Marty and Karla Grant
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Michael Faber (c1698-1778) and Sarah Meinhert (1700-1774) of Germany (Baden) and PA and NC (Rowan, Davidson)
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Michael and Sarah (Meinhert) Faber are my 7 times great grandparents.
I no longer recall who first introduced me to this family, though I believe I first learned about them in detail via The Millers of Ashe County (1979, 1988) by Danny L. Miller (1949-2008). He credited the Faber information to Mr. Harvey Lineback (1946-2014). Most of what was listed was from the immigration record. For many, many years, this information was all I had on the Fabers, and I had made no attempts to add to it for I felt there probably wasn’t much to add on this side of the Atlantic and I wasn’t able (or interested) in doing research on the family in Germany.
Michael Faber was born ca 1697/98 per his age of 35 on his 27 Aug 1733 immigration record. The same record showed him as a Fiddler by occupation, which to me suggests “unemployed musician!”
He was probably born in Baden (an assumption based on his wife being born there). At that time Baden-Baden and Baden-Durlach were Margraviates (roughly equivalent to a county or state) of the Holy Roman Empire. Today the area is a state called Baden-Württemberg in Germany (formerly West Germany).
Michael married Sarah Meinhert ca 1724, presumably in Baden. She was born 25 Dec 1700, a child of Emanuel Meinhert and Catherine (—). The Miller book had her listed as born in Durlach, Baden.
Michael and Sarah and daughter Barbara and son Michael (Jr) immigrated to American in 1735. The ship record dated 27 Aug 1733 shows them coming from the Palatine* via Rotterdam via Dover to Pennsylvania on the ship Elizabeth. They were listed as Michael Fabor, 35, Sarah Fabor 32, Babor Fabor 4 ½, Michal Fabor 2. Pennsylvania German pioneers; a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808, William John Hinke.
AND Names of Foreigners Who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania 1727-1775, William Henry Egle, M.D., 1892, p. 104.
* “The Palatine” generally referred to any Germanic people, though it specifically, the Palatinate meant a region in south western Germany, then the Holy Roman Empire. Baden was not part of the Palatinate, though bordered it.
I was unable to find any public records for them, i.e. deeds, court records, tax lists, etc., in Pennsylvania, Virginia or North Carolina, though I’m certain some must exist somewhere. It was by no means an exhaustive search on my part. Fortunately, we do actually know some things about the family thanks to the Moravian records and also the book Breaking Loose Together, The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina, Marjoleine Kars, 2002, both of which contain some interesting information on the Faber family.
Their daughter Mary married John Miller (Johannes Müller) in 1749 in Pennsylvania. They moved to the frontier region of then Rowan Co., NC in the 1750s. Michael and Sarah went with them. This was the time of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Indian attacks were frequent at the time and the white settlers had to abandon their homes and move into forts for protection. The Moravian records include this interesting tidbit:
May 15 [1758]. Michael Hauser and Schouss and their families moved from the fort into the little cabins by the mill. On the 27th the elderly Faber and his wife, who on account of the Indian troubles have been with us ever since last year, moved to their son-in-law, John Müller, taking leave with many expressions of thanks. On the 26th the elder Hauser and wife moved from the fort to the mill cabins.
Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, Vol 1, p. 189, “Bethabara Diairies.”
Sarah Faber joined the Moravian church at some point and was listed on a membership list in 1771. Her husband was not listed, though still living at that time.
Members of the South Fork, or Friedberg, Society. 1771.
... many names ...
John Müller and Mar. Magdal., m. n. Faber
...
Sarah Faber.
Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, Vol 1, p. 494.
Extracts from the Friedberg Diary. 1772
Jan. 19. ... The blessed Communion was the first to be held in this Saal; Adam Spach and his wife, and the elderly Sarah Faber, partook for the first time.
Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, Vol II, p. 743.
According to Kars, Michael Faber was a non believer and not interested in joining the Moravians with his wife. In fact, the author paints him as something of a radical as far back as their time on the Pennsylvania frontier in 1720s. Several pages are devoted to the Fabers. I strongly recommend you read it for yourself if interested. The book is available on Amazon.com.
Sarah Meinhert Faber died on 6 Aug 1774 and in is buried at the Friedberg Moravian “God’s acre” cemetery in what was then Rowan Co., NC but is now Davidson Co., NC. Her marker is inscribed “Sarah Faber D: 1774 A: 74 Y.”
She was actually 73 years old, a few months shy of her 74th birthday.
The Revolutionary War (1775-1783) brought more Indian troubles to the region as the British encouraged the natives to attack the rebellious locals. This had an affect on the Millers and presumably on Michael Faber just as it had nearly 20 years earlier in the French and Indian War.
Michael Faber died during the War, though probably not because of it, as he was 81 when he passed on 21 Mar 1778. His burial place is unknown, though likely in or near the Friedberg community in what was then Rowan Co., NC but is Davidson Co., NC now. He is not buried at the Moravian Cemetery as he wasn’t a member of that church.
Michael and Sarah Faber had three known children, two proven by their 1733 immigration record, and the third (Mary) proven by Moravian Church records. According to Kars, all the children except Mary died young.
1. Barbara Faber born ca 1728/1729 per her age of 4 ½ on the 1733 immigration record. She was presumably born in Baden. I have no record of her after 1733. She may have died young.
2. Michael Faber (Jr) born ca 1730/31 per his age of 2 on the 1733 immigration record. He was presumably born in Baden. I have no record of him after 1733. He may have died young.
3. Mary Magdalena Faber was born 14 Jun 1735 (per Moravian records), in Pennsylvania, county unknown. She married Johannes Müller (John Miller) (*** links to old page) there in 1749. They moved to North Carolina in the 1750s. Her husband died in 1780, and she in 1813 aged around 77. They are both buried at the Friedberg Moravian “God’s Acre” cemetery in Davidson Co., NC. Her stone is inscribed “Maria Muller D 1813.” See their own page for more information on their large family. Also refer to the wonderful book Millers of Ashe County by Danny L. Miller.
For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database pages for Michael and Sarah (Meinhert) Faber.
Revised: August 2, 2026
Copyright © 1996-2026 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.
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