1615) was bound for Virginia, in 1635, aboard the "Constance." Apparently, this vessel had originated in Rotterdam but subsequently docked in London where it was sidelined by repairs and court claims for recovery of passengers' fares. Its ultimate fate is unknown. "George Atterborne" later appeared in New England, so he evidently did make it to America, but nothing more has ever been discovered about George or his family, if any. [38]

Could George or his descendants have migrated to Maryland and/or Virginia, and could he have been the ancestor of Maryland Peter, and of PETER and WILLIAM? If Maryland Peter was an indentured farmer--as the court evidence strongly suggests, it seems unlikely that he could have been a 3rd or 4th generation descendant of George Atterborne. If Maryland Peter or PETER and WILLIAM were descendants of George, wouldn't they have benefited from their ancestors' labors in America, and would likely have had a greater degree of economic independence than they apparently had? Wouldn't there be surviving public records of the intervening generations of George's male descendants in America? Might George Atterborne have been a relative (without surviving male progeny) who arrived much earlier in America, if not our direct ancestor? Or, was George Atterborne of a different family altogether?

On the positive side, "Peter Atterburn" of Charles County, Maryland, presents an intriguing possible link between one or more of these London "Atterburns" and PETER ARTERBURN of Virginia. London William could also fit within this scenario as a possible ancestor or ancestral relative of Maryland Peter, and of Virginia PETER and WILLIAM.



Which Way Now?



With what we presently know, it's impossible to say with certainty whether these English and American records represent only one or more than one family; or, only the migrant or itinerant residency of a few individuals; or, whether these records might reflect a more permanent, multi-generational presence of ARTERBURNS through the British Isles to America. What can be said is that, after years of searching through genealogical records for England, Ireland, and Scotland--which included visits to London, Dublin, and Edinburgh, Art and Jan Arterburn were unable to find evidence of an English or Scottish ancestry. [39]

The weight of the evidence, it seems to me, supports the hypothesis that the ARTERBURNS came from Europe, probably from a land or culture where German was spoken. Consider the following:

1. PETER'S great grandson, Green Arterburn, preserved the tradition in his family that the ARTERBURNS were of German descent, and publicly declared this in a published biographical sketch.

2. The majority of ARTERBURN descendants interviewed by Art and Jan during their research believed that their roots were in Germany.

3. The given name, "Peter," used in two successive generations (i.e., Maryland Peter and PETER) by the ARTERBURNS, was much less common among English and Scottish Protestants after the Reformation, but remained popular with the Germans and Dutch. That the name "Peter" was not repeated in either of the immediate families of PETER or WILLIAM seems another clue of their deliberate efforts to assimilate to English culture.

4. The baptism of PETER'S infant daughter by a German Lutheran who was also an ordained priest in the Anglican Communion suggests that PETER was most likely neither Irish nor a Scot or Scotch-Irish.

5. The ARTERBURNS appear to have migrated from Prince William County through Fauquier County to Culpeper County, and finally to Dunmore/Shenandoah County, all of which were notably populated by German-speaking immigrants.

6. Almost all of the children of PETER and WILLIAM intermarried with other families in Virginia whose surnames have definite roots in Germany or the Continent. That some of these families could have migrated through the British Isles before coming to America remains a possibility. That most of these families were relatively poor and landless and in Shenandoah County suggest the greater likelihood of a more recent Continental origin.

7. There seem to be sufficient correlations of the ARTERBURN and "Atterburn" spellings to suspect a family link between London and America. A namesake connection between Luffman Atterburn and Thomas Luffman Atterburn and the Luffman (Laufmann) family in London points to the likelihood that this family of Atterburns were intimately linked with Luffmans--a surname of German or Austrian origin (see Endnote #40, below).

8. George Atterborn, although not likely our direct ancestor, could have been a relative. If "Atterborn" was the precursor of "Atterburn" and ARTERBURN, then George is one link we may have which can be traced from the Old World to the New. The ship on which George had first embarked, the Constance, had evidently originated in Rotterdam. The Netherlands was home to the Dutch, a German-speaking people, and Rotterdam was a known port of embarkation for many German-speaking emigrants from other parts of Europe, as well.

9. Finally, the DNA evidence suggests the greater likelihood of a Continental origin, since the R1a1 Haplogroup is more commonly found in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, but less frequently in Western Europe and the British Isles (see "Results," on sidebar above). Also, the apparent lack of documentary evidence of an ancestry for ARTERBURN or "Atterburn" in the British Isles and Western Europe suggests a more recent migration across the Continent and to America, but we know too little at this point to draw any definitive conclusions.

Given the current scarcity of Old World records for ARTERBURN, "Atterburn," and "Atterborn," we cannot be certain of when or where each first appeared. The possibility that one or all of these surnames could have been Anglicized--either partially or completely--in 17th-century London from a different European name altogether cannot be entirely dismissed. Also to be considered is whether our ancestor might have been an immigrant to America who came directly from Europe, perhaps through London, who may have had relatives either previously or currently in the British Isles.

If ARTERBURN was an Anglicized name--as appears likely, we should be prepared to find one or more English root words incorporated that may have sounded similar but without the same spelling or meaning as our original surname. Searching for clues in Europe among surnames (and place names) known to have been associated with ARTERBURNS and Atterburns might be productive. For example, the fact that "Born" was the German exonym in an earlier time for the village of Kaplava, Latvia, seems worth investigating. [40]

If a paper trail for our earliest ARTERBURN ancestors continues to be elusive, DNA may yet provide additional clues about our family's origin and early history.

*************************************************

Endnotes




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1. Arterburn, Charles R. Some Research Notes and Current Hypotheses of the Origin of the Arterburn Family and Surname: Based on Historical and Genealogical Sources and Recent DNA Analyses (5th revised ed.), Lexington, Kentucky : C.R. Arterburn, 2009.


2. Arterburn, C. Norben and Janet D. Arterburn. The Arterburn Cousins, [S.l. : s.n., 1977]


3. The Virginia Historical Inventory in the Library of Virginia collection includes a WPA site survey (1936) identified as the Peter Arterburn house, located near Bentonville/Flint Run, in Page Valley, southwest Warren County (Shenandoah County, before 1836). According to Deed records, PETER owned this property for only five years. On May 25, 1780, Samuel Stover (Stauffer) conveyed 204 acres, "being the equal part or half of a tract of 408 acres by survey made by Mr. George Humes by patent granted to Thomas Norman of Augusta County baring [sic] date 14th June 1751," to Archibald Allen for 400 Pounds, 5 Shillings. On the same day, Samuel and his wife Barbara conveyed the other "equal half" of this tract, 204 acres, to PETER ARTERBURN, for 65 Pounds, 5 Shillings, "current money." There were no witnesses recorded for either Deed, and the wording of both is virtually identical. Was PETER'S tract of such poor quality compared with Allen's to justify such a great disparity in price? Presuming "equal half" to mean of equal value, and taking "current money" as a clue, PETER must have bought this property on credit with only a down payment.

No reason is given in the Deed for the sale of the property to James Stinson five years later, but a reasonable presumption might be that PETER couldn't afford to keep it. Shenandoah County Court Minutes has the following entry, dated December 25, 1783: "On motion of Peter Arterburn, he is henceforth exempted from the payment of the County Levy," without further explanation. In Charles Buck's 1787 Tax List, "Peter Atterburn" is again listed as exempt. It remains unclear as to why PETER was granted this exemption, or whether it was permanent or only temporary. Could this have been Maryland Peter (age 72), or was it his son, PETER (age 40-50)? Was PETER disabled, or unable to meet his tax obligation for some other reason? Is this exemption a clue that PETER couldn't make the payments on his farm?

Probably it was PETER, since Charles Buck's tax list and John Netherton's previous censuses have only one person with this name. There are no other clues in any of Shenandoah's published public records of two older and contemporaneous persons named, "Peter Atterburn/Arterburn." For now, we have no knowledge of what happened to Maryland Peter, or when or where he died.

According to Stinson's Deed, recorded November 25, 1785, he paid 60 Pounds, 5 Shillings--5 Pounds less than what PETER had paid. (Again, no witnesses were recorded.) There were no stipulations in PETER'S first Deed about remaining installments, no subsequent court action by Stover to recover any loss due to a default by PETER, and no mention of Stover's property interests in Stinson's Deed. Some of these transactions may have been handled privately, perhaps as gentlemen's agreements among friends, or possibly even among relatives.

