The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
John Diefenderfer served with his father and brother for two years as a Private in the Revolutionary War in the 6th Class, 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion of the Pennsylvania Militia. John and his wife Charlotte Elizabeth made their home at Macungie Township. In 1784, they bought 200 acres of land along the Lehigh River at what was then Salisbury Township. The land later became a part of Northampton Township and is now included within the limits of the city of Allentown, where in recent years the Allentown Iron Company's furnaces were located. On this tract was a one and a half story log house, with a long slanting roof, over which towered a large black walnut tree, and there the family resided. A large spring bubbled out of the ground and flowed into the Lehigh River. The spring, known as "Diefenderfer's Spring" was destroyed after the building of the dam. It was a famous picnic ground and many political meetings were held there prior to 1830.
The 1800 census of Northampton, Northampton County, lists the residence of John Dieffendorffer [sic]. Listed in the household were the following individuals: John, age 45 and over; his wife Scharlotta [sic], age 26 through 44; a daughter, age 16 through 25; two sons, age 10 through 15; and two sons under the age of ten.
The 1810 census for Northampton, Northampton County, lists the residence of John Deffenterfer [sic]. Listed in the household were the following individuals: John and his wife Scharlotta [sic], both age 45 and over; a son, age 16 through 25; and a son and daughter, both age 10 through 15.
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