BLUE BOOK cf SCHUYLKILL COUNTY^- /J) / CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM *^!f> y^u^ — C^ jC<^c^'£*^-^-a^'y.^^ iV-t.1. ,'-i\JZ^ Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924028854557 Cornell University Library F 157S3 E46 Blue book of Schuylkill County : who was Clin 3 1924 028 854 557 j ^rti." L/ioMjiHt-ai. ':/■ ;>t'-^ PETITION FOR EARLY ROAD (SEPTEMBER, 1727) (MARDIN ZARBEN) MARTIN ZERBE, ONE OF THE SIGNERS COPY (Taken from the original petition for early road shown on opposite page.) September, 1727. To the Honorable Bench. We whose names are hereunto subscribed, ye inhabitants of ye North west parts of ye Township of Oley, Tolpehockan, and parts adjacent. Having no Road as yet estab- lished amongst us, by means whereof we suffer diver incon- veniences and a great part of ye land at present not Settled, through which ye hereby petitioned road is naturally designed to go by means of whereof there will be no opposition made in ye laying of it out. Wherefore, we your Petitioners humbly request that you will be pleased to order a High road to be laid out. Beginning at the Lutherian Meeting House at Tolpehockan to end in the high road, at ye Quakers Meeting House near George Boone's Mill in Oley. And your petitioners shall ever pray. Frederick Schaeffer, Petter Klub, Adam Lish, Sebastian Fischer, N. Nevs, Lenhart Riet, Nicholas Rienr, Jasper Riet, Mardey Stub, Mardin Battdorif, Anthonn Schadt, Lenhart Feg, Jacob Korbell, Phillip Braun Johan Henrich Schnchert, *MARDIN ZARBEN, Nicholas SchaefJer, Michael Aenrich, Michael Ernst Herner, Johan Entenfelt, Johannes Christman, Benjamin Boone, Stephan Wasseicheidt, Isaac Wiseman, Adam Walbornn, John Collins, Jacob Kobft, Joseph Baker, George Lish, Jonathan Baker, Abraham Link, Hugh Edward, Nicholas Rull, William Roberts, Cunrath Dififenbach, Peter Hilton. *Zerbey History, Part 2. IN THE COURT OF QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE, OF THE COUNTY OF PHILADELPHIA. In re opening of High Road, at Tulpehocken, &c. September Sessions, 1727. I certify the foregoing to be a true and correct copy of the original petition in the case above stated, as full, entire and complete as the same now remains of Record in this office. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said Court this twenty-sixth day of February, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twelve, (1912.) ' JOHN E. WALSH, (Seal) Pro. Clerk. 0f i>rIjuglktU OInuntg ntfo Wm Wifo unt Wifg M iltttertor lEaatertt IP^nnagltimtta. ttt Calanml iaga— ®tfp ijfugufttnta a«ii Pdattttfa— Sli^tr §frm« ttt a^ixntt A«nt'a. 3f««rlj awi iftthian. and ISfttaluttanari} Para— ^xBtat^ 0f tl|p Z^rteg, i»tlimalm, Mxlkr, Mtt- kh, Mxamtii, ^mbt, mi Mm^ 0^tt;rr IS^tpviBitxtatm 3mnil\tB. ®o 9stvs iMra. SUa Zf rbfg iEUtott Antlfor of "©lb grtfttglkill aialfa" a«& " '|fr ^Ifnrt Status. IFomtprlg for >ix ^sats nn tijf ?Elittonal i^taff of tiff ^ottsuillp, $rnna.. "Sppttbtttan." fottBttiUe, ]^a.. "K«)]nblican" joatpl; ?[$. Zttbtg, ^taptutat fnblialtvra 191E {:('f; \;: I ^7fi-y/^ COPYRIGHT 1916 BY MRS. ELLA ZERBEY ELLIOTT '%: PRESS OF POTTSVILLE, PA., "REPUBLICAN" E. L. CLIFFORD J. H. ZERBEY, Jr. BUSINESS MANAGER ASSOCIATE EDITOR ,1,1:11^1 Sin;) Y 'I I 'A SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK Contents CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Follow Frontispiece — Road Petition, Year 1727. Page Martin Zerbe's Homestead 1 Pioneer Homestead Map, 1723 36 Early Church, built 1727 42 Conrad Weiser's Signature 48 Patent from John Penn to Seven Stars (Minnich) Property, 1750 72 Land of Early Settlers on Tulpehocken 120 Schuylkill County Erected 141 Site of Mill John4 Zerbe, Tulpehocken 186 Mardin Zarvas Run, 1723, Wm. Penn Grant 200 Rear of Homestead of Martin Zerbe's Land 208 Map George Zerbe Land, Schuylkill Haven 216 George Zerbe Homestead, near Orwigsburg, Pa 232 Water Right Agreement Johannes Zerbe, 1747 268 Site of John Zerbe's Old Mill 308 Conrad Minnich Map, Land Deed 366 Stout Homestead, Settled 1736 392 Ancient Schwalm Castle 414 Andrew Schwalm Homestead, Orwigsburg, Pa 420 PART I. Translation of Road Petition. Page Title Page 1 Foreword 9 Prologue 12 Huguenots and Palatines 15 Settlers in Interior Eastern Pennsylvania, 1750-1752 18 1730-1780 19 German Immigration 22 Huguenots and Palatines: Come to London 25 Invitation to America 25 Sail for New York 26 Who Settlers Were 27 Settle in New York 29 Queen Anne's War 30 ii BLUE BOOK OF Contents Huguenots and Palatines, Continued: Page Soldiers in War, 1711 31 Company Lists 34 Their Lands Resold 34 Pennsylvania Pioneers of 1723: The Thirty-Three Families 36 Settlers Petition Governor 38 First Church Built, 1727 42 Petition for Roads, 1727 43 Tulpehocken Confusion 44 Province of Pennsylvania BO Organization of Pennsylvania Counties to 1811 51 Petition for New County 54 Remonstrate Against Revising Constitution 56 Failed 56 Constitution Amended 57 Indian Troubles in Pennsylvania: Indian Troubles 58 Policy 59 Forts 59 First Fort Dupui 60 Fort Augusta 60 Blue Mountain Forts 61 Forts Lebanon and Franklin 63 Chain of Forts 64 Friendly Indians 65 Indian Atrocities 67-69 The Finschers and Millers 70 John Penn Patent to Seven Stars (Minnich) Property, 1750.. 73 Neyman and Other Massacres 74 Indian Stories 75-80 War of the Revolution: War of the Revolution 81 Oath of Allegiance 85 Recruits From Schuylkill (Berks) Co 85-97 Zerbes, Grubers, Rebers, Stouts, Swartzs, Merkles, Rieths, etc., in the Early Wars 97-104 Family Traditions 107-109 War of 1812-1814: Soldiers Prom Schuylkill County 109-113 Mexican War: Schuylkill County Represented 114-120 The Early Settlers: Early Notable Settlers 122 Conrad Weiser's Diary 124-132 Governor Schulze Story -. 134 Baltzar Gehr, Jacob Morgan, Douglass Family, etc 135-141 Schuylkill County Erected From Berks 141 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY iii Contents Who Was Who: Page First Settlers of Schuylkill County 149 Neuferts, Whetstones, Potts 149 Klocks, Christs, Bresslers 150 Potts, Helms, Hessers 151 The Morris' 154 Boyers, Guldins, Colemans 155 Bocks, DeTurks, Mortimers 159 John R. and Benjamin B. Bannan 160 Lindemuths, Matzs, Roseberrys 163-167 Braun-Brown Family 168 Filberts, Weidmans, Krebs, Tysons 170-171 Spohns, Bechtels, Palmers 173-174 Kaerchers, Kepners, Shippcns 175 Hobarts, Bairds, Pattersons 177-179 Zellers, Rahns, Seitzingers 180-182 PART II. Genealogical Records: Origin of the Zerbeys 187-192 Zerbeys in America 192-194 First Generation 194 The Manors 198 Second Generation 200 (MARTIN ZERBE'S LINE) John Jacob Zerbe 200 John Zerbe 203 Heinrich Boyer 204 Albrecht and John Philip Strauss 204 George Peter Zerbe 207 Third Generation 211 Peter, Jr., Elizabeth, Valentine 211 Michael 212 John George Zerbe 216 (John) George and Anna Barbara Zerbe's Children.. 220 Hon. Daniel Zerbe 222 Herring Family Tradition 225 Daniel Zerbe, Cressona 226 Henry Zerbe, Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pa 227 John Adam Miller 229 Fourth Generation 232 George Zerbe 232 Children 233-239 Rev. Frank Ellsworth GraeflF, D. D 238 Wm. Merkle Zerbey 239 John F. Zerbey Family 241 Heber S. Zerbey Family 241 Joseph Henry Zerbey Family 242 "Pottsville Republican" 242 Robert A. Zerbey Family 246 iv BLUE BOOK OF Contents Genealogical Records, Fourth Genration, Continued Page Frederic E. Zerbey Family 245 "Schuylkill Weekly Republican" 246 Charles D. Elliott 246 Ella Zerbey Elliott 246 Adelia E. Zerbey Family 249 Sara Frances Zerbey Family 250 Rieths or Reeds 250 War Records 254 Ship Lists 257-258 Zerfass, Serf as, Surber, Sarvar, Sevir, Sarvas 258-260 Unclassified Zerbes 259 British Oath of Allegiance 260 Penna. Oath of Allegiance 261 Taxables in Berks County, 1752 262 Early Churches in Schuylkill County 262 The First Census 262 Grubers Intermarried 263 Sontag Family 266 (LORENTZ ZERBE LINE) First Generation 266 Lorentz Zerbe Family 267 Second Generation 269 John Zerbe, the Miller, Family 271 Blue Mountain Lands 272 Tulpehocken Confusion 274 Second and Third Generations 276 Dr. Samuel and Maria Isles 277 Leonard Zerbe 279 Valentine Zerbe 280 Christian Zerbe 281 Benton H. Zerbe 282 John Zerbe's Law Suit 284 Nathan Zerbe 287 John Zerbe, Cumru Township 288 Third and Fourth Generations 289 Jonathan and David Zerbe 289-291 Rev. John W. Zerbe 292 George Adam Zerbe, Land and Family 294-297 George Zerbe, Tulpehocken, and Family 297-298 Tyrone and Altoona Zerbes 298 Reading, Pa., Zerbes 299 Unclassified Zerbes 301 Location of Land, Early Settlers 303 Host's Church 304 The Jacob Zerbes 304 Joel Zerbe Children 307 Philip Zerbe, of Washington Twp., Schuylkill Co 309 Descendants 309-323 Centre County Zerbes 323-325 Northumberland County Zerbes 325-332 Old Church, and Tombstone Records 333-347 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Contents PART III. Page Allied Families 351 Merkles 351 Church Records 351-355 Taxables 355 In Wars 357 Wills and Records 357 Michael and Elizabeth, Children 359 Daniel Bartolet's Descendants 361 Isaac Strauch 362 Michael Merkle Family 363 Minnich, Muench History 364 Capt. Conrad Minnich 367 Hotel 371 Conrad Minnich, Second 373 Graves of 1776 Men Marked 376 Minnich, Minnig Genealogy 378-387 Phila. Branch Muenchs 387-393 Staudts, Stoudts, Stouts 393 Miller, Filbert, Kershner, Lerch, Ebling, Snyder, Mau- rer, Wagner and other Families 393-397 Marriages, Land Warrants 397 Muellers (Millers) 398 Henry Miller 399 Family History 399-402 Andrew and Elizabeth Miller, Descendants 403-409 History of the Reber Family 409 Conrad Reber Descendants 409 The Wildermuth Family 411 Origin of the Schwalms 413 First Schwalms in America 413 Caspar Phillips' Children 416 Baptismal Records 417 Andrew Schwalm, Sr., Family 418 Andrew and Hannah Schwalm Family 420 Frederic and Catharine Haeseler Family 421 Haeseler's Ancestry 423 William E. Boyer Family 427 Dr. Francis W. Boyer Family 427 James A. Medlar Family 428 Edmund S. Boyer 428 Boyer Ancestry 429 John Andrew Schwalm Family 430 Dr. Thomas W. Swalm 430 Allen H. Swalm 430 Henry A. Swalm 430 Joseph M. Schwalm Family 431 Sarah L. Schwalm 432 Thomas Clouse and Amanda Schwalm Family 432 Thomas K. Wagner and Susan J. Schwalm Family 432 Hegins Valley Schwalms 433 Hubley Township Schwalms 435 SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK Contents Page Pottsville Erected 437 Great Road or King's Highway 437 Turnpike Roads, Canal, Railways, Stages, etc 438-440 Discovery of Coal 440 Settlers of Norwegian Township 441 Pottsville Erected 443 Pottsville's First Houses and First Settlers 443-445 Old Time Stories 447-455 Hessian Ancestors 455 Wills Probated Before 1800 455-456 mm look 0f ^rlyuglktU nnh Ifrka (HanntxiB a iiaa THE ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE FROM ORICINALS DESIGNED SOLELY FOR THIS WORK. O Oh a H H 63 <: S fa o H O o cn a s o w fa o fa z o la fa FOREWORD In preparing this work, which includes the labor of years, the author has used only the best means available for the purpose. The idea of presenting such an array of facts, that makes of the book one neither entirely for private circulation, nor yet one solely for public distribution, first occurred to the writer about ten years ago, when after gathering much genealogical matter, for the main branch of the family, it was found that it was so involved with, and a part of, the pathetic, beautiful and romantic history, of the Huguenots and Pala- tines of the old world, thousands of whom were subsequently the founders of interior southeastern Pennsylvania and parts of other States, that it was next to impossible to divorce the one from the other. The early settlers of Pennsylvania were not a showy race, they were plain and unassuming people, but they made his- tory and it seemed incumbent upon the author to transmit and preserve it. We are the descendants of French and German ancestry. There are those who are inanely ashamed of their descent and have a horror of being counted among the Penn- sylvania Germans. We are not of these. We are proud of our birthright. We have the homely treasure of a dialect peculiarly our own and we glory in its quaint figures of speech, so largely corrupted with the English, that as a sub-language or idiom it must soon be relegated to the archives of the past. The Pennsylvania Germans and Huguenots were mainly husbandmen and tillers of the soil. To their untiring industry and perseverance, that wielded the maul, the axe and the mattock, felling the majestic monarchs of the forest and turn- ing the almost impenetrable wilderness into arable fields, rich with tasseled wheat and ripened corn; and making the barren wastes green with verdure and the bleak hillsides to 10 BLUE BOOK OF Foreword blossom like the rose, to them, is due much of the present flourishing condition of this our native State. Plain, but lo}^al and God-fearing citizens of this Com- monwealth and the States of the, Union in which their de- scendants have found homes, they possessed indomitable will, energy and perseverance and were of the stock, from which subsequently, sprung men in every walk of life, from the highest offices in the gift of the people ; the presidency, the gubernatorial chair, the Senatorial, Congressional, and Leg- islative chambers, the highest professions, the brave soldier and sailor, on land and sea, down to the plain and unassum- ing civillian who filled his mission by performing his simple duty in life. All honor to the Pennsylvania Germans! To the works from which the book has been partly com- piled : the Pennsylvania Archives, The Pennsylvania German Society Publications, Transactions of the Moravian Historical Society, the Pennsylvania Associators, Rupp's and Montgom- ery's Histories of Berks County, Cobb's Palatines, Koeppen's Middle Ages, Menzel's Germany, Palatine Refugees in Eng- land, Wheaton's Northmen, etc., etc., we are largely indebted. The courtesy of Dr. J. W. Jordan, and his assistant Librarian, Ernest Spofiford, of the Pennsylvania Historical Society Library, Philadelphia; Dr. Schulze and Prof. Wm. A. Schwarze, of the Moravian College and Archives, Bethlehem; the officials of the Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg, and the custodians of historical society libraries in Reading, Lebanon, Lancaster, and Harrisburg, in submitting original manuscripts for our inspection, for material, cannot be over- estimated nor too warmly commended. The attachees of the Chester, Lancaster, Dauphin, Berks, Northumberland, and Schuylkill County Courts and the Court of Quarter Sessions, Philadelphia, and the custodians of the records of some of the early churches, were uniformly oblig- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY ii Foreword ing in their offers of assistance in the unearthing- of records. Many individuals, too, lent their best endeavors and through these the work was made possible. To the chronological and genealogical data of the Zerbe line, many of the family name contributed and rendered in- valuable assistance. Others, too, collaborateurs in genealog- ical lines that were involved with the above, gave aid and the results speak for themselves. The many difficulties to be contended with in a work of this nature, are but little understood by the average critic, who rarely sees anything to coinmend but seeks rather to con- demn or tear down that which he, perhaps, could not origin- ate or erect, himself; we pass him by and without further apology, present the work to those interested and to an in- dulgent public. ELLA ZERBEY ELLIOTT. BLUE BOOK OF Prologue PROLOGUE It seems singular to the student of the present time, that only within the last thirty years has the history of the United States been considered of enough importance to be included in the curriculum of the large universities, in this country. A young man could, three decades ago, graduate from a four years' course in Harvard College, with all the honors and yet not know, even, of the existence of the Declaration of Inde- pendence or how the Constitution of the United States was framed. Other colleges, too, ignored American History. A boy was required to know of the history of Greece and Rome and during the term he was permitted to acquaint himself with the history of England, but that of the United States was ignored. An inspection of the curriculum of our public schools at the present time, too, reveals the fact that history is studied in a formal way for one year only, the eighth. This condition of things, happily, is passing away; an effort now being made to introduce into the schools, as text books, such parts of Pennsylvania history that are relative to general school work. New England history, as written, was largely biased by prejudice or else the truth was wilfully perverted. In the minutes of the Proprietary Government of Pennsylvania, and such reports as have been published in the Archives, there are found facts that prove this assertion. The official records of a State alone can preserve its true history. The States of New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and others began the publication of their Colonial and Revo- lutionary history before Pennsylvania awakened to the fact SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 13 Prologue that she was lagging behind and it was not until April, 1837, that the immediate publication of the Colonial Records was ordered by the Legislature. In 1752 the Assembly directed the publication of the Journals of the flouse, from 1684, which up to that date had remained in manuscript. These annals are records of the uninteresting details of the government of the colonies of Great Britain and much that should have gone down in his- tory was suppressed, as State secrets, for fear of the displeas- ure of the British government. With the opening of the French and Indian wars the history of Pennsylvania became replete with interest. The Indian massacres along the frontier, the letters of the British officers and others higher up in the English government, make a wonderful story and one that no one who professes to be conversant with early history dare long remain unfamiliar with. No state in the Union has a history of greater import- ance than Pennsylvania. In her metropolis was located the seat of the colonial government when liberty was declared and on her borders and within her domain the decisive strug- gle for independence culminated. It was in this State that American Independence had its birth and here, too, when the cause under Washington was almost hopeless and the New Englanders deserted it and went home, that Pennsylvania arose in its supremacy and saved the day. The commonwealth is slowly unveiling the rich treas- ures in her possession but many, too, of the invaluable docu- ments in her vaults were lost, through the ravages of time, dampness and mildew and through the peculations of dis- honest custodians, who were the prey of private collectors ; and some through lack of binding or transmission to print, and others to the careless methods with which they were preserved. 