(Note: Samuel Stover (Stauffer) was a Swiss German who owned property near Big Spring, about 10 miles south of PETER'S Bentonville/Flint Run property, between Luray and Rileyville in present-day northwest Page County (cf. O'Dell's Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia)

When Art & Jan Arterburn visited PETER'S property, in 1974, they reported only a small structure "of stone and mud mortar" on the Bentonville/Flint Run site, which was believed to have originated with PETER. Dan & Lynn Arterburn Coleman visited the Bentonville site, in 1983. They also found a small, one-room stone structure, which was partially dug into the earth, and without a roof. This structure, described by both Art & Jan and Dan & Lynn, may have been the remains of the cellar indicated in the 1936 WPA site survey.

According to the site survey, a "dilapidated" log house covered with weatherboard occupied this site, in 1936. Dan & Lynn also reported a vacant house nearby. It's unclear whether the house they saw was the log house surveyed in 1936, or a new structure added since then. But the survey's description of a cellar "under one end" of the log house seems to be a clue that the 1936 log structure was already gone by the time of both visits.

(Note: Construction of a walk-in cellar underneath the house was characteristic of German building practices in early America, as illustrated by the log home of German immigrant and pioneer, George Bowman (Bauman), of adjacent Rockingham County:

"George Bowman began construction of his house in 1773. His first task was to begin excavation of the cellar, a laborious task requiring the digging out the side of the hill that he had selected for just this purpose. This integral part of Germanic housing in both Germany and America was used to store large quantities of perishable foods at relatively cool and stable temperatures."

Bowman's house has been relocated and is now preserved at the Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton, Virginia.)

The WPA survey also indicates the separate "remains of a big stone chimney in yard." Neither Art & Jan nor Dan & Lynn remembered this chimney from their visits, so apparently it was already gone by then. Could this old chimney have been the remains of an earlier house, perhaps the house of PETER, that predated the log house of the 1936 survey, or was it the remains of some other structure contemporaneous with PETER'S house? In John Netherton's Census of 1785, PETER had a "dwelling," but WILLIAM did not. They were not listed together, so apparently WILLIAM was not sharing PETER'S farm and homesite.

Although weatherboard, narrow flooring, and a brick chimney suggest the likelihood of later improvements to an earlier structure, the log house with stone chimney and cellar of the 1936 site survey may well have originated with PETER, but we may never know for sure.

4. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.


5. Art & Jan Arterburn were once in contact, during the 1970s, with Shenandoah County genealogist and historian, Fred P. Painter, who claimed that he had proof of Swiss ancestry (i.e., German-speaking emigrants from that part of the European Continent known today as Switzerland) for the ARTERBURNS. But his offer of evidence came with a price, which at the time was deemed too costly, especially since Art & Jan were still very much engaged in their own research efforts. Alas, Mr. Painter passed away soon thereafter, and presumably took his secret--whatever it was--to the grave.


6. Research will continue as interest in genetic genealogy grows. Geneticist Spencer Wells, author of The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey, is widely recognized as one of the leading researchers and heads up National Geographic Society's Genographic Project (see "News," above). The Arterburn DNA sample has been included in the Genographic Project.


7. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14. The entire though brief biographical sketch, which originally appeared in Portrait and Biographical Album of Coles County, Illinois, is quoted in the entry for Green Arterburn in The Arterburn Cousins.


8. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.


9. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.


10. "It appears that the Lutherans have built in Woodstock, the county seat, at least three successive church houses: One in 1803, one in 1822, and another (the present one) in 1884. This enumeration does not include the church in which Muhlenberg preached from 1772 to 1776. That building was probably erected prior to 1761, but just when or by whom we have no records to show. Evidently it was used by English and Germans together; and after the Establishment broke down in 1776, it is probable that the Germans of the community (both Lutherans and Reformed likely) continued to meet at least occasionally in the old (Muhlenberg) church for worship. ... The congregation had no regular pastor from 1776 to 1806, a period of 30 years. During this long interval the congregation was kept alive by visiting Lutheran pastors, Rev. Henry Moellen, Rev. C. F. Wilbaum (1776); in 1786 Rev. Jacob Goeing; in 1792 Rev. Christian Streit of Winchester; in 1793 Rev. J. D. Young of Martinsburg." [Parentheses original]

Above excerpted from John W. Wayland's A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and published online at the Shenandoah County GenWeb site.


11. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.

Wayland's A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia also includes a list of Muhlenberg's baptisms, in an appendix.


12. According to the U.S. Census of Virginia in 1790, the total population (not including 512 slaves) of Shenandoah County consisted of the following groups of self-reported origin:

4,113 were Germans,
2,027 were English or Welsh,
294 were Scots, and
26 were Irish.

These figures show that German American families were still in the majority in Shenandoah County, in 1790--by far the largest German population of any county in Virginia. Very likely, the total population of Shenandoah (then Dunmore) County was less in 1773, which was about the time that PETER and WILLIAM first appeared there, and with a greater concentration of Germans overall, too. The Scotch-Irish, or Scots-Irish, apparently gravitated more toward those Virginia counties just south of the Shenandoah Valley, ranging from present-day Augusta County (see Endnote #28, below) to the west and southwest, and into the Appalachian Mountains.

See also John W. Wayland's The German Element of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia.


13. Neither PETER nor WILLIAM served as soldiers during the American Revolutionary War. Both were poor and had young children at the time, which was probably the reason(s) they were non-combatants. PETER and WILLIAM both appear in a Dunmore County Census of military district #3 (later, Page and Warren Counties) taken by Captain John Netherton, in 1775, which included local residents who could be called upon for militia duty if needed (cf. Brumbaugh, 1935).

(Note: Netherton's lists of 1775 and 1785 have many of the same names, including PETER and WILLIAM, who appear in both lists. Wayland's transcription (cf. Wayland, 1927) of Netherton's and John Hutchirson's sections of the 1785 Census include his description of the areas covered as "now upper Warren" and "the south branch of the Shenandoah River above Front Royal." It's important to note that Wayland is apparently speaking topographically here (i.e., upper, above) and not geographically (i.e., north, south). While he further describes "upper Warren" as including such towns as Overall, Bentonville, and Limeton, when looking at a map of Warren County, these towns actually lie in southwest Warren County. One might easily mistake the expressions, "above Front Royal" and "upper Warren," if looking at a map, to imply north of Front Royal. Netherton's and Hutchirson's lists actually covered areas south of Front Royal, as corroborated in the Deeds.)

WILLIAM ARTERBURN, William Thomas, and Thomas Harding, along with other Virginians who remained on the home front but supported the cause, later submitted claims (1782-83) and were reimbursed (see Virginia Revolutionary Publick Claims) for services rendered of driving beef cattle in support of Virginia state troops.


14. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.

That PETER was a renter or tenant farmer, after giving up the Bentonville/Flint Run property, is corroborated by an entry recorded, April 29, 1790, in Shenandoah County Deed Book G:

"Know all men by these presents that I Zachariah McKoy [sic: McKay] of County of Sullivan and State of North Carolina [Tennessee, after 1796] ... do constitute and ordain my well beloved friends Jeremiah McKoy [sic: McKay, Zachariah's great nephew] & Sinnett Young of County Shanandoah and State of Virginia my Lawfull Attorneys for me and in my name ... for the Recovery of my Rents whereon George Priest, Thomas Vinson, and Peter Arterburn now lives [sic] ... witness whereon I have set my hand and seal this 8th day of Februrary 1790 ... Witnesses: Edwin Young, William Dobson, James McKoy [sic: McKay]."
(Gilreath, 2002. Underline and bracketed contents added)

(Note: The surnames "Priest" and "Vinson" can be found in both England and Germany. These and similar instances suggest immigration of Germans to England, as has been documented. From this alone, of course, we can't be certain whether George Priest or Thomas Vinson or their ancestors came from the British Isles or directly from Germany.)

Cecil O'Dell, in his Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia, has mapped many of the early landowners along the south branch or fork of the Shenandoah River, known as the South River.

Robert McKay (1680-1752), a Scottish Quaker from Cecil County, Maryland and his partner, Jost Hite, a German from Pennsylvania, were issued an initial patent for 100,000 acres located on several branches of the Shenandoah River, in 1731. The family of Robert McKay (Sr.) would continue for generations to control prime parcels of bottomland on both sides of the south branch, or South River.

(Note: On September 30, 1790, James McKay, son of Robert (Sr.), "consigned Power of Attorney to Isaac McCarty of Nelson County, Kentucky for the purpose of recovering and receiving money for land in Kentucky." Among Robert's Shenandoah County descendants was a great grandson named, "Enos McKay," born October, 1, 1774. (O'Dell: 415,416) The name "Enos McKay" suggests some kind of link with "Enos McKie" (a variant spelling recognized by the MacKay Clan) who later married WILLIAM'S daughter, Sarah, in Jefferson County, Kentucky (cf. The Arterburn Cousins). Jefferson and Nelson are adjacent counties.)

