Daniel HEFFNER

Notes:

It's very possible that the Daniel in the death certificate was not Barbara's husband. While the death certificate indicates that he wasn't married, he in fact had three children, Gideon (b.1828) and David and Daniel, presumably twins (b.1831). Even though he wasn't married when he died, nor did he have a wife living with him for the 1850 census, I presume that he was married to the wife of his children at some point. His son David in my great great grandfather and he never spoke of his parents or family in Pennsylvania as far as anyone knows about. There must have been a difficult situation that he had trouble dealing with. One interesting fact however is that he named two of his children Daniel and Barbara.

I agree that the distance between Schuykill and Franklin Counties is greater than most colonial people would travel for romance and requires some speculation as to why that may have been. Its also difficult to understand why they would have then separated with the boys staying with the father and the mother returning to Franklin County without them. What happened?

The only things that seem to fit are that Barbara and Daniel were about the same age. Both had been married to someone. Barbara's someone was named Daniel Heffner. Very little is know about the people either of them were married to. I'm not sure, but I think we can eliminate other potential Daniel Heffners, husband of Barbara, from that time period by seeing who they were married to. I'll research that.
Let me know if you have any other thoughts about this matter. I'm also sending this to my cousin Jane Heffner King, who is a great grand daughter of David Heffner. She's writing a family history. Thanks for your help.

Steve Heffner

Daniel — Barbara ZENTMYER. Barbara (daughter of David ZENTMYER and Eve Ann WELTY) was born 08 Oct 1810, Washington County, Maryland; died 9 May 1891, Franklin Co., Pennsylvania; was buried Harbaugh Church Cemetery, Rouzerville, Franklin Co., Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet]