The Two Michael Apps
Chapter 4
When researching Michael’s life, it is soon found that there were two Michael Apps living in Pennsylvania at about the same time. This has caused some confusion among genealogists. Here are a few simple facts about each one to help make the proper distinction:
A second Michael App (1757-1796) was married to Sophia Feltman and his father was Christian App who arrived in America in 1751 (from Germany) on the ship “Duke of Wirtenberg.” He lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, served in the Revolutionary War (also taken as prisoner of war at the Battle of Long Island), and held notable positions in the Lancaster community, including that of sheriff. He was born in Pennsylvania (although his father was from Germany) and was quite a bit younger than our Michael. The intertwining of the events of these two lives on some of the ancestral websites makes it necessary to document the facts so they are attributed to the correct “Michael App.” There is no historical evidence that these two men had any interaction together, although a distant relationship would have extended back to Germany.
Michael App of Lancaster County, PA:
- 1757 Born Lancaster, PA (Father: Christian App; Mother: Anna Catharina App)
- 1776 Michael App (Ensign in the PA Musket Battalion) appointed 20th March, wounded & taken prisoner at Long Island 27 Aug 1776, exchanged 9th Dec 1776.
- 1778 Married Sophia Feltman
- 1794-1797 Lancaster County (PA) Sheriff
- 1796 Died
Our Michael App of Northampton County, PA:
- Bef. 1730 Born in Germany
- 1753 Married Elisabeth A. Polsie
- 1776 Private Second Class in Captain John Deeter’s Seventh Company, Third Battalion, Northampton County Militia, Pennsylvania
- 1809 Died