Zachariah McKay--PETER'S landlord--inherited from his father, Robert (Sr.), the "plantation named Nathaniel Calbreath's Bottom," whereon he lived. O'Dell was not successful in pinpointing this South River tract, so we can't be certain of the exact location where PETER was living in 1790. However, Zachariah McKay appears in the list of tithables (i.e., taxpayers), in 1746 and again in 1750, who were responsible for the upkeep of a section of the old Indian Road (now highway 340), which ran parallel to the South River. This particular section was located between Caleb Job's Mill, at Overall, and the old Frederick/Augusta County line near Riverside, just south of Front Royal. A branch of this old road also ran along the west side of the River, via Indian Hollow Road across Brush Bottom Ford, north along Panhandle Road, to James McKay's 310-acre plantation (located along the River, up to McCoys Ford Road). James' plantation was his father's (Robert Sr.) old home place. Zachariah McKay's property must have been located somewhere in this vicinity.

(Note: Zachariah McKay's move, about 1790, to Sullivan County, Tennessee, might have influenced PETER'S son, James, who later moved there, about 1805.)

As tenants or renters, PETER and WILLIAM may have lived at different locations during their residency of 30 years in Dunmore/Shenandoah County. The names with which they are associated in public records suggest that they lived along the South River or its branches (i.e., Runs) in Page Valley, in what would later become southwest Warren County, and northwest Page County. WILLIAM was located in poor district #2, as late as 1795, which also confirms this (see Endnote #26, below). Their presence in Page Valley with other landless Germans among English and Scottish and German planters probably mirrors both their socio-economic status and history. Unlike the Germans who came from Pennsylvania, PETER and WILLIAM had apparently migrated across northern Virginia from Maryland. They were no doubt already well acquainted with the ways of the English and Scots. They may have accompanied others who came to Dunmore County from Prince William, Fauquier or Culpeper Counties, or from Maryland.

Most of the public records in Dunmore/Shenandoah County for PETER and WILLIAM name one or the other as a witness on the recorded Deeds of landowners who lived in the vicinity of South River. The following are published abstracts of these Shenandoah County Deed and Order Book entries (see Bibliography: Gilreath). Several of the entries include indications that "marks" were used by both PETER (P) and WILLIAM (X) for signatures, a clue that they may have been illiterate:

June 22, 1773. Reubin Padget, Sr. to "Theophlus Padget, son of Reubin Padget ... confirmed piece or parcel of land lying on branches of Flint run." Witnesses: "Philip Crume, Abraham Raws, Peter Arterburn, John Calfee."

June 22, 1773. John Calfee to Henry Calfee. 118 acres "on one of the main branches of Flint Run." Witnesses: "Theophlus Paget, Reubin Paget, Peter Atterburn, Philip Crume, and Benjamin Bercley."

May 26, 1774, from the Order Book: "In Debt. Alexander Macher, Plt. v. Henry Speelman, Deft. This day came the Plaintiff by his attorney ... Defendant being arrested and ruled to find Special bail but failing therein ... unless said Deft. find such bail at the next Court ... Judgment shall be given Plt. against said Deft. and Peter Arturberner his bail for appearance ..."

(Note: The surname, Speelman/Spielmann, can be found in early German church records and in contemporary Germany. Spielmann also exists as a placename in Germany and in southcentral Austria. Johannes "John" Spielmann was one of the original German settlers of the First Germanna Colony, in 1714. Henry Speelman may have been a descendant or relative.)

May 25, 1780. Samuel Stover to Peter Arterburn. "Tract of land containing two hundred and fore [sic] acres more or less ... being the equal half of a Tract of Four hundred & eight acres by a survey made by Mr. George Humes by patent granted to Thomas Norman of Augusta County [Dunmore, after 1772] baring [sic] date 14th June 1751 ... Consideration of five shillings and Sixty five Pounds current money ... Samuel Stover, Barbara (X) Stover. Witnesses: None."

November 28, 1782, from the Order Book: "Upon motion of Ann Cunningham who made oath according to Law ... Certificate is granted her for obtaining letters of Adm. of the Estate of John Cunningham, Dec'd. in due form ... William Thomas & Peter Arterburn her securities ..."

(Note: The surname, Thomas/Tomas, can be found in early German church records and as both a surname and placename in contemporary Germany. Tomas also occurs as a surname and placename in southcentral Austria. Hans "John" Wendell Thomas/Tomas was one of the original German settlers of the Second Germanna Colony, in 1717. William Thomas and his brother, John, may have been descendants or relatives.)

December 25, 1783, from the Minute Book: "On motion of Peter Arterburn he is henceforth exempted from the Payment of the County Levy ...."

May 27, 1784, from the Order Book: "Ann Cunningham, Adm. of John Cunningham, dec'd. Plt. vs Peter Arterburn, Charles Reagans & Edwin Young, Deft. - In Debt. This day came the Plaintiff by her Attorney ... Alexander Machir undertook for Deft. Young ... said Deft. Arterburn being arrested was solemnly called but came not ... unless he appear at next Court ... Judgment be then entered agst. him and John Hutcheson his Security for the debt and costs ..."

(Note: The surname, Jung, is quite common in early German church records and in contemporary Germany. Jung also occurs as a surname and placename in Austria. Johannes "John" Young/Jung was a German immigrant who settled across the Rappahannock River from Germantown (in present-day Culpeper County), about 1734. Edwin Young may have been a descendant or relative.)

May 27, 1784, from the Order Book: "Ann Cunningham Plt. vs John Grayham & Peter Arterburn Deft. - In Debt. This day came the Plaintiff by his Attorney ... Deft. being arrested was solemnly called but came not ... unless said Deft. appear at next Court ... Judgment then be entered agst. him and Joseph Thomas & John Hutcheson their Security for the Debt."

May 27, 1784. John Woolf to William Henry. 150 acres "on Flint Run." Witnesses: "Henry Reagan, Peter (P) Arterburn, Daniel Hackney."

November 25, 1785. Peter Arterburn to James Stinson. "Consideration of five Shillings and Sixty Pounds ... one certain tract of land containing two hundred & four acres more or less being the equal half of a tract of four hundred and eight acres by a Survey made thereof by Mr. George Humes by patent granted to Thos. Norman of Augusta County bearing date from the Proprietors office the 14th June 1751 and since by sundry conveyances become the property of said Peter Alterburn ... corner to William Calfee ..." "Peter (P) Arterburn, Sarah (#) Arterburn. Witnesses: None."

September 9, 1794. George Harding to Henry Harding Jr. 121 acres on the "south side of Gooney Run" (north of Flint Run). "George (X) Harding, Margaret (X) Harding." Witnesses: "William Allen, John Netherton Jr., William Arturburn."

September 9, 1794. George Harding to Thomas Allen. 316 acres "on the east side of Shenandoah River" (i.e., the east side of the south fork of Shenandoah River, also known as South River). "George (X) Harding, Margaret (X) Harding." Witnesses: "William Allen, John Netherton Jr., William Arturburn, Vincent ( ) Brannon."

June 13, 1797. John Broughill to John McKarty. 172 acres, "lying and being in Jacob Fallis line on the bank of the branch of Jeremys Run [near Rileyville, in northwest Page County] ... corner to Frederick Hershberger's land." Witnesses: "W. Jennings Jr., Daniel Trout, William ( ) Arterboun."

April 11, 1797. Duskin Tibbs to Hezikiah Woodward. 294 acres, "on Gooney Run [north of Flint Run] a branch of the Shenandoah River [South River] ... in Thomas Montgomery's line." Witnesses: "William (X) Arterburn, Christian ( ) Vaught, Jno. Hambough, Thomas Woodward."

April 9, 1799. Jonathan Clark, James Green, and Andrew McKoy (sic: McKay)--Commissioners representing the estate interests of Jost Hite, Robert Green, William Duff, and Robert McKoy (sic: McKay)--to John Roy, for 253 acres, "lying with the lines of one of the twenty seven surveys commonly called South River survey." Witnesses: "Jeremiah McKay, Wm. ( ) Arterburn, John Curl."

O'Dell's account from court records of the development of the old Indian Road along South River reveals the names of the local inhabitants charged with its upkeep. Some of these early surnames are clearly German (e.g., Hurst/Harst/Horst). Other names may have been Anglicized (e.g., Harding/Harting/Hartung):

"On 25 November 1743, the Orange County Court ordered Robert McKay, Caleb Job and James Leith to view and lay off the road from Massanutten (Luray area) to Caleb Job's Mill (Overall, Virginia on Overall Run). On 22 March 1743/44, the Court appointed Robert McKay to serve as overseer of this section of the road and that Philip Long 'with his gang help clear the same.' The Court directed the overseers (McKay and Long) to divide their 'gangs' after the road was cleared. Philip Long lived on an 850-acre tract at Alma, Page County, Virginia where U.S. Highway 340 crosses the South Branch Shenandoah.