14 BLUE BOOK OF Prologue It is a discredit to Pennsylvania that a more thorough and systematic effort is not made by authorized bibliograph- ers; in addition to the transcribers employed on the archives, to at once rehabilitate what remains of these rich and rare treasures, as every year of delay means an added loss. The Moravian, Lutheran and Reformed churches, in the theological state libraries, at their colleges and seminaries, too, contain many untabulated original manuscripts in the German script that remain untranslated and are fast fading away. What is true of the State and church, is also true of the individual. The history of the early pioneers is rich with information interwoven with the struggles, fortitude, endur- ance and sterling worth and work of the colonists, that re- mains uncovered and unhonored, through the apathy and carelessness of their descendants, and the custodians of docu- ments that relate to their history. The early pioneers passed through many stirring and even thrilling vicissitudes, but they were formed of the fibre that makes heroes and not only endured untold hardships but lived and even thrived under them. Without the help of these rugged and fearless people, the nation under its heroic lead- ers, in the struggle for liberty, would have sunk into the depths of thraldom, unknown decay and servitude to an older, wealthier and more powerful country and liberty would never have been proclaimed throughout our beloved land. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 15 Huguenots and Palatines The Huguenots and Palatines HAT Norsemen and not Christopher Cohimbus discovered America and also, that, to the Teutonic race belongs that honor, is conceded by scholars and historians. The Norse Sagas embody the real history of the Germanic race. Greenland has many evidences of their settlement and farther south there are relics and proofs that the North American Indians absorbed these races and, as Father Charlevoix, Jesuit Priest, states, "Taught the aborigines the story of the cross be- fore the advent of the early missionaries," who have been accredited with that pioneer work. Writers of American history, thus far, have not accorded the Germans their due, in regard to the discovery of this Con- tinent. The injustice of biased statements or else the total ig- noring by historians of what was done by Germans in the exploration, development and early settlement of America, has led the Pennsylvania German Society, a body of men composed of Pennsylvanians, born of German descent, to decree the com- pilation of a new and critical history of this Commonwealth. A large sum of money has been subscribed to enable Savants to make a thorough research of the libraries and repositories of learning in the old world ; and particular epochs and sections are made the especial study of members of the Society appointed for the purpose and the results forthcoming are of such a com- prehensive and thorough nature as to revolutionize many hereto- fore accepted historical facts and add many unknown truths to the basis of those already proven^. (New History of Penna. The Penna. German Society, Vol. VII., pp. 33-198.) i6 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines The Swedes were the first settlers in Pennsylvania in 1638. The first commissioners from Wm. Penn to treat with the Indi- ans came over in 1681, and Wm. Penn, himself, arrived Oct. 27, 1682.2 In 1701 a small colony of Swedes settled on the Schuyl- kill River near the mouth of the Manatawny Creek, 10,500 acres were surveyed and layed off for them. They built the first church for religious worship, in interior Pennsylvania, 1716, and owing to the amicable relations between themselves and the Indians, called their settlement Amity (Chester County). This name has been retained as the name of that township, in Berks County, to the present day. A small colony of Germans came in 1 712 and settled on Manatawny Creek. Then another colony of thirty-three families came in 1723, journeying south from New York. !• 2 They were Huguenots and Palatines, vv^ho had cast their lot together, in a common cause, to escape religious persecution, fled their native land and came to the new world to build up homes away from the thraldom and dictation of Kings and Princes. During the middle of the i6th century, the reformers under Calvin became strong in France, not only as a religious sect but as a political body. The name Huguenots was given them in derision and they were bitterly opposed by the French Court and disliked by the Roman hierarchy. Strong in their Pro- testant belief they could not change it to conform with that of the ruling prince. Frederic II, the elector Palatinate, was a Lutheran, Frederic III a Calvanist. Ludovic V restored the Lutheran Church, his son who succeeded him became a Calvinist and he was succeeded by a Catholic, who cruelly oppressed the Protestants. In 1634 the city of Heidelberg was taken by Louis XIV of France. In 1688 the French army invaded Germany and devas- tated the beautiful Palatinate of the Rhine, causing suffering and (Note 1— D. Eupp, Thirty Thousand Immigrants, Appendix.) fPenna Archives, Vol. 7, p. 291.) (Note 2— Penna. Archives, Vol. 7, pp. 118, 125, 262,) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 17 Huguenots and Palatines desolation worse than the German war, which brought ruin and starvation to thousands. More than 40 cities and hundreds of towns and villages were reduced to ashes. The inhabitants were driven into the fields in mid-winter. The cities of Manheim, Heidelberg, W^orms, and Mayence were partly destroyed. The city of Heidelberg was rebuilt and in 1693 was again taken by the French and laid in ashes. 15,000 men, women and children were made homeless, stripped of all their possessions, turned into the fields by night, destitute and half naked, but with characteristic pluck they again rebuilt the city and restored their homes under the promise that they should have protection. The inhabitants of Alsace and Lorraine were possessed of distinct traits of character, which distinguished them from the Palatines among whom some had already cast their lot, when Francis I determined to crush the heretics. The King's sister, Marguerite, afterward Queen of Navarre, with other distin- guished nobles had espoused their cause and the King was at first inclined to deal tolerantly with them, but he recanted. Flenry of Navarre, afterward King Henry IV, when heir to the French crown, espoused their cause. The massacres on St. Bartholomew's day were horrifying.^ The number of victims is differently estimated. De Thou fixes it at 30,000, DeGuUy at 70,000. In 1598 he rewarded them by promulgat- ing the "Edict of Nantes." They were not satisfied with its provisions, which angered the King and he determined to exterminate them. The Huguenots were growing too power- ful politically as well as religiously. In 1590 they worship- ped in 3,500 chateaux and 200 towns. The Edict of Nantes was revoked October 15, 1685. During the 87 years of its outward protection many subterfuges were resorted to under the dominance of the King, to destroy the growing power of these people. Louis XIV did not use the same prudence with them that Richelieu and Mazarin dictated, but began a series of persecution that in 1657 amounted to a war (Note 1 — Wars Between France and Germany, McCabe.) i8 BLUE BOOK OF Husruenots and Palatines of extermination. Seven hundred of their churches were de- stroyed. Thousands of them could not stand the oppression and yielded, but others suffered death rather than sacrifice their prin- ciples. Many fled the sunny land, where their thrift and industry had created an Elysian bower, and where the vine and fruitage and broad acres smiled, with the results of their culture and labor. Fully one million French subjects renounced their beautiful land and left their homes to escape this worse than death torture. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes crushed and wiped out more than half of the commercial and manufacturing interests of the nation and despoiled thousands of acres of the best fruit- age and cultivated land in the kingdom. The young men crowded into the armies arrayed against the French nation, that they might avenge their wrongs and the men, women and children fled to Bavaria, Holland, Switzer- land and the upper and lower German Palatinate, becoming refugees and joining in a common cause with the Palatines, that they might escape the oppression and begin life anew in the new world. Among those who came to interior eastern Pennsylvania from 1710 to 1752, occur these names, and others, whose de- scendants in Berks and Schuylkill Counties are among the best known and most prominent citizens ■} Aurand, Barnard, Beyer, Bayer-Boyer, Baudeman, Bertolette, Baumgardner, Baeshore, Beauman, De Benneville, De Puis, De Bow, De Turck, De Keim, De Frehn, De Wald, Delchamp, Forrer, Ferney-Forney, Huber, Herbein, Hess, Tonnelier-Kieffer, Le Van, La Pierre-Stein, Meyer-Moyer, Reyer-Royer, (Note 1 — Ship Lists, Penna. Archives, 2nd Series, Vol. XVII.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Huguenots and Palatines 19 Marquette, Pershing, Sallade, Merclen-Merkle, LeChar-Lecher, Zarva-Sarva-Sevier. Molette, Sellaire-Zeller, The majority of these names have been changed in the spelling but their origin remains the same. The above were, with others, from Alsace and Lorraine, who left France on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Others, whom the blind bigotry of monarchs drove across the seas to settle in eastern Pennsylvania, from 1730 to 1780, were: Althouse, Bergan, Bland, Bechtel, Batdorf, Bossard, Boone, Clemens, Conrad, Deibert, Dreibelbeis, Dengler, Dieffenderfer, Easterly-Esterly, Filbert, Focht, Gruber, Guldin, Hoch-Hock-Hoy Heffner, Hofifman, Henninger, Koehler, Kissinger, Kramer, Kauffman, Koch, Ludwig, Lauderbrun, Pott, Miessie, Muenchs, Miller, Neifert, Oberholzer, Parvin, Rhoads, Ritter, Redcamp, Rickert, Reed, Staudt, Spohn, Schall, Schwall-Schwalm, Schollenberger, Spohn, Strauss, Schaeffer, Shelly, Sponchuchen, Sigfried, Saylor, VanDusen, Witman, Weiser, Womelsdorf. Reber, (Dr. W. W. Egle, State Historian, includes the above in his enumeration of the first families of Berks Co., Historical Register, Jan. 1883.) Most persons familiar with history know that the Palatinate, used in a geographical sense, existed in two territorial divisions, upper and lower, as early as the eleventh century. The Lower, 30 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines Pfalz am Rhein, or Palatinate on the Rhine, was situated on both sides of that river and was bounded by Wurtemberg, Baden, Alsace, Lorraine, Treves and Hesse. The Upper, or Ober Pfalz, on the east, was surrounded by- Bohemia, Bavaria and Nuremberg. The Emperor Frederic H. gave the Palatinate to Louis of Bavaria, who retained the right until 1329. In 1356 the seven electors usurped these rights and the territories became the inalienable feudal possessions of the empire. In 1559 Frederick III, who introduced Galvanism and gave his protection to the Huguenots, maintained the Reformed religion with great severity. His son Louis, a zealous Lutheran, tried to undo his work and the Palatinates were compelled to change their religion fre- quently to conform with the tenets of their rulers; being Catholic, Calvanistic, and Lutheran successively.' Ludovic V. lost the electorate, 1623, and the Duke of Ba- varia retained the upper Palatinate. In 1648 the Rheinish Pala- tinate was conveyed to Frederic's son. In 1694, in the war of the Spanish succession, the Upper Palatinate was again revived, and Bavaria again resumed its ancient rights. During these numerous changes the Palatinates were cruelly desolated by the armies that made wars of conquest upon that soil. In 1801 France seized all on the west bank of the Rhine. In 1815 the left bank was restored to Germany. Germany for many years was the battlefield of Europe. The armies of every European nation devastated her soil and de- spoiled her people. The palatinate bordering on France and Germany, was a peculiar prey of the invading hosts. The ceaseless disturbances and religious persecutions, after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, sent 700,000 of France's best citizens to Germany, Switzerland, PloUand and Britain; (Note 1 — Koeppen's Middle Ages.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 21 Huguenots and Palatines and the remarkably cold winter of 1708-9 was responsible with their other ills, for the great exodus of the French and Germans from the Palatinate.^ Faith and confidence in their rulers was destroyed and when the Gracious Queen Anne, of England, through her ministers abroad began to aid the French Protestants and sent assistance to the Palatines, in Holland, the exodus of the latter and many of the former followed. William Penn, the silvery tongued Quaker, made two visits to Germany, in 1671 and 1677. Colonists were attracted to Pennsylvania through his agency, and other Colonial schemes followed.^ It is not the purpose of the writer to deal with the question of the German Immigration to the entire Western Hemisphere, which began in 1526, nor yet to specialize all of the colonies that followed after 1683. The influx of the German population into Eastern Penn- sylvania, a humantide that at one time threatened to depopulate several provinces of Germany, and change all of this State into a German Colony, is, however, of especial interest. Queen Anne donated land along the Broad, Saluda, Con- garee and Wateree rivers, in South Carolina, near the present site of Columbia, which is still known as "Dutch Forks." Rev. Joshua Kockerthal, who was known as the "Joshua of the Palatines." 1706, at Frankfort, on the Main, wrote a volume extoling the wonderful resources of this land, "flowing with milk and honey." Kockerthal was something of a ro- mancist, but the influence of his book and other colonial pam- (Note 1 — Tindal's History of England says, "The winter was the most severe since 1683-4, and cattle, sheep and birds froze to death in the forest. Corn was scarce and fruit trees were killed. Frosts followed, killing the corn and calamity and desolation prevailed.") (Note 2 — Bancroft gives Wm. Penn the credit of this exodus of Ger- mans to Pennsylvania.) 22 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines phlets, induced 14,000 Germans, French, Swabians, and others, to forsake their native land and cast their lot with the Pala- tines.i GERMAN IMMIGRATION These people came to London, after many harrowing vi- cissitudes, and in 1709 left England for New York, which they reached December 31. Kockerthal made extraordinary efforts to direct the tide toward Carolina. The few who came to Pennsylvania were filled with distrust. Many adverse reports came from those who had gone south. Carolina was said to be excellent for wine production, while Pennsylvania was best for the staples of life, wheat, corn and barley. Kocker- thal never saw Carolina, but 650 immigrants in two vessels, under Christopher Graffenrid, reached the junction of the Neuse and Trent rivers, Carolina, early in 1710, and founded New Berne, named after the city in Switzerland from which their leaders came. A fearful massacre by the Tuscarora Indians followed, in which over 100 colonists were slain, and the remainder prom- ised that they would take up no more land without an agree- ment with the Indians. Twelve families and 50 others went north in April, 1714, where they settled on the Rappahannock river, in Virginia, worked in Governor Spottswood's furnace and defended the frontier. To this colony of Swiss and Huguenots came twenty families of eighty persons, from Alsace and the Palatinate, who were wrecked on the coast. Among them were the ancestors of Gov. Kemper.2 With the Sevier (Sarva), Roller and Bonneauvent families, who left Alsace, France, with thousands of others, on the (Note 1 — Kockerthal's volume at Astor Library, New York, Is inac- cessible to the ordinary investigator. A synopsis. Vol. VIII, IX, Penn- sylvania, German Society, Magazine.) (Note 2 — History of South Carolina, Proprietary Government, Ed- ward MacCready.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 23 Huguenots and Palatines revocation of the Edict of Nantes, was Valentine Sevier, one of eight sons of John Sevier (Sarva), who took refuge in Switzer- land, subsequently fleeing to London, with his wife, when the persecution became so severe that thousands starved to death, or were executed at the block, stake or gibbet. Coming to this country, 1727, they settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania, afterward Lancaster and Berks Coun- ties, from where they removed to Virginia; settling finally on the Watauga river, on the western side of the Alleghenies. In 1732 the Governor of Virginia ceded to Jacob Van Meeter and John Jost Heydt, of Pennsylvania, twenty-five thousand acres of land, in the Shenandoah Valley, on the condition that they locate thereon, two hundred or more families. This was acted upon and was the beginning of a great migration from Pennsylvania to that valley, in Virginia, and which extended South to North Carolina, where a settlement was formed on the Yadkin river prior to 1750. John^ Sevier, Valentine^ was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, September 23, 1745. The family in 1769 settled on the Watauga river, on the west side of the Alleghe- nies, where they, with other Virginians, built Fort Watauga and founded a new state. In 1774 John Sevier served as Cap- tain in Lord Dunsmore's war. In 1776 the Watauga settle- ments were annexed to North Carolina and Sevier represented the district in the Provincial Congress, which met at Halifax, Nov.-Dec. 1776, and adopted the first state constitution. In 1777 he was a member of the State House of Commons. He took part in the campaign, 1780, when the Cherokees, at Boyd's creek, Sevier County, were defeated. They named the river, Holstein, in East Tennessee, after the Duke and House of Holstein, whose retainers the "Servis" originally were.i (Note 1 — History of Denmark and Norway, Frederick Suhm.) (Note — the small figures above the names throughout this volume denote the generation.) 24 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines One of the most brilliant achievements in the history of the American Revolution was that of General John Sevier, at the battle of King's Mountain, Oct. 7, 1780. It was at the darkest hour in the history of the war with Great Britain, when the cause in the South seemed doomed. General John Sevier, with indomitable courage, threw his little army against the almost impregnable position of the British. In one hour the left wing of the army of Cornwallis was shattered, he made his surrender at Yorktown ; through this fierce assault his forces could not rally and American Independence was assured. John Sevier, Commonwealth Builder, founded the new State of Frankland (afterward Tennessee),. March, 1785, named after Benjamin Franklin. He was arrested by North Carolina authorities, for a leader of an independent government. He was the only Governor, Frankland had. In 1789 he was a member of the North Carolina Senate. In 1790 the North Carolina government ceded its land to the United States. John Sevier was the first Governor of Tennessee, 1796 — 1801, and again 181 1 — 1815. He died at Fort Decatur, Georgia, September 24, 1815.1^' 3. (The name Sevier is pronounced "Sahvar", the "e" being sounded "ah".) (Note 1 — "Baird's Huguenots.") (Note 2 — "Huguenots in America," E. A. Stapleton.) (Note 3 — Eleventh Edition Encyclopedia Britannica.") SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 35 Huguenots and Palatines Palatines Come to London JfN MAY, 1709, seven thousand of the Palatines came to 51 London, from Holland, taking advantage of the general ^ naturalization law, for foreigners ; and the English nat- urally, were anxious to turn this tide toward populating their colonies in America. Holland, which these people had enriched with their thrift and industry, three months later, too, issued a proclamation, offering to naturalize all refugees who sought a home in that country and to receive them as subjects.^ The Elector Palatine published an order making it death and confiscation of goods for any one of his subjects to leave their native country. Ships were provided by the English government to bring them from Rotterdam and Queen Anne did all within her power to aid these unhappy people, who eventually became the object of the Colonial land speculators and English Commissioners. INDIANS INVITE THEM TO AMERICA Kapp says, that "about this time there were in London, five Mohawk chiefs, who had come from America to ask assistance of Queen Anne's government against the attack of the French in Canada. They visited the Palatine encampment, at Black- heath, and being told that it was the earnest desire of these people to obtain lands upon which they could live and help them- selves, they invited them to come to America and offered the Queen a gift of rich lands upon which they might settle." (Note 1— Luttrell Diary, 1709.) 36 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines The army of Palatines in London, the middle of July, 1709, was variously estimated. One extravagant authority placing the number at 32,000. Kapp, more conservatively states, "that there were 14,000;" in this he is corroborated by the British Trade and Parliamentary Journals.^ Betvi^een tvi^o and three thousand Catholics, among them, who could not take the Protestant oath of allegiance, were returned to Germany; and about eight hun- dred of them abjured their faith rather than return. Kockerthal, with fifty-three companions, reached New York, Dec. 31, 1709, founded Newburgh, on the Hudson; and 2,100 acres of land were allotted them, Kockerthal being given five hundred acres. THEY SAIL FOR NEW YORK The British Board of Trade concluded that New York could be used to furnish tar and pitch, and that the Palatines could be utilized for the manufacture of naval supplies, and, as "a barrier between Her Majesty's subjects and the French and their In- dians." Col. Robert Hunter, Governor, presented a plan for the establishment of three thousand Palatines, in New York. The date of their sailing was the day before Christmas, but they were detained at Portsmouth, and a month elapsed be- fore their embarkation; they landed at New York June 13, 1710.2 One, Bendysh, contracted with the Board of Trade to carry in ten ships, three thousand, three hundred of them. They took the British oath of allegiance, and each person -was required to take communion in a Protestant church, in England, after being naturalized. (Note 1 — Pennsylvania Historical Society Records, Philadelphia.) (Note 2 — Rupp's 30,000 Immigrants, Appendix.) (State Papers, Co- lonial Series, N. Y.) (2d Series Penna. Archives, Vol. XVII.) Note — The story of the Palatines, by Sanford H. Cobb, the former pastor, of the High-Dutch churches, of Schoharie and the Saugerties, of New York, describes in detail the exodus of the Palatines, from Europe, and their attempted settlement, in New York, and gives an outline map of their land in Pennsylvania. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 27 Huguenots and Palatines The immigrants, who came in 1710, did not suffer as much from the cupidity of the contractors, who commissaried the ships, as those who came later. WHO THE SETTLERS WERE Nor were all of the immigrants in an impoverished condi- tion. Many of them bore with them the evidences of their thrift, in the Fatherland, in sums of money destined to provide for themselves and families for at least a year. Pastor Kockerthal sailed with them on his return voyage from Europe. A theolog- ical student, John Frederic Hager, Reformed, who was ordained, an Episcopal Missionary in England, for foreign parts, was with the expedition, and John Conrad Weiser, Sr., a widower with seven children, among whom was Conrad Weiser, Indian interpreter, then a boy of twelve years of age, was of the party. \Veiser was the ancestor of Gov. J. A. Schultz, of Penna., and of the first Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives, Frederick A. Muhlenberg, and his brother, Gen. Peter Muhlen- berg. With them, also, was the great-grandfather of William C. Bouck, Governor of the State of New York, from 1843 to 1845; and the ancestor of Gabriel Bouck, U. S. Senator, from Wisconsin, and that of General Herkheimer, of the war of the Revolution. With John Conrad Weiser, Sr., came Johannes and George Rieth, Johannes Schwall, Andreas W^alborn and Martin, Lorentz and John Phillip (Sevier, Sarva) Zerbe, and others.^ Provoking calms and contrary winds prolonged their voyage from Christmas to June. It was difficult to carry provisions for such a length of time and the greatest economy in quantity of food was practiced. Ship fevers ensued from privation and the confinement during storms ; and Governor Hunter reported, "four hundred and seventy as having died on shipboard and after their removal to land. Some of the vessels brought every (Note 1 — Kockerthal's Palatine Immigration to New York, Vol. 1, pp. 615-618.) 28 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines passenger safe into harbor." Diseases on shipboard were com- mon in the early days. The vessel Wm. Penn arrived on, in 1682, was infected with smallpox. The mortality in such cases was most severe among the children. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 29 Huguenots and Palatines Settle in Province of New York Fg^lEE may not all see sermons in stones, nor books in running brooks, but the story of these German, French and Swiss immigrants is one of the most tragic in the early history of America. Political oppression and religious persecution drove them from their native land, to the province of New York, where they hoped, as individuals, through industry, to re-establish their homes and enjoy prosperity and happiness with their families, with liberty of conscience and in peace. The Governor of the Province, Robert Hunter, and Robert Livingstone, a wealthy land proprietor, connived to make a profit out of these people, and a condition of things worse than their European bondage ensued, amounting almost to serfdom. An instrument, prepared and revised by Attorney General Montague, was signed by the head of each family, in which the promise was made, that all monies advanced by Queen Anne, for their transportation, settlement and maintenance, in her Majesty's Province, should be restored to the British Govern- ment. To this end they were at once set to work, under military intimidation, at felling trees, burning tar, and raising hemp for the use of the British navy. The Covenant was an ironclad one, and the people soon realized that they had made a grievous mis- take in signing it. The covenant is among the documents per- taining to the Colonial History of New York.'^ In one year Governor Hunter calculated that the immigrants would be self-sustaining and able to repay Her Majesty's debt, but the conditions were against them. (Note 1— Vol. IV, X21, S. Q. Q. Astor Library.) 30 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines In the Autumn of 1710 they were taken up the Hudson to Livingstone Manor, where thirteen thousand, one hundred and thirty-three acres, on both sides of the river, were utilized to carry out Hunter's plans. Each family was provided with a lot forty feet front and fifty feet deep ; and the large pine forests were to provide the tar for all Europe. EARLY PATRIOTS IN QUEEN ANNE'S WAR The man who profited by this scheme was Robert Living- stone, whom Governor Hunter made terms with, selling the labor of the immigrants to him, at which the people demurred. They objected to being treated as a community, but wished to be dealt with as law-abiding individuals. The wars which waged in France and England, during this century, soon extended to their domains, in America. The French, who were established in Canada, were desirous of dis- lodging the English on the south and they began to incite the Indians against them. The war of the Spanish succession began in Europe, 1702, and soon extended to America, where it was known as Queen Anne's War. In 1710 an expedition from Boston drove the French out of Acadie and annexed it to the British crown, under the name of Nova Scotia. In 171 1 eflforts were made to conquer Canada but were unsuccessful. The peace of Utrecht closed the war, April 11, 1713. Having taken the oath of allegiance, the Palatines furnished three hundred men, and four companies, in the expedition in 171 1 against Montreal, under General Nichols, and the appeal for the defence of Albany, against the French. This was one year after their arrival in their adopted country. These companies, whose rosters are incomplete, were only from the villages on the east side of the Hudson. The three vil- lages, on the west side, also furnished their quota. Six hundred was the number of troops from New York and the Palatines furnished three hundred of these. They were distributed in the SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 31 Huguenots and Palatines regiments of Colonels Schuyler and Ingoldsby and formed a large part of the army, being used as a wall of defence between the British and the French and their Indian allies. On their return the Governor removed their arms from them, under the pretence that they might use them against the Province.