First Generation

1.  HENRY (HEINRICH)¹ HORGER, SR. was born Abt. 1671 in Oberhasle Amtsrechnung, Zurich, Switzerland, and died February 14, 1760 in Orangeburg, SC.  He married KATHARINA FUHRER August 14, 1695, daughter of MELCHIOR FUHRER and ELSABETH VON WEISSENFLUH.  She was born February 14, 1674/75 in Meinngen, Bern, Switzerland².

Heinrich Horger immigrated to Carolina from Oberhasle, Amtsrechnung between 1733 and 1735 with his wife and children leaving his daughter Barbara behind in Zurich. He paid on 500 crowns an emigration tax of 166 pounds, 13 shillings, 4 pence.   The emigration tax was 10 percent. Therefore from the Bernese calculations the Swiss crown was extimated at about 3 times the value of the Swiss pound. 20 shillings was equivalent to one pound, and 12 pence to one shilling.  The swiss gulden (or florin) was equivalent to 15 batzen.  At the time, the equivalents in US dollars is estimated for the crown to be from 75 cents to 3 dollars; 30 cents to one dollar for the Swiss pound; 45-50 cents for the gulden (fl.); and about 3 cents for the Swiss batzen.  The Carolina pound was worth about 3 dollars. The currency fluctuated and the purchasing power of money varied even more.  One could expect to have to pay 7% as an exchange fee to have their currency exchanged.

"Lists of Swiss-Emigrants in 18th Century to American Colonies" by A.B. Faust and G.M. Brumbaugh. Vol. II, records the following:

"Heinrich Horger of Oberhasle emigrated to Carolina with his wife and children some years ago. His daughter Barbara remained in this country and entered service as a maid in the canton of Zürich.  She has now had an illegitimate child and wishes to go to her father in Carolina with it. Barbara requests permission to emigrate and to take with her her property of 90 crowns. The government puts no obstacles in her way and instructs the Amtmann to deduct the tax due from the capital. Moreover, he is to pay strict heed that no other people be enticed to emigrate."

"Ulrich Berger, as guardian of Barbara Horger who has emigrated to Carolina, pays the usual emigration tax on 108 crows with 10 crowns, 20 batzen.(The Horger family originally came from the canton of Zürich. It still has home-rights (is "heimatberechtigt") in the district of Oberhasle in the commune of Guttannen. This is the highest commune in the canton of Bern."

Heinrich Horger traveled up the Edisto River to the new township of Orangeburgh named after the William IV, Prince of Orange, the German son-in-law of England's King George II. Most of it's residents were Swiss-German immigrants who established the settlement in the early 1730's. The townsite had already been laid out with streets and numbered lots and Heinrich Horger received a land grant on April 24,1736 for Lot #30 from King George¹.

A record of births, marriages and deaths of the settlers in the township was kept by Rev. John Giessendanner, a Lutheran pastor, who had emmigrated to the area in 1737.  The original Giessendanner Book of Record is now in the Carolina Library (click here to see scanned document images and translations of this important historical document).  Many references are made to Horger family members in the Book of Record establishing much of what is known during this early period of time⁶.

Henry Horger died February 14, 1760.  He is buried in the Orangeburgh Church Cemetery. Giessendanner⁶ records his passing in the Book of Record with the following citation:

                "On Thursday Febr. 14th died, and the Day after

                was interred in the Church yard of Orangeburgh

                the Body of Henry Horguer, Senr. A Native of

                Switzerland Aged about 89 Years."

Children of HENRY HORGER and KATHARINA FUHRER are:

                i.   PETER² HORGER, b. Abt. 1697, Zurich, Switzerland.

2.             ii.   HENRY HORGER, JR., b. Abt. 1699

3.            iii.   JACOB HORGER, b. Abt. 1723; d. abt. 1784

4.            iv.   CATHARINA HORGER, b. 1725; d. Orangeburg District, SC.

5.             v.   BARBARA HORGER, b. 1727

6.            vi.   MAGDALENE HORGER, b. 1730; d. 1805.

              vii.   JOHN HORGER, b. Abt. 1732.

It should be noted that the date of birth for Katharina Fuhrer is very much in question due her many of her children would have been born after she was 50 years of age.  The date of birth of many of Henry and her children has been documented and confirmed in many cases.  Little information is known about Katharina during her time in Switzerland.