[Note: George Long/Lang was one of the original German settlers of the Second Germanna Colony, in 1717. Philip may have been a descendant or relative.]

"The Orange County Court on 28 June 1745 stated, 'The order for Adam Cunningham, James McCoy [sic: McKay] and George Leith to view the way from Job's Mill to Frederick County line not being yet performed is continued.' All three men lived between present-day Overall, Warren County and Bentonville, Virginia. The Orange County Court referred to this road from the county line to Philip Long's place as the 'The road through Augusta (County) called the Indian Road.'

"The Augusta County Court on 18 March 1746/47 ordered that the following men be appointed to work on the 'Road ordered from Caleb Jobs Mill down (north) to the County line (Frederick)':

"James McKay, Moses McKay, Henry Harding, John Hill, Philip Crume, Thomas Land, William Hurst, Thomas Burk [sic: Buck], William Harrel, Thomas Grubbs, William Hawkins, Zachery McKay, Joshua Job, James McNeal, Adam Cunningham, Jacob Harrill, Charles Coxe, Charles Burke [sic: Buck], Ephrm. Leeth and Caleb Job.

"The inhabitants on the north side of the South River Shenandoah presented a petition to the Augusta County Court in 1750/51 wherein they stated that approximately three years earlier, the Court had ordered a road running down from Caleb Job's plantation down the south (east) side of the South River to James McKay's plantation [south of Front Royal], 'which road is not suitable, and prepare a location on North side crossing the river at a place called the Brush Bottom Ford and so along the river by Henry Speer's plantation. Prayer for survey:

"Mason Combs, William Hurst, Zachariah McKay, Stephen Phillips, John Hankins, Charles Thompson, Thomas Parent, Adam Cunningham, John Sollers, William Overall, Terrence Carroll, Alexander Gunnel, Benjamin Guden, Josiah Parent, Edmon Bollen, Thomas Grubbs, Richard Shirley, Thomas Hues, William Dickerson, Thomas McNeal, Ephraim Leeth, William Parent.'

"This petition requested that the road at present-day Bentonville (U.S. Highway 340) turn west, running along Warren County Highway 613 [Indian Hollow Rd] across Brush Bottom Ford (now Indian Hollow Bridge, a low water bridge) to James McKay's 310-acre plantation.

"Another petition to the Augusta County Court in 1751/1752 stated, 'recites that last fall the Court sent James McKay and Richard Harrill to view a road. They accordingly viewed a road to strike out of McKay's road at Reuben Paget's and so to keep down the River on the east side to the County line. Prays an order to appoint Philip Crum or William Hurst or William Harrill to be surveyor, and order all tithables on Flint Run or its branches and Gooney's Run or its branches from Walter Cunningham's down [north] to the County line [old Frederick County line, just south of Front Royal]:

"Jacob Harrill, Peter Emlie, Anthony Horton, Reuben Paget, Richard Harrill Sr., William Owens, John Kelly, Howard Gibson, James McCoy, Philip Crume, Joseph Hokens, William Hurst, Thomas Land, Richard Harrill, William Harrill, Thomas Monmon, William Colbee [sic: Calfee], Thomas Harrill, John Harrill, John Jones, Joseph Ballenger, James Land, Moses Harrill.'

"Apparently, this petition concerned the original 18 March 1746/47 Court Order for the (Indian) Road from Walter Cunningham's tract running north on or near U.S. Highway 340 between Flint Run/Gooney Run and the South River. Cunningham lived west of Limeton, Virginia near U.S. Highway 340 and about 1 1/2 miles north of Warren County Highway 613 [Indian Hollow Road]."

[O'Dell: 490, 491. Parentheses original. Underline and bracketed contents added. Underline indicates names that also appear in public records associated with PETER and WILLIAM--also an indication that these individuals or families predated the arrival of the ARTERBURNS in Shenandoah County.]


15. This online transcription from Court Records of Prince George's County, Maryland, 1696-1699, clearly reveals that Richard Gambra was a Maryland planter who employed indentured servants, and that he was probably a severe master:

"Ordered that Christopher Fisher Servant to Richard Gambra be comitted into the Sheriffs Custody and to be hand to the Whipping poast there to Receive twenty Lashes well Laid on, and Continue in the Custody of the Sheriffe till his Master Send for him." [Underline added]


16. Unpublished update of The Arterburn Cousins, reported by Art and Jan Arterburn, February, 2005.


17. For additional scholarly research about indentured labor and the agricultural economy of colonial Charles County, Maryland, see William & Mary Quarterly and American Historical Review. See also this study of punishments meted out by some colonial era courts in Maryland and Pennsylvania to disobedient indentured servants, published online by Melissa Roe of Lafayette College, Easton, PA.


18. See "White Servitude" for an essay by historian Richard Hofstadter that takes a candid and critical look at the darker side of indentured servitude in colonial America. "On The Path to Slavery," a recent master's thesis at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, examines indentured servitude in 17th century Virginia.


19. From The German Americans: An Ethnic Experience. "Inequality: Incomes, Occupations, Social Structure" (Chapter Four), published online:

"Those families who initially worked as indentured servants acclimated more rapidly to their surroundings. They picked up the language more readily, got acquainted with American farming methods, learned the techniques of craftsmen, as well as about commerce and the law."


20. Unpublished update of The Arterburn Cousins, reported by Art and Jan Arterburn, February, 2005.


21. Unpublished update of The Arterburn Cousins, reported by Art and Jan Arterburn, February, 2005.


22. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit.


23. Adam Otterburn, who served the Scottish Crown as Lord Advocate, 1525-1538, was married to Janet Rhynd. The family initially resided in Reidhall, Fife, Scotland, a lieutenancy area (formerly, county) just south of Angus. Several Otterburns appear in church records, in the 17th-18th centuries, living in those counties--including Angus--that surround the city and port of Edinburgh. The family of "James Etterburn" also appears in church records (Church of Scotland) in Abirlot (Angus County), and in one record there as "James Atterburn." "Elizabeth Atterburn" was christened in Abirlot, in 1753, born to "James and Margaret Hillox Atterburn." James appears as "James Etterburn" in his marriage record to "Margaret Hillocks," in 1743, and also in four later church records there of the christening of their other children. Although this James does not appear in any IGI church record as "Otterburn," he might have been an Otterburn, since other Otterburns lived in Angus County, and also appear in Abirlot Church records.

Could James Etterburn/Atterburn have been an ARTERBURN? We have no evidence to suggest this other than this spelling variation of his surname, but this could be an important clue. Since Scots did not adopt broad A or the non-rhotic pronunciation of their English neighbors to the south, the German short A sound in "Atterborn" could easily have been heard as the English short E or short A and transcribed accordingly--especially if they knew these folks were not Otterburns. In a country, county, and church where the Otterburns must have been well known, it seems unlikely that his fellow Scots would have consistently misspelled James' surname, if he had actually been an Otterburn. Europeans are known to have immigrated to Scotland and Ireland during this period. That James Etterburn/Atterburn could have been an Atterborn, or an ARTERBURN--and our relative, has to remain a distinct possibility. Nevertheless, there were no Etterburn or Atterburn or ARTERBURN families to be found in Scotland, or anywhere else in the British Isles during the British Census of 1881.

The surname of James' spouse, "Hillocks/Hillox/Hilloches," appears to have counterparts (e.g., "Hillekes/Hellekes") in early German church records, and also in contemporary Germany. Several of the in-law surnames (e.g., Lauder, Rae, Rhynd) of early Scottish Otterburns also appear to have German counterparts (e.g., Lauder, Ray/Rae, Rund). This evokes the question of the ultimate origin of the Otterburn family line(s), and of whether there might have been more than one (i.e., English and Scottish). "Otter, Otterbach, and Otterberg" are German surnames and place names. The surname, "Otterborn," although evidently rare, can also be found in early German church records. Might the Scottish Otterburns/Otterbournes have originally been German "Otters" or "Otterborns," or even some other sound-alike precursor name?

The DNA evidence appears to have ruled out the English Otterburns as possible relatives of the ARTERBURNS. If there were two distinct Otterburn family lines in the British Isles, then it's at least possible that the ARTERBURNS and Scottish Otterburns could have had earlier common roots in Europe, although we have no evidence for this. If the English Otterburns and Scottish Otterburns are one and the same family line, then we are not related to either, apparently--according to the DNA evidence.

Aside from the DNA evidence, the supposition that our ancestor was an Otterburn who came from either Scotland or northeast England seems inconsistent with the indirect evidences of a German cultural origin found in the lives of PETER and WILLIAM and their families in Virginia.