^ SOLDIERS IN WAR OF 1711 State of New York. Report of the State Historian. 1896. Colonial Series. Volume i. (Title Page — Second Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York. Transmitted to the Legislature, February 22, 1897.) Page 442, Appendix "H." July 16 (171 1 ). List of Palatine Volunteers in Annsberg, Haysburg and Queensbury Expedition against Canada. ANNSBERG Hartman Windecker, apt. Jacob Ess, Jno. M. Dill, Ferd'o Mentegen, Peter Spies, Conrad Kuhn, Herman Bitzer, Valtin Kuhn, Johan \^'m. Kammer, Henrich Winter, Johannes Bonroth, Jno. Geo. Riffenberg, Johannes Bernhard, Jno. \Ym. Linck, Sebastian Fischer, Henrich Fehlings, Nicolaus Kayd, Jacob Dings, Henrick Klein, Johannes Schue, Hen. Bal't Stuber, Jno. Wm. Schnieder, Casper Ranch, Jacob Bast, Hans Hen, Zeller, Johannes Blast, Johannes Zeller, Jno. Mart. Netzbach, Samuel Kuhn, Johannis Weis, Gerhard Schaffer, Jno. Ad'n Walborn, Ulrich Bruckhart, Jno. Hen. Orendorff, (Note 1— Penna. German Society, Vol. VII-IX, pp. 117-118.) 32 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines Dan'l Busch, Jno. Phill. ZERBE, Jno. Hen. Conradt, Jno Phill. Theis, Hen. Ballinger, Martin ZERBE, Johan Schneider, Nicolaus Ruhl, Marcus Bellinger, Adam C. Schmidt, Phill. Schafifer, Con'd Maisinger, Johan Kradt, Tho. Ruffinger. Christ Sittenich, Joh. Jost Retry, Jno. Hen. Schmidt, Ludw. Schmit, 250 men, women and children in village. ("True copy from original," Hen. Mayer.) REPORT OF STATE HISTORIAN State of New York, Report of the State Historian 1896 — Colonial Series, Vol. I, 974.7 — No. 4, 811. Article HI. "All of the muster rolls of the colony have been compiled from 1664 to 1760. The work on the Colonial records was suspended owing to lack of funds for the transla- tion." These Dutch records are extremely valuable, historically, but a detailed history of the times in which they were written, can never be obtained until these documents are translated; when, perhaps, the history of the six villages, on both sides of the Hudson, near Albany, will be revealed in its entirety. HAYSBURG John Christopher Fucks, Melch Folz, John Wm. Dales, John Segendorf, John Wm. Schaff, Phillip Laux, Christian Bauch, Abraham Langen, Peter Hayd, Jno. Jacob Schutz, Hen'r Hammer, Jno. Wm. Hambuch, Mich. Ittich, Niclaus Laux, Johan. Keyser. Niclaus Gottel, Jacob Cup, Paulus Reitchoflf. Paulus Dientzer, 243 women and children in village. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Huguenots and Palatines 33 QUEENSBURY Johan Con'd Wiser, Capt., Christian Haber, Andreas Bergman, Johannes Feeg, Mattheus Kuntz, Mattheus Reinbolt, Jno. Peter Dopff, Jno. Jacob Reisch, Carl Nehr, Heinrich Jung, Hen. Hoffman, Werner Deichert, Geo. Muller, Fred. Bellinger, Hen. Widerwachs, George Mathias, Christ'o. Hagedorn, Wm. Nelles, Johannes Kistler, George Dachstader, 356 men, women and children ("True copy from original," Johannes Laysdorf, Frantz Fink, Andreas Schurtz, Peter Hagedorn, Niclaus Weber, Wm. George, Lieut., Fred. Schaffer, Antho. Schaid. Jno. Pet. Sein, Jno. Jack. Munsinger, Johan Leyer, Jacob Kuhn, Hen'r. Matthews, Niclaus Eckard, Martin Dillenback, Niclaus Teller, Jacob Weber, Jacob Schnell, Geo. Breigel, John Schaeffer. in village. Hen. Mayer.) HUNTERSTOWN July 16, 171 1. Jno. Peter Kneskern, Capt. David Huppert, Condad Schawerman, Henrich Sex, Frederich Bell, Jacob Kobell, Jacob Warne, ■Johannes Schulteis, Reinhard Schaffer Johannes Roschman, Carl Uhl, Baltz Anspach, Conrad Keller, Jno. George Schmidt, Con'd. Goldman, Geo. Bender, 34 BLUE BOOK OF Huguenots and Palatines Jno. Hen. Uhl, Veil. Musig, Theo. Schumaker, Geo. Kerchiner, Peter Schmidt, Christ Hills, Johan SCHWALB, Rudol. Stahl. Geo. Lud. Koch, 336 men, women and children in village. The majority of those who came to the Tulpehocken, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1723, with the thirty-three original families, were from Annsberg, afterward from Schoharie, N. Y., but several were from the last named vil- lages. The companies were formed of volunteers ; and shows that the Palatines were imbued with a patriotic spirit, enlisting to defend the Province of New York, only one year after they entered the country. Governor Hunter was impoverished and in debt; and in the winter of 171 2 informed the people that they must sustain themselves. The contract was broken and starvation was im- minent if they remained. True to their first intention and broken ideals, they recalled the five Indian chiefs, in London, who had presented Queen Anne with a tract of land for their use, and the elder Weiser went to Schoharie, with others, to treat with the Indians. They paid the equivalent of three hundred dollars, to the Indians for their lands, and in less than two weeks fifty families moved to Schoharie, building fifteen miles of roadway through the forests. The Governor threat- ened them that unless they returned they would be treated as rebels. March, 1713, they were joined by a number of their kindred, who made their way through drifts of snow. The Indians gave them potatoes and herbs, and provided them with seed. THEIR LANDS RESOLD It was a beautiful country, and they had twenty thousand acres under tillage and made a perfect Acadia of it. There SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 35 Huguenots and Palatines were about seven hundred of them, and they settled in seven villages, named after the delegates, wrho treated with the Indians and led the colony: Kneskerndorf — Gerlachsdorf — Fuchsendorf — Schmitsdorf — Weiserdorf — Hartsmansdorf — and Ober-Weiserdorf. The most hazardous labor, privation and hardship, was endured ; but these settlements were made to blossom like the rose, with well cultivated fields, viqe-clad hills, meadows green with verdure and gardens of beauty. They had no agricultural implements of any kind, save such as were used by the Indians. They were zealously watched by Government spies, and conspirators soon dispossessed them of their lands, on the plea that they had no title to them. Governor Hunter selling them to seven rich merchants of Albany and New York. John Conrad Weiser sent his son Conrad to live with the Indians, that he might learn the Mohawk language, and the most friendly relations were maintained between the exiles and the red men. The most bitter hatred, however, existed between the Holland Dutch and the new settlers.^ (Note 1 — Hallische Nachrichten.) 36 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1733 The Thirty-three Famihes PHE Palatines were ignorant in the law, and claimed 11)15^ they had bought their lands from the Indians, or they had been given them by the red men. When the purchasers attempted to settle on them they were resisted by the Palatines. John Conrad Weiser, with two others, left secretly for England, 1718, to lay the matter before the Crown and the English Board of Trade. They were captured by pirates in Delaware Bay, robbed and cruelly beaten, and only reached England after a long delay. Walrath, one of the three commissioners, died and they were imprisoned for debt before they could attempt to secure a redress. Governor Hunter 'was recalled in 1720 and his defense was used in the Board of Trade against the confirmation of the titles and other land was ofifered the people. Some purchased their homes outright, and others re- moved to various places.^ What is more pitiful than this third exodus of these Germans, French and Swiss, from their homes and lands in the Schoharie, from which they had again been defrauded? Sir William Keith, Governor of the colony of Pennsylvania, was in Albany at the time the immigrants were dispossessed of their lands and invited them to settle in his state. It was afterward insinuated of him, that "he desired to form a colony in Pennsylvania and Ohio and head it," and that, "he wished to populate Pennsylvania at the expense of New York." Guided by friendly Indians, through the unbroken forests, a little band of thirty-three families, in 1723, set out for a new (Note l^Kapp's Geschichte der Deutschen im Staat N. Y.) >[.r^1irff '•"^tSsi.V"^'® SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 37 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 Eldorado, in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, their destination being the "Tulpewihaki," the "land of the Turtle's song." With heroic faith and pathetic determination, they performed an act of endurance and fortitude that has no parallel in the history of the New England States, and forms one of the most romantic and tragic epochs in the colonial events in the early history of the United States. Guided by the Indians, they traveled from the Schoharie to the headwaters of the Susquehanna, cutting a road through the unimpenetrable forests. Rafts and boats were built for the transportation of their wives, children and household goods, while their cattle were driven overland, along the banks of the rivers, by the men who were not required to propel the boats. Down the Chenango river to where it unites with the east branch of the Susquehanna, past the future sites of Binghampton, Athens and Towanda, they journeyed.