The heart and soul of this site is the Tree tab, where the extensive family lineage is laid out. I wrote a book on the family back in 1990, which included about 7200 souls. As of September of 2026 the family tree at this site has 24,441 descendants of six immigrants, and counting. Those six immigrants (five siblings from Kappel, Germany, and one immigrant from nearby Schuteral) came to the area of Carrolltown, Pa., beginning in 1833. They are:

Augustin & Maria Fehrenbacher – 14,542 (59%)

Michael & Maria Fehrenbacher – 4,098 (17%)

Johann Georg (George) & Elizabeth Fehrenbacher – 2,087 (9%)

Matthias & Theresa Fehrenbacher – 545 (2%)

Viktoria Fehrenbacher & Dennis Brawley/Friedrich Pichel – 1,441 (6%)

Michael & Genevieve Fehrenbacher – 1,728 (7%)

But wait, there’s more. We have the discovery of Rudolph “Farbaugh” (1840-1927). He immigrated in the late 1860s and had a meat market at 1810 8th Avenue, Altoona, Pa. In 1893, he innocently bought some stolen cattle from a Mr. McGonigle, butchered it and sold the meat. McGonigle was apprehended and jailed when he returned to the Farbaugh meat market and tried to sell more of the stolen cattle. (Cambria Freeman, 22 Sep 1893). Rudolph here escaped notice in our family history because there are no male descendants to carry on the family name. I haven’t figured out where he came from in Germany, but it is unlikely he is in our foreseeable bloodlines. There is another straggler, Godfrey Fahrbach (1820-1909), an early settler of Hollidaysburg (along with Philip, likely a brother). Godfrey had a son and grandson who also took on the cognate “Farbaugh,” but so far it looks like no other males carried the name forward. Godfrey was a Lutheran, so he doesn’t count anyway. Just kidding. My wife was raised Lutheran and we get along just fine. I decided to keep her in the family tree, so we’ll find a place for good old Godfrey as well.

Rudoph Farbaugh, 1840-1927, Godfrey Fahrbach (1820-1909)