24. A later instance of the "Otterburn" spelling occurs on a highway map (1936) of west Warren County, Virginia, which shows the following place names: "Otterburn School and Otterburn Road." No evidence is known that directly connects these place names with either the ARTERBURNS or with an Otterburn family in Shenandoah County. "Otterburn" as a surname does not appear to have had a distinct family presence in Warren County, according to the Warren Heritage Society--or even in colonial America, since the name does not appear in early censuses or histories. Today, the small rural school building still stands but no longer serves its original purpose. The road has ceased to be identified as such, although the Fourth District of Warren County still bears the name of "Otterburn Precinct." The road and precinct names apparently derived from their association with this early school, long since consolidated. What was the origin/source of these place names?

According to the Heritage Society, the school dates to the early 20th century, and was so named by the contractor who built it. The contractor's descendants once reported that the name was chosen to honor an early tribe of Native Americans in this area, but nothing like "Otterburn" can be found among the list of known Virginia tribes. The authors of The Arterburn Cousins report two obscure references uncovered during their research: That some descendants believed the ARTERBURNS to have Indian ancestry, and that the ARTERBURNS were believed to have once lived "at the Indian," in Virginia. Since they could find no evidence to support a Native American ancestry for the ARTERBURNS, the authors interpreted the former as a confusion of the latter. While searching for the location of the "Indian," they discovered geographical coordinates (Lat N. 38° 50’, Lon W. 78° 09’ 45”) for a recognized Virginia place name known as "Indian Run," and located this site in neighboring northwest Rappahannock County, in Shenandoah National Park.

Could the early 20th-century contractor who built Otterburn School in Warren County have been relying on a garbled and conflated local tradition about Native Americans and the ARTERBURN family?

Another possible explanation for the tradition of the ARTERBURNS living "at the Indian" could be the fact that an early and important road that ran along the east side of the South River through Bentonville, where PETER'S Deed was located, was known as the "Indian Road"--highway 340, today (cf. "Early Roads in Old Frederick County, Virginia," Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia, by Cecil O'Dell). At Bentonville, the old Indian Road also turned west and proceeded along Indian Hollow Road (highway 613, west), crossing the river at Brush Bottom Ford, and proceeding north along the west side of South River (via highway 613--Panhandle Road) to James McKay's plantation (up to McCoys Ford). The Bentonville to Browntown Road (highway 613, east),on the opposite or east side of highway 340, crosses Flint Run nearby and the location of PETER'S property. Indian Road and Indian Hollow Road may be clues of an early Indian tradition associated with this area (see Endnote #14, above).

Isaac Arterburn, grandson of PETER, was reputed to have married a woman of Native American ancestry, in Tennessee. This might also be a factor contributing to a tradition of an Indian heritage in some later ARTERBURN families.



The historic "Otterburn" house and property in Bedford County, Virginia, is situated near the peaks of Otter, on the Little Otter River that flowed through the "Little Otter estate" of a wealthy Scotsman, Benjamin Donald (1797-1871), which Donald later called, "Otterburn." Donald may have been inspired by historic memory of the Medieval Battle of Otterburn, important in the wars for Scottish independence, and may have adopted the sentimental name for his New World estate on the Little Otter River. Or, Donald's adoption of this name for his estate may have simply reflected nostalgia for his Scottish linguistic heritage, since "burn" was the common Scottish (Middle English) word for a stream.


25. Presuming an Atterborn/ARTERBURN connection, how could the influence of "received pronunciation" (RP), or the "Queen's/King's English," have been a significant factor in the transformation of "Atterborn" into ARTERBURN, in 17th-century London?

This era was marked by a shift in several English vowel sounds, concurrent with the rise of non-rhotic pronunciation and the emergence of the new phoneme of the broad A sound (sometimes called "long A") in many English words. From the Wikipedia article, "Development of non-rhotic accents":

"The earliest traces of a loss of /r/ in English are found in the environment before /s/ in spellings from the mid-15th century. ... John Walker uses the spelling AR to indicate the broad A of aunt in his 1775 dictionary and reports that card is pronounced "caad" in 1791 (Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006: 47)." [Underline and italics added]

It's important to note that this change, of not pronouncing R unless followed by a vowel, and also in some cases if at the end of a word (coda R), did not result in the elimination of R from the spelling of those words. A good speller would still have spelled these words with all of the Rs intact.

A number of Early Modern English words with Middle English roots that begin with the AR phoneme (e.g., arbour, ardour, artery, Arthur) are known to have been affected by this shift to non-rhotic and broad A pronunciation. The case cited above from Walker’s dictionary, of AR representing the broad A sound in "aunt," seems a clue of just how closely associated were the this new broad A phoneme and the AR phoneme, since this particular word doesn’t even contain the AR spelling. These changes had begun in southern England as early as the 15th century, and were still underway in 1676, long before Walker compiled his dictionary.

"Atterborn" appears to have been a compound German surname (i.e., Atter & Born). The German short A pronunciation (the English vowel sound between utter and otter) of "Atterborn" would have sounded very similar to English broad A (A as in father).

The surnames of Germans living in London were often Anglicized, whether by themselves, the Church, or by other authorities. London William's surname may have simply been misspelled, or Anglicized, at the time of his marriage--especially if he was illiterate and only vocalizing his name. An Allhallows cleric may have heard the German short A sound in "Atterborn" as English broad A, identified it as the sound of the new AR phoneme, and inserted the first non-rhotic R in spelling London William's surname, turning it into ARTERBURN. This might very well have been the first instance of this spelling.

Since "born/borne" and "bourne/burn" are so very close both in spelling and in sound--whether pronounced rhotically or non-rhotically, it's easy to see how the more familiar English spelling could have been easily substituted for the German.

Although plausible, this remains a speculative scenario, since we have only one (before PETER and WILLIAM) occurrence of ARTERBURN in the Old World, and no clear link to the three Atterborns or two Atterburns who also appear in London church records. Nor do we have any other clues about William's literacy or his status in London, or when his surname was first adopted or written down. Since no other records have been found in London of christenings for William and Jane's children, it seems reasonable to infer that either they were childless, or were not regular Anglican communicants, or else must have been temporary residents.


26. Professor Wayland, commenting about his research into German immigrant families and their surnames, in his History of Rockingham County, Virginia, strikingly notes this fact:

"One is constantly confronted with instances in which names originally German have been changed into forms that are not now recognized as German. For example, the county records contain entries in which Zimmerman is changed to Carpenter; Yager to Hunter; Swartz to Black; etc. In an inspection of names Carpenter, Hunter, and Black would not usually be counted as German; and many similar cases may be cited; hence the probability that one is apt to underestimate the number of German families, rather than overestimate it, from an inspection of the names in their present forms."


27. From Early American Presbyterians:

"Rev. William Williamson (1764-1848): He was a charter member of the Presbytery of Winchester, Virginia. He was born in Edinburg, Scotland, about 1764 where he was educated. He was a lawyer and migrated to Virginia about 1790. He studied Divinity, perhaps under the Rev. James Waddell; and was a candidate to Hanover Presbytery October 29, 1791, and licensed May 12, 1792, and ordained November 11, 1793. He was stated supply at Gordonsville, 1792-3; evangelist at South River and Flint Run, teacher at Front Royal in 1793 to about 1804. He was stated supply and teacher at Middleburg, and evangelist and missionary 1804-Feb 1, 1848, when he died. He is buried at Warrenton." [Parentheses original. Underline added]


28. Arterburn and Arterburn, op. cit., p. 2-14.

See also The Planting of the Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia Prior to the Organization of Winchester Presbytery, December 4, 1794, "Section XXIV. Front Royal," by James R. Graham, from which the following is excerpted:

"[Front Royal], so far as we are aware, does not appear in any Ecclesiastical Records until after the erection of this Presbytery [1794], and yet the congregations of which it is the successor had an existence several years earlier. These congregations were known as "South River" and "Flint Run." Of their origin and of their history, prior to about 1789, we have no reliable information. When the Presbytery was formed in 1794 the two "churches" of South River and Flint Run, then supporting a minister, were assigned to its care. The location of each is definitely known.

"South River" was about two miles south of Front Royal on the road leading to Luray. Persons still living remember an old log church which stood on an eminence overlooking the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, from its proximity to which it derived its name. That old building has long since gone to utter decay, and no one knows now by whom it was built or by whom it was owned. But from the manuscript diary of "Parson" Williamson which we have read, it is quite certain that this was the "South River Church" in which he preached for so many years in his early ministry, and that it was a "Union Church" in which Baptists and Methodists also preached.

"Flint Run" is a stream three or four miles further south, coming down from the Blue Ridge and emptying into the Shenandoah.

[Note: PETER'S Flint Run property along Bentonville to Browntown Road was almost 10 miles south of Front Royal, and the stream's beginnings were even farther south. Flint Run empties into South River farther north, between Limeton and Karo, a distance of about 6 miles from Front Royal. Thus, Flint Run and its tributaries stretch for 4-5 miles.]

