Hi Tom:
I know it is nine years since you posted this request on the Elias family-- Gustavus Gottleib Elias. I'm Barbara's cousin Richard Elias-- and my sister Diane and I have "really gotten into" geneology-- I know you had done extensive work back in the 1990's. --I found out that Gustavus actually was from Ludwigsburg in Wurtembour--just outside of Stuttgart. A brother Karl followed him to Lancaster around 1850 -- both Gustavus and Karl had close contact with Christian Elias who was already in Lancaster in the 1840's-- Gustavus was godfather to his son. I also found the origins of the Getz family-- a farm off the Marietta Pike east of Lancaster- that a John Peter Getz of Von Kerstenberg-- who bought land in the 1740's from the Penn family.
I also have done alot for the Mourer family- Susan Alice Mourer--Peter Chritian's wife.-- her family lived in in the Lancaster area for many generations-- her family his buried near the Elias' in Lancaster.
I also just got back from England (Broxbourne and Cheshunt)(and visited with a 4th cousin once removed-- Janet Plastow Pearson-- and her husband John-- who are local historians and genologists-- they showed me the sites connected with both the Plastow and the Buckingham familly(Mary Ann Buckingham) --her mother was Mary Ann Ballard-- thus this is where that name comes from. Both the Plastow, Buckingham and the Bilton family-- have pretty extensive family trees-
If you happen to get this-- e-mail me back-- I have been enjoying me retirement-- and my addictive hobby of genology!
Regards
Cousin Richard.