Rachel Barbe [Henrich, Johann Jacob³, Wigandt², Johann Jacob¹] was born 30 March 1795 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. died 13 Oct 1851 in Beaver, Pike County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Henrich Barbe, Sr and Mary Winegardner.

Rachel first became familiar to this researcher when I found a family tree written in what appears to be the hand writing of Henri Gorath Halderman. The tree was folded among other family items in the Feyler family Bible that sits on our living room table. The compiler of the tree said that Rachel’s maiden name was Lamb. Yet all research on husband Daniel Halterman was showing that he married Rachel Barbe. I continued to search for Rachel Lamb for many years though other researchers were insisting that my Rachel was not Lamb but that her maiden name was Barbe. I could not imagine that the family tree would be wrong.

In May 1993 I met by chance a fellow researcher, Lois Stange, at the Ohio Genealogical Society Convention. She stated that there was massive material on my Halderman family at the Cincinnati Historical Society in a collection known as the Olive McLaughlin Collection. Among the many letters concerning the Barbe family was correspondence from Stephen Simpson Halderman, grandson of Rachel and Daniel. Stephen Simpson Halderman is my great grandfather and the father of Henri Gorath Halderman whom we presume wrote the tree tucked in the family bible.

Stephen stated to Olive McLaughlin that he did not know the maiden name of Rachel. Further correspondence dated May 20^th, 1891, from Portsmouth, Ohio to Olive McLaughlin stated the following:

"...at the age of 15 cast upon my own resources & have known but little

Thus my great grandfather was unaware of Rachel’s maiden name. Rachel died two and ½ months prior to Stephen’s birth. By the age of 15 he apparently had little contact with the family after his father’s death. His only contact after that time was with his mother and his maternal grandfather. If he did not know Rachel’s name until corresponding with Olive McLaughlin then we must assume that son Henri would not be privy to the information and would have obtained the information through here-say or his own research which many have proven flawed.

Olive McLaughlin had tracked down the Halterman/Halderman family because she had knowledge that Rachel was a Barbe. She stated that Rachel was the daughter of Henry and Mary Winegardner Barbe. She even described Rachel as having blue eyes and black hair and had moved to Ohio about 1825/6 from the Elk Run Branch of Stony Creek in Shenandoah County, Virginia.

Rachel Barbe’s marriage to Daniel L Halterman 22 April 1815 is recorded in Shenandoah County, Virginia. She and Daniel did in fact move to Ohio in the 1820's and settled on property that bordered the Jackson and Pike County line. They traveled from Virginia with two small children, John J and Rachel. She may well have been pregnant with Levi as well who was born circa 1820. Son Henry M. was born February 1821 in Jackson County, Ohio. Daniel, Jacob, Mahala, and Permelia were all born within the next ten years. The families last son, William was born about 1832.

Rachel’s husband, Daniel, died in February 1849 and was buried in Mountain Ridge Cemetery, located on a hill at the edge of Beaver, Ohio in Pike County. In her husband’s will written in Scioto Township, Jackson County, Daniel left to "his beloved wife Rachael" all his personal property, money and affects and all his real estate for her lifetime with stipulations of several dollar amounts to their children. Left a widow at the age of 54 she still had a 15 year old son, William at home.

Rachel died two years later, 13 October 1851, at the age of 56 years 6 months and 13 days. Rachel was buried beside her husband Daniel in Mountain Ridge Cemetery. Her youngest son William died in 4 October 1855 and is also buried at the same cemetery.