"There is no vestige of a church building there now, nor is there any tradition that there ever was one there. From the diary just referred to, it appears that all the appointments of Mr. Williamson on Flint Run were made at private houses. While at each of these places there was a good number of Presbyterian families, and frequent services were held at both, yet the inference is a fair one, that Flint Run was regarded as of secondary importance and rather an appendage of South River than an independent church. There is no evidence of any elders there, nor of any regular organization.

"[Rev. Williamson's ministry] began in 1792 ; before that time it is doubtful whether any proper church organization existed at either place. We do not meet with the name of any elder until November 29, 1794, when James Perry and William Bailey were elected, and the next day were ordained.

"[W]hile we have been concerned mainly, if not exclusively, with the planting and growth of Presbyterianism in Warren County, we have not been ignorant of the fact that other branches of the Christian Church were also actively at work there. Both Baptist and Methodists were strong rivals of the Presbyterian Church. This may have been the case everywhere, or almost everywheres [sic] else. But as the evidence of this denominational competition did not appear in other cases, no reference has been made to such a fact. But in the region of Front Royal the case is different. For much that we know of that region we are indebted to the diary of Mr. Williamson and in that diary constant mention is made of meetings held at South River and Flint Run, and Front Royal by Methodist, and especially by Baptist, preachers. Mr. Williamson writes of his frequent attendance at their services, and though often expressing his dissent from their teaching and his disapproval of some things in their worship, yet his reference to them is always made in the kindest spirit, and his relations to them seem always to have been of the most fraternal character. The simple fact we want to bring out in this statement is that in planting our church within these bounds, the Presbyterians did not have the field to themselves. In some cases the Episcopal [Anglican], and in others the Reformed and Lutheran Churches dispute with them the claim to precedence."
[Underline and bracketed contents added]


29. From VAGenWeb's Rockingham County History by Harriet Welch, online:

"Just What Makes Up the Shenandoah Valley? Living in the Shenandoah Valley (Harrisonburg to be exact) I usually think of the valley as stretching from about Winchester to Lexington. Technically it would be the area where the Shenandoah River flows and can be expanded into whatever watersheds feed into the river. The southernmost county included in the term "Shenandoah Valley" would therefore be Augusta since it's streams and rivers flow into what becomes the Shenandoah, and the northernmost county would be Jefferson County, WVa, where the Shenandoah flows into the Potomac at Harper's Ferry. In between these two points the counties whose watersheds would feed into the Shenandoah River would be Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren and Frederick.

"There are two forks of the Shenandoah River. The South Fork begins at Port Republic which is in Rockingham County. Two rivers, the North River and South River meet at Port Republic and become the South Fork of the Shenandoah. This branch flows north up the eastern side of the Massanutten Mountain range (which, by the way is a separate range and not part of the Blue Ridge). To natives, this side of the "Valley" is called "Page Valley".

"The North Fork of the Shenandoah River begins above the Broadway/Timberville area. This branch flows north up the west side of the Massanutten Mountains and the two branches meet at Front Royal. The river then continues north and meets with the Potomac at Harper's Ferry.

"Generally speaking the Valley area was predominately [sic] populated with the "Scots-Irish" and Germans. The Scots-Irish seem to have congregated more in Augusta County and south, and the Germans from Rockingham County north."
[Parentheses original. Underline and bracketed contents added]


30. Other evidences that Germans also lived in east Shenandoah County can be found in John Netherton's census of 1775 of the old Dunmore military district #3, and in Netherton's and Hutchirson's later census lists of 1785. Both censuses covered Page Valley, that part of Shenandoah which later became southwest Warren County and northwest Page County, where the families of PETER and WILLIAM evidently lived. German surnames, some misspelled or Anglicized, can be found in both censuses.

The 1787 tax lists also show that Germans were living in Charles Buck's district B, which included PETER and WILLIAM.

Indentures and guardianships recorded in Shenandoah County Court Minutes, 1791-96 include entries for WILLIAM and other family members, which locate them in "poor district #2." Other recognizably German surnames also appear among these entries for district #2.

Many of these Germans were not landowners, as indicated in the Deed books.

Daniel Bly's introduction to his transcription of these records in the Shenandoah County Minute Books defines the areas of the two poor districts: "In 1783 Shenandoah County was divided into two districts, each with an Overseer of the Poor. District One was the territory west of the Massanutten Mountain generally constituting the watershed of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. It included all of present-day Shenandoah County and the "Fork" district [north of Front Royal] of Warren County. District Two was the land east of the Massanutten Mountain constituting the watershed of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. This is now Page County and southwestern Warren County." [Bracketed contents added]


31. Unpublished update of The Arterburn Cousins, reported by Art and Jan Arterburn, February, 2005.


32. For a revealing look at the given names used by German immigrants for their children at the old German Lutheran Church (Hebron Lutheran, today) of the second Germanna Colony, in Culpeper County (Madison County, after 1792), Virginia, 1750-1780, see Germanna History Notes #1737 and #1738, and search ("Find") for the name, "Jemima." The resulting charts will display all of the given names used, and their frequency. The index to all of John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes gives access to an interesting overview of the lives of some of the German Americans who lived in or passed through northern Virginia.

Mr. Blankenbaker has also researched and published the surviving records of baptisms and marriages for the old church at Hebron. No ARTERBURNS are to be found there. In a recent telephone conversation, he noted that Lutheran pastors from Hebron were traveling a circuit of house churches while ministering to German immigrants in northern Virginia, before the Revolution. If PETER and WILLIAM were practicing Lutherans, this might account for the absence of any birth or marriage records for the ARTERBURNS at Hebron, while they were living in Prince William, Fauquier, or Culpeper Counties.


33. Arterburn and Arterburn, op.cit.

Shenandoah County was largely populated by German immigrants, and most of the surnames of the in-law families of the ARTERBURNS, especially in Virginia, show unmistakable signs of their European origin. One or more of these Virginia families could have migrated through London or the British Isles before coming to America. Given that almost all were relatively poor and landless, some most likely came directly from their homes in Europe. Compare the American surname spellings of the following ARTERBURN in-law families with examples of their likely German counterparts, which can be found in early German church records (see IGI), and in contemporary Germany:

American Name ---- German Surname ---- Place Name

Abbitt ---- Abbott, Abt, Abbt, Abbate ---- Germany
Barnett ---- Barnett, Barndt, Barnet, Bernitt ---- Germany
Braham ---- Braham, Brahm, Braam, Braem ---- Germany
Booker/Bucher ---- Bucher, Buchar, Buecher ---- Germany, Austria
Carrier ---- Carrier, Karrier, Karer/Karrer ---- Germany, Austria
Collins ---- Collins, Kahlen, Kuhlins, Colling/Kolling ---- Germany, Austria
Elzia/Elzey/Elsey ---- Elze, Else, von Elsey ---- Germany
Houn/Haun ---- Houn, Haun, Haan ---- Germany
Pringle ---- Pringal, Prangl, Bringel
Smoots/Smoote/Smote ---- Smude, Smode, Smeyts ---- Germany
Vinson ---- Vinson, Winzen, Wenzen ---- Germany, Austria
Wey ---- Wey, von Wey, von der Wey ---- Germany

From the introduction to The Smoots of Maryland and Virginia, by Harry Wright Newman: "The only early family which could possibly be confused with the descendants of William Smute is the German family of Smootz which settled in Pennsylvania. Prior to the Revolution Abraham Smootz, a member of this family, was an early settler in the Valley of Virginia. Later the "s" was substituted for the "z," and the city directories today show members of this family scattered throughout the States. Yet it is possible that some branches of this family have actually dropped the "s" and thus spell their name like that of the pioneer family of Maryland." [Italics and quotation marks added]


34. Search using "Last Name" at: LDS Family History Center Library, International Genealogical Index. Transcriptions of the Apprentices' Entry Books, 1654-94, of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters are available at British History Online. For more information about trade and craft companies of this era in London, and their archives (not available online), see Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.


35. This IGI record was extracted from the original parish records of Allhallows London Wall Church, in the possession of Guildhall Library, London, which was microfilmed in 1964 by the Family History Library, Genealogical Society of Utah (LDS). The original single-line entry in the parish register book contains no additional information, unfortunately. It reads simply:

"William Arterburn & Jane Wilkinson, married xxi June."

The year, 1676, is noted in the upper right corner of the page. All entries on the page appear to have been made by the same hand, probably by a cleric of the church or an assistant. Although no other ARTERBURN records appear in IGI during this period, I double-checked the microfilm of the original record (same book) of christenings at Allhallows Church for any ARTERBURN births, 1676-1682. I didn't find any. Either London William and Jane had no children during this time--which seems unlikely unless they were childless, or they were not regular communicants at Allhallows, or they had moved elsewhere.


