Bossards, Bozards, and Buzzards

Johannes Phillip Bossard was born in 1706, possibly in Alsace-Lorraine. At the age of thirty-four, he boarded the Samuel and Elizabeth in Rotterdam and arrived in Philadelphia on September 30, 1740. He settled on a plantation in Cherry Valley (now Hamilton Township, Pennsylvania) with his wife, Eva Catherine. They had at least seven children, although the exact number is unknown. Three of their sons were killed during Indian attacks. Their home became a place of refuge during the French and Indian Wars of 1754-1760, harboring as many as nine neighbor families at a time. Phillip was active in community affairs and donated land for the Hamilton Square Church. Philip (who died in 1797) and his wife, Eva Catherine are buried in the cemetery at the back of this church. Phillip Bossard's memorial stone, placed at his home-site by the Monroe County Historical Society, is a tribute to this true pioneer, Indian fighter and one of the builders of our country. He was loved and respected by his neighbors, friends and source of pride for his family. This book follows Phillip's descendants for ten generations; however, the second generation is limited to three of Phillip's children: Heinrich (born c.1740), Melchior (born 1745), and Christina (born c.1746). The entries are numbered and generally provide (when available): date and place of birth, date and place of death, place of burial, date and place of marriage, name of spouse, spouse's date and place of birth, name of spouse's parents, date and place of spouse's death, a list of children with birth dates, and varying amounts of biographical information. Information was gleaned from church records, cemeteries, wills, vital records, Bible records, family records, newspapers, and census records. Photographs of places and descendants, an index of full-names, and an index of spouses enhance the text.