36. See Anglo-German Family History Society and Anglo-German Family History Society.


37. Research results from Ancestry.com, reported by Michael N. Arterburn, December 4, 2006.

From the research of Kory Meyerink, a professional genealogist, published online: "While most 19th century Germans sailed directly from the main ports of Bremen and Hamburg, a sizable number took the less expensive 'indirect' route, especially from Hamburg. Many of these Germans on their way to America had to leave their ship in London, walk to Liverpool, and take another ship for North America. Of course, some ran out of money or energy (it’s a long way from London to Liverpool). Some were even told by the ship's captain, in London, that they had arrived in America! Not understanding English, the captain had swindled them out of the rest of their passage."


38. Arterburn and Arterburn, op.cit., p. 2-14. Original sources cited: Colonial Settlers and English Adventurers; Abstracts of Legal Proceedings in Seventeenth-Century English and Dutch Courts Relating to Immigrant Families and The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.


39. Arterburn and Arterburn, op.cit., p. 2-14.


40. Attempting to unravel the origin of the ARTERBURN surname is a task fraught with perils, but worth the effort. Here are some observations and current hypotheses:


Atter, Arter, Born, & Burn


According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the Middle English word, "bourn/burn," from the Old English, "burna," denotes a spring or brook (stream). Merriam-Webster also states that "burn" is akin to Old High German, "brunno," for a spring of water. According to the Oxford Duden German Dictionary, "born" or "borne" in German means spring or fount. The Oxford Duden equates "burn" with the German "bach," for stream. Many English words have counterparts (cognates) in German, and the German words are usually older than their English cousins. Both languages share common roots in an earlier Indo-European language.

IGI has records for "Burn/Burhn" as a surname in 17th-century Germany (including Lower Saxony), although it is extremely rare there today. "Burn," however, is conspicuously absent as a German place name--according to the global mapping program, GeoNames. "Born" occurs as a German place name in 37 different locations (including Lower Saxony). "Burn" as a place name can be found in the British Isles--mostly for streams, and mostly in Scotland. "Bourne," a Middle English variant spelling of "burn," also appears as an early surname and in the names of some rivers and a few villages in England. "Bourne" and "burn," denoting both rivers and streams in the British Isles, appear to represent an expansion in meaning beyond the German, "borne," with its original Indo-European root meaning of a fount or spring.

"Born" was also once a German exonym for the village of Kaplava, Latvia.

"Bern(e)" as a surname appears in both 17th-century England and Germany, and as "atte Berne" in England as early as the 13th century. The spelling, "bern(e)," appears to derive from two different roots (Old English and Old German), and with different root meanings (barn and bear, respectively). "Bern(e)" is conspicuously absent as a place name in the British Isles, but can be found in Germany and Switzerland, probably a clue that the indigenous roots of instances of this surname appearing in Europe are German.

The surnames "Born" and "Borne" can be found today in Germany--according to Geogen, a geographical genealogy website that maps contemporary surnames in Germany and Austria. "Borns" are the most numerous, with approximately 15,848 people. "Born, Borne, Boren, and Bohrn" exist as place names today in Germany, and "Borne" can be found as a place name in the Netherlands. "Atter, Berne, Borne, and Bohrn" also appear as place names in the state of Niedersachsen, or Lower Saxony, in Germany.

IGI has records for the surnames "Born/Borne" in Germany (including Saxony and neighoring Hesse) as early as the 16th century, and for "Bohrn" from the 17th century.

The surnames "Arter," "Ater," "Atta," and "Atte" are found today in Germany, but are relatively rare. The surnames "Otter" and "Otterburg" appear in Germany today (about 1,712 and 104 people, respectively), as do "Etter," "Oetter," and "Oerter." "Eder, Erter, and Etta" are also German place names.

The surname "Arter" appears frequently in IGI records of Switzerland as early as the 16th century, and Arters can be found there today. "Artur" occurs in early France, from the 16th-century.

IGI has records for "Atter, Atte, Erter, Erder, Etter, and Oerter" in Germany (including the Kingdom of Prussia--which included Saxony and neighboring Hesse), from the 16th century.

At least one Arter family's surname in America was apparently Anglicized from the Swiss/German spelling, "Oerter" (also spelled "Oerther" and "Erder"). "Oerter" appears today in Germany, as do "Oerther" and "Erder" (the latter two are much fewer in number).

The surnames, "Atte, Oerter, and Born" can be found today in the same rural district (county), Landkreis Diepholz, in the state of Lower Saxony, in Germany. Lower Saxony is on the German coast, and surrounds the smaller state of Bremen, with its important river port in the city of Bremen, through which many Germans migrated to the British Isles and to America. Diepholz is directly adjacent to Bremen.


atte Berne & atte Bourne


"Atte" is an old Saxon prefix meaning "at the" (thus, from), which was a Medieval signifier of place or landmark surnames. The surname, "atte Berne," although not common, has been found in public records in England as early as the 13th century. Chaucer used the Middle English word "berne" for a grain barn (from Old English, "berærn", for barley house) in his 14th-century Canterbury Tales--probably the same word found in this Anglo-Saxon name, "atte Berne." Also, the surname, "atte Bourne," appears in 14th century British records in southeast England, but seems to have been reduced to "Bourne" in later records.

These Anglo-Saxon names are certainly sound-alikes, but do not seem good candidates for the name origin of our ancestor, a much later immigrant to America with signs of a more recent German cultural origin. "Bourne" and "Borne" have the same root meaning (i.e., spring) in English and German, respectively, but a spring is such a common geographical feature that a family relationship cannot be automatically assumed. An alternative possibility is the 17th-century Swiss and German surname(s), "Bern(e)," apparently derived from the Old German word for bear (bär/bären), as in the Swiss canton and capital city of this name.


Atterborne, Atterbourn & Atterburn


Other than George Atterborn, the only early public records currently known for this surname are found in London. IGI has three church records for "Aterborne, Atterborne, and Atterbourn," from the 17th and 18th centuries. "Marie Atterborne" married "George Peirce" in Saint Benet Paul's Wharf Church, on Queen's Street (city centre) near the docks of the Thames, in 1619. "Ellen Aterborne" married "Edward Harwick" in the same church, in 1624. "Roger Harweke" was christened in St. Benet's Church, in 1625, son of "Edward Harweke"--presumably the same Edward. "Pierce" and "Harwick" may have been Anglicized names, since "Piers/de Piers" and "Herwegh/Herwig/Herwick" appear in early German church records. Also, other "Piers/Pierce/Peirce" and "Harweke/Harwick/Herwigg" records can be found in London East's End, including Stepney.

According to Kory Meyerink, a professional genealogist specializing in German and Dutch immigrants, one of the greatest concentrations of Germans in London was in the East End district of Stepney, sometimes known as "Little Germany." German immigrants settled in other East End sections of London, as well, and also in the West End district of Soho, in the old city of Westminster.

Over a hundred years later, "Elizabeth Atterburn" married "Christopher Dent," in 1726, in St. Katherine by the Tower Church (i.e., St. Katherine Cree), located on Leadenhall Street in Aldgate Ward, with Aldgate being the easternmost gate in the old city wall leading to the East End of London.

The "Dent" surname appears in London church records and pedigrees as early as the 17th century, with christenings and marriages occurring in several of these north London churches, including both St. Katherine Cree and Allhallows Wall Churches. The "Dent" surname appears in IGI records in the East End districts of Stepney and Shoreditch, into the 19th century. "Dent" also occurs in early German church records.

"Mary Atterbourn" was christened in St. Sepulchre Church, in 1726, born to "Thomas and Barbara Atterbourn." St. Sepulchre is located just outside Newgate, one of the old city wall's gates in the north leading to the West End of London.

In 1769, "Thomas Luffman Atterburn" was also christened in St. Sepulchre Church, born to "Luffman and Mary Atterburn." Thus, we find "Atterbourn" and "Atterburn" records in the same London church and also in another nearby church, occurring within a span of 44 years, and increasing the possibility that this might have been the same family. This record of Thomas Luffman Atterburn is the last of this surname spelling to have been found in London, but nothing more is known about this family, with the exception of a probable Luffman family connection.

The family of "John and Susanna Luffman" appear in St. Sepulchre Church records as early as 1667, and Luffmans appear in subsequent IGI records of London, including Westminster, Stepney, and Shoreditch, into the 19th century.

Several Luffman family lines in America are currently cooperating in a search for their Old World roots. One branch is descended from John Luffman of New York, and public records for John show definite signs of a German heritage: (1) John was pensioned for service in two different militia regiments, commanded by German American officers, during the American Revolutionary War; (2) Christening records have been found for two of his children in Christ's Lutheran Church, in Ghent (Columbia County), New York. A son named "Thomas" is also mentioned in John's pension application. All of this is likely more than just coincidence, but little more can be deduced at the present time--other than the apparent commonality of a German origin and some kind of familial relationship.

The German surname "Laufmann" seems a likely precursor of "Luffman." Both spellings can be found in German church records (see IGI), and the German spelling occurs in contemporary Germany. According to GeoGen, "Lavamünd," a (southcentral) Austrian place name found near the border with Slovenia, may be related to this surname.

All of these north London churches, including Allhallows Wall Church, are colocated within a radius of a mile or two of each other. All but St. Sepulchre were in the East End, near the old city wall, or, in the case of St. Benet's, near the docks of the Thames. But all, including St. Sepulchre, were in or near areas where Germans are known to have settled. Germans in London appear to have been represented very early in the city's Anglican churches, but would eventually establish their own Lutheran congregations.

The "Atterborn" surname has since appeared in public records of Sweden (cf. Sweden, Births from the Swedish Death Index, 1947-2006 at Ancestry.com). "Per Olaf Atterborn" was born in 1915 in the parish and county of Uppsala. "Ulla Maria Sylvia Atterborn" was born in 1916 in the parish of Klara and county of Stockholm. Some Atterborn families currently reside in Sweden, but nothing more is known about them.

Unterborn & Atterborn


The family of "Earnest Unterborn" appears in the 1920 Federal Census of Hamlin, Monroe County, New York. Ancestry.com has notated its transcription of this record with "Atterborn" as an alternate spelling, but the reason for this is unclear. Earnest immigrated to America from Germany in 1893. In 1920, he declared that he was 32 years old (b. about 1888), that he was able to read and write, and that both of his parents were born in Germany (cf. 1920 New York Census at Ancestry.com). Other Unterborns have immigrated to America from Germany, since 1885, and Unterborns currently reside in several different states. A contemporary relative of Earnest, not a direct descendant, who lives in New York told me via phone that the family in America has always used the spelling, "Unterborn."


Otterborn, Otterborne & Otterburne


One or more "Otterborn" families is represented in IGI records of two marriages and three christenings in Prussia, Germany, 1673-1708.

IGI has six christening and two marriage records in London for the surname, "Otterborne/Otterburne," 1542-1690. Locations cited were: Grey's Inn, which was home to London barristers at court, located in Camden; St. Andrew's Church in Holborn (St. Andrew was the patron saint of Scotland); Christ Church Greyfriar's, opposite St. Paul's Cathedral in the city of London, and an important center of society and music for the city; the inner city district of Islington, home to the wealthy and eminent of London.

It seems likely that at least some of these Otterbornes/Otterburnes of London were of the family of Adam Otterburn (see Endnote #22, above) of Scotland, who served as Lord Advocate to the Scottish Crown (1525-1538), and whose family and descendants may have had ongoing ties to the court and high society of London.


Edeborn & Edeburn


The surname "Edeborn" appears in 18th-century Pennsylvania, but is not found in 20th-century America. "Edeborn" appears in German church records as early as the 17th century, but cannot be found in Germany today. "Ede" does exist as a contemporary surname, and also as a German place name ("Ed"). (IGI has records for the surname, "Ede," in Lower Saxony, as early as the 17th century.)

"Peter Edeborn" appears in two different passenger lists of German immigrants to Philadelphia: (1) The Dutch vessel, Francis & Elizabeth, in 1743; (2) The vessel, Mary Galley, from Rotterdam by way of London, in 1748. The same names appear in both lists, so the actual vessel and date of transit cannot be determined from these sources. But if the Maryland Peter Atterburn--in America by 1737 or before--was our ancestor, then Peter Edeborn could not have been our ancestor.

Descendants of Jacob Edeburn (d. before 1804) of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, report a range of variant surname spellings in America, including "Aettaburn, Attaburn, Adaburn, Attiburn, Arttaburn, Ataberne, Ettaburn, Ediburn, Ettenburn, Eteburn, Etiburn, Eteborne, Edyburn, and even Ettenburg." Some of these are certainly suggestive of similar ARTERBURN variant spellings in America. But there is no known paper trail linking ARTERBURN and Edeburn or Edeborn families, and recent DNA testing of an American descendant of Jacob Edeburn indicates that we are probably not related (see "Results" above).


Summing Up


Numerous German surnames (e.g., Edeborn, Eisenborn, Holborn, Kaltenborn, Müellenborn, Otterborn) appear to be compound names sharing the common suffix, "born." The prefixes of these compound names are also surnames (i.e., Ede, Eisen/Isen, Holl/Hoel, Kalten/Kalden, Müehlen/Müllen, Otter) that can be found in early German church records, and in contemporary Germany.

These historical and contemporary German surnames and place names suggest that ARTERBURN or its precursor might have originated as a compound or composite name--either in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, or elsewhere in Continental Europe, its prefix and suffix perhaps a combination of two of these other names (e.g., "Arter, Ater/Atter, Eder, Oerter, Bern, Bohrn, Born/Borne," or some other). However, since neither "Atterborn" nor ARTERBURN has yet to be found in early Continental European records, we can't totally dismiss the possibility that some other sound-alike German name or an as yet unidentified Slavic or other East European surname lies behind ARTERBURN.

It's tempting to conclude that the name(s), "Atterborne/Atterbourn" (and it's probable variant, "Atterburn"), found in London church records, and evidently a compound of two distinct German surnames, was the precursor of ARTERBURN. But this hardly seems definitive. We must await further evidence, if it can be found.

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Bibliography (Print)




Abercrombie, Janice L., and Richard Slatten. Virginia Revolutionary Publick Claims. Athens, Ga: Iberian Pub. Co, 1992.

Arterburn, C. Norben, and Janet D. Arterburn. The Arterburn Cousins. [S.l. : s.n., 1977].

Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Revolutionary War Records, Volume 1, Virginia Army and Navy Forces, with Bounty Land Warrants for Virginia Military District of Ohio, and Virginia Military Scrip, from Federal and State Archives :(Second Pre-Publication Circular, November 1935). Washington, D.C.?: The Author, 1935.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Order Book: Shenandoah County, Virginia (Abstracted). Nokesville, Va: A.C. Gilreath, 1986.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Order Book, 1772-1774, Shenandoah County, Virginia (Abstracted). Nokesville, Virginia: A.C. Gilreath, 1986.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Order Book, 1781-1784, Shenandoah County, Virginia (Abstracted). Nokesville, Va: A.C. Gilreath, 1987.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Deed Books A, B, C and D, 1772-1784, Abstracted. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2002.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Deed Books E, F, G and H, 1784-1792, Abstracted. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2002.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Deed Books I, K and L 1792-1799, Abstracted. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2002.

Gilreath, Amelia Cleland. Shenandoah County, Virginia Deed Book Series, Volume 4: Combination Minute Book 1774-1780, Deed Books M and N, 1799-1804. Westminister, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2004.

Labov, William, Sharon Ash, and Charles Boberg. The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology, and Sound Change: a Multimedia Reference Tool. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2006.

Newman, Harry Wright. The Smoots of Maryland and Virginia A Genealogical History of William Smute, Boatwright, of Hampton, Virginia, and Pickawaxon, Maryland, with a History of His Descendants to the Present Generation. Washington, D.C.: [s.n.], 1936.

O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo: Walsworth Pub. Co, 1995.

Walker, John. A dictionary of the English language: answering at once the purposes of rhyming, spelling, and pronouncing, on a plan not to hitherto attempted ... to which is prefixed a copious introduction to the various uses of the work, with critical and practical observations on orthography, syllabication, pronunciation, and rhyme, and for the purposes of poetry is added an index of allowable rhymes. London: Printed for T. Becket, 1775.

Walker, John. A critical pronouncing dictionary and expositor of the English language ... To which are prefixed, principles of English pronunciation ... Likewise rules to be observed by the natives of Scotland, Ireland, and London, for avoiding their respective peculiarities; and directions to foreigners for acquiring a knowledge of the use of this dictionary. The whole interspersed with observations, philological, critical, and grammatical. London: G.G.J. and J. Robinson, 1791.

Wayland, John Walter. A History of Rockingham County, Virginia. Dayton, Va: Ruebush-Elkins Co, 1912.

Wayland, John Walter. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Strasburg, Va: Shenandoah Pub. House, 1927.

Wayland, John Walter. The German Element of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bridgewater, Va: Carrier, 1964.

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Copyright 2007-2009, Charles R. Arterburn. All rights reserved. Commercial use is not allowed without specific written permission. The above information is free for personal users and family researchers. Attribution is expected in derivative works and a share-alike license applies. All works cited and/or hyperlinked as reference and/or bibliographic sources are also under copyright protection, unless otherwise indicated.

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{Last Updated: June 26, 2009}