^ Bent upon reaching a place they could call home, even their motto, "Ohne hast, Ohne rast" (without haste, without rest") could only conjure up a picture of incessant toil and hardships before the desired haven was attained. The yellow waters of the west branch of the Susquehanna joined them below Danville, friendly Indians assisted them, doubtless on their way, at Wilkesbarre and at Sunbury, where Fort Sha- mokin was afterward maintained against the same tribes. The beauties of the Blue Juniata, with its weird Indian tragedies and romances, did not tempt them to stop; but their motto like the banner of strange device, "Upidee" (Longfellow), bore them on, till the site of Harrisburg was left in the dis- tance ; and they reached a point, then in Chester County, near Middletown^Dauphin County, where the Swatara creek unites with the Susquehanna, where they left that broad stream and (Note 1 — Eupp gives it as the Spring of 1723.) (Note 2 — The settlement of Womelsdorf was first called Middletown. Some historians are of the opinion that the contingent of thirty-three families came to that point before separating.) 38 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 settled all along the banks of the Tulpehocken River, between the South and the Blue Mountain, in southeastern Pennsylva- nia, and on its tributary creeks, Mill, Plum, Northkill and Cacoosing.i A tradition says that "twelve horses belonging to the im- migrants, not liking the situation in Berks County, returned to Schoharie, New York, the journey occupying almost a year. "3 Another story handed down, says that "when the immi- grants reached the spot where Stouchsburg, Marion Township, now stands, they halted, camped and removed their clothing, bathing in the Tulpehocken river, which was covered with blood from the injuries they received enroute. The tale con- tinuing narrates that the hardiest of the newcomers selected the heavy bottoms, along the streams, where the timber growth was the thickest, and the laziest and infirm took to the hillsides, which were but sparsely covered.^ The township of Tulpehocken was a recognized dis- trict before 1723. It was then a part of Chester County and extended from the Blue, or Kittatinny mountains, on the north, to Reading on the south, where the Tulpehocken river unites with the Schuylkill; and from the latter river, on the east, to an imaginary boundary line included in Lancaster County, when it was erected, 1729. SETTLERS PETITION GOVERNOR The first mention of the name Tulpehocken was in 1707, when a French Indian trader, one Nicole, was arrested by order of the Governor, mounted upon a horse, his legs tied (Note 1 — The Tulpehocken river and its branches cover an area of 75 miles, it being the longest river in Berks County.) (Note 2 — Montgomery's History of Berks County.) (Note 3 — Mrs. Elizabeth Deupple Dysing-er, born 1760, died 1857, aged 97 years, who lived in the family of John Zerbe, the second miller, nearly all her lifetime, had a great fund of reminiscential folk-lore at her com- mand. The above being one of her stories.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 39 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 under its belly, and in this fashion he was taken from a settlement, on the Susquehanna, to Philadelphia, by way of Tulpehocken and Manatawny, for trial at court. ^ When Lancaster County was erected, 1729, the Indians still claimed the territory of the Tulpehocken. They had released their rights to the Penns, who purchased a district that was bounded by the South Mountain, but the settlers were aggressive and settled beyond the limits. In 1723 the thirty-three families from the Schoharie made a settlement on Tulpehocken creek, and in 1728 were followed by fifty families more. The Indians knew they were trespassers, but treated the first delegation with great kindness, and made no com- plaint. With the arrival of the second colony, June 5, 1728, the Indians laid a complaint before the Provincial Council, at Philadelphia. Sassoonan, with other Indians, conferred with the Lieutenant Governor and the Executive Council regarding the limits of the lands released, 1718, and it was admitted that the Tulpehocken settlers were trespassers. Indian Commissioner Logan said, that "this settlement had been effected without the consent of the commissioners." He then presented the following petition, from the Palatines, which he read to a vast assemblage which filled the executive chamber in Philadelphia : "To His Excellency, Lieut. Governor, and his Executive Council, of the Province of Pennsylvania : "The petition of us, the subscribers, being thirty-three families in number, at present inhabiting Tulpahaca creek — humbly showeth — "That, your petitioners, being natives of Germany, about 15 years ago, were by the great goodness of Queen Anne, (Note 1— Colonial Records, Vol. 2, p. 406.) 40 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 relieved from the hardships, which they then suffered in Europe, and were transported into the colony of New York, where they settled. But their families increasing, and being in that government, confined to the scanty allowance of ten acres of land to each family, whereon they could not well subsist, your petitioners, being informed of the kind reception which their countrymen usually met with, in the Province of Penn- sylvania, and hoping they might, with what substance they had, acquire larger settlements in that Province, did last year, in the Spring of 1723, leave their settlements, in New York government, and came with their families into this Province ; where, upon their arrival, they applied themselves to His Ex- cellency, the Governor, who of his great goodness, permitted them to inhabit, upon Tulpahaca creek, being the farthest inhabited part of the Province northwest from Philadelphia; on condition that they should make full satisfaction to the proprietor, or his agents, for such lands as should be allotted to them when they were ready to receive the same. And now your petitioners, understanding that some gentlemen, agents of the proprietors, have ample powers to dispose of lands in this Province, and we, your petitioners, being willing and ready to purchase, do humbly beseech your Excellency and Council, to recommend us to the favorable usage of the pro- prietor's agent, that upon paying the usual prices for lands at such a distance from Philadelphia, we may have sufficient rights and titles made to us for such lands as we shall have occasion to buy, that our children may have some settlement to depend on hereafter; and that by your authority we may be freed from the demands of the Indians, of that part of the country, who pretend a right thereto. And we humbly beg leave to inform your Excellency and Council, that there are fifty families more, who, if they may be admitted upon the same conditions, are desirous to come and settle with us. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 41 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 We hope for your favorable answer to this, our humble re- quest ; and as in duty bound, shall ever pray, etc. Johannes Vans, Hamelar Ritt, Peter Ritt, Antonis Sharb, Conrad Schitz, Johan Peter Pacht, Paltus Unsf, Jocham Michael Chiricht Sebastian Pisas, Josap Sab, Andrew^ Falborn, Godfreyt Filler, Jorge Ritt, Johannes Claes Shaver, Toritine Serbo, (Lorenz Zerbe.)^^'^ The names of the signers were in German script. The above are spelled as in the original. The Indians were requested to wait, and were promised that the matter would be settled satisfactorily. Immigration did not stop and the Germans continued to fill the valley. Wm. Penn being dead, a division of his Province was demanded by his heirs. The proprietaries were pushed for money at this time, but their letters, November 25, 1727 and 1728, show that they still desired conciliation and peace with the Indians rather than warfare; and to this end James Logan, Indian agent, lent his best endeavors. John Penn promised to come over in 1729, but it was not until 1732, when Thomas Penn came, that the question was settled. September 7, 1732, a deed was obtained from the Indians, covering the entire "Ganshowehanna"* region for fifty pounds in money and various goods and trinkets. The Germans were enabled to gain valid titles to their land through purchase and the Indians retired over the Blue Mountains to the region of Northumberland, Berks, now Schuylkill County, and North- (Note 1 — Zerbe History, Part 2.) (Note 2— Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VIII, pp. 310-323.) (Note 3— Penna. German Society, Vol. IX, page 366.) (Note 4 — Ganshowehanna was the name given the Schuylkill river by the Indians and means falling stream.) 42 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 ampton counties, from which they again were dispossessed by the whites, 1749. There is no doubt that Governor Keith had transcended his authority in inviting the immigrants to settle in Pennsyl- vania. The land in Lancaster County, erected 1729, belong- ed to the Indians as far as Oley, the first Indian purchase being made in 1718. The land commissioners, of whom James Logan was chief, September 7, 1732, bought other land from the Indians and settlers took their grants from Thomas Penn through his agents, the above, and Casper Wister.i The grant included all the land drained by the Schuylkill and its tributaries, lying between the Blue Moun- tains and the Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania.^ FIRST CHURCH BUILT The segregation of the immigrants was complete. In 1725, a meeting was held by them in the block-house, on the Millbach, to discuss the question of building a meeting house, wherein, also, instruction might be imparted to their chil- dren. John Page, the proprietor of Plumpton Manor, had set aside for church, cemetery and school purposes, seven acres of land, to which Adam, Christopher and John Leon- ard Rieth donated an additional seven acres, and a log church was built. The work was done by the men, women and children, the smallest of the latter being housed in the block-house, which was fortified and where their ammunition and provis- ions were stored during the erection.^ The church stood on an eminence, above the Tulpehocken river and Mill Creek and later was known as the Rieth's, or Zion's Church. (Note 1 — The Penn's agent, Casper Wister, appended to his signature in almost every instance, his trade, "Brass Button Maker.") (Note 2 — Penna. Archives, Vol. 1, pp. 344-347.) (Note 3 — The block house stood on land now owned by Wra. Zeller, near Newmanstown, Berks County.) RIETH'S CHURCH, BUILT 1727, LOCATED ON THE TULPEHOCKEN, NEAR PRESENT SITE OF STOUCHSBURG, PA. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 43 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 The Indians were hostile and wily, and a watch was maintained at all times. The building was made of logs, with rude mortar to fill the crevices. The men hewed the trees and split logs, the women carried water and helped fill the chinks. The pulpit was a huge round block, the base of a tree, the seats were of logs split, with the smooth or inner sides uppermost. A vault was built underneath the earthen floor to stock the ammunition ; and the pastor had his old flint lock rifle in front of him as he preached. In winter a large wood fire was kept outside, at which the people warmed themselves before entering. The church was five months in building and was completed about 1727.^ The log church stood in the corner of the cemetery until about ten years ago, when it was burned down. The present Zion's Church, on the outskirts of Stouchsburg, was built of stone from the abutments of the Union Canal which ran to that point. The Swedes, who came to this part of Chester County, in 1701, erected a church, 1716, in Amity Township. Prior to this time they worshipped at the Old Swedes' Church, Swanson and Christian Streets, Philadelphia. PETITION FOR ROADS The Huguenots, who came to Oley, 1712, later attended religious services at the Trappe. The Friends Meeting House, situated in the Monocacy Valley, on the Amity line, was not built until 1736. The meeting house referred to in the accompanying petition was a small building adjoining George Boone's mill, built 1725. The sect also met for worship in each other's homes. (Note 1 — Christopher Sauers' newspaper, October 16, 1747, says, "The Reformed and Lutheran people worshipped here," and that it was the "first church in Berks County," meaning, doubtless, first Lutheran and Reformed.) 44 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 The petition for the building of a road is published else- where in this volume, (see index) and is a facsimile of the original, with a certificate attesting its correctness and is self explanatory. Another petition for a road from Oley, recorded a little later than the above, was also made.^ It asks for a road from the Blue Mountains, where the Shamokin road intersects the same to the great road, leading to Philadelphia ; and the road from the Tulpehocken. The Oley road was the road to Philadelphia for many years until changed by a road from the point, near Black Bear Inn, to Douglassville.^' THE TULPEHOCKEN CONFUSION The potentiality of the early history of the German, Swiss and Huguenot settlers, in Eastern Pennsylvania, would not be complete without some reference to the "Tulpehocken Confusion." When the vicarious conditions' that beset the immigrants in every direction from the land of their birth, up to that time, are reflected upon, the bitter aggression and recrimination that arose fron> their religious difficulties must be considered with at least a moiety of for- bearance. Their strife was largely the result of the lack of sociological conditions, to which their poverty and hardships contributed ; their religion was their all and they fought for it with the same zest they bestowed on other pursuits, its utilitarianism, as a factor in their lives, being its highest standard. Schmauck's history of the early Lutheran churches in eastern Pennsylvania, gives an interesting and voluminous (Note 1 — The original drtift is to be found in Miscellaneous Papers, 1724-1742, p. 83, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Historical Society, Phila- delphia.) (Note 2 — Port Augusta, Shamokin, now Sunbury, was erected in 1756, and the road to it, Shamokin road, was afterward the Centre Turnpike, running through Pottsville.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 45 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 account of the difficulties in Zion's, or Rieth's church, in detail. An original German manuscript in the Moravian Archives, of the old Moravian church, Bethlehem, Pa., en- titled "Church Book of the Evangelical Lutheran Gemeine, in Tulpehocken, 1733-1747," gives a conservative history of the events involved betv^^een these dates. It was written by the early missionaries of that church and fell into posses- sion of the Moravians during their occupancy. This book is the early history, so frequently referred to, as "the lost records of Rieth's church." There are, however, no records, of the five years that Haenckle and Van Duren ministered to these people, and much that occurred from the building of the church, in 1727, to 1733, is lost, and will remain so, unless some Bibliographer, still at work on the original man- uscripts, discovers them.^ "In the year 1723, Tulpehocken was first settled by Luth- erans from Schoharie, (Albany Co., N. Y.) Bernhard Van Duren was their reader and acted as their pastor, in New York. He promised to live among them, but never came. He visited them about once a year, to give them communion and baptize their children. Phillip Mueller, Reformed, came also twice a year. There came one, Haenckle, from Falckner's Schwamm (Swamp), who advised us to build a church, which was done 1727." John Bernard Van Duren was a German tailor, accord- ing to the Lutheran historians, a colporteur before Ziegen- hagen, in London, who claimed to be a minister and officiated as such, in Schoharie, but created disturbance there, settling afterward in Raritan, N. J. (Note 1— The author had access to this manuscript in the private library of the archivist, at Bethlehem, and appends it in part.) 46 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 Gerhard Haenckle came to Falckner's Swamp, 1717. He was an itinerant Lutheran and school teacher.^ "Caspar Stoever went about preaching and we had ser- mons read by 'Vorlesen'. There were petitions sent by the people to London to Court-preacher Ziegenhagen, for preach- ers, but no pastor was sent." "In 1733, a call with the seal and signature of each per- son was sent to Germany for a pastor, which was accepted. We built him a house, but almost a year afterward word came that he had died at sea. Then we extended a call to Caspar Leutbecker. He took the house built for the minister and then our troubles began." "In 1734 a man brought him a child to baptize and he began to question him when he discovered the man was drunk, and he turned him away. The man was not repentant and took the child to Caspar Stoever, at Connestoga, who baptized it, without informing Leutbecker, and a strife and division in the church occurred."^ It was said that "Stoever had been unlawfully or- dained," and it now became the object of the rival faction to gain and keep possession of the church. "A lock was placed on the gate, but the other party cut another entrance to the cemetery, in which the church stood. Caspar Leut- becker had sole authority to preach and teach in the church, and Stoever was enjoined to keep the peace." "Magistrate Wm. Webb, of Kenneth Square, Chester County, attempted to arbitrate the matter and promote peace. He seated himself between Leutbecker and Stoever, in the church; Leutbecker stated his grievance in a few words, when Stoever gave him the lie direct and a bitter altercation ensued. Mr. Webb appointed Leonard and Mich- (Note 1— Schmauck's History. Grabner's Geschichte Lutherischen Kirche, pp. 100-112.) - (Note 2— John Caspar Stoever's baptismal records contain the names of three children, baptized by him, 1727, in this church.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 47 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 ael Rieth custodians of the church and ordered a lock and key, but the opposing faction gained entrance through a woman crawling in through the foundation and opening a window. A bitter warfare followed, sticks loaded with pow- der were placed in the stove and stones were hurled through the roof and windows of Leutbecker's home. His health failed under these persecutions and he died 1738." (Dr. Mann, in his life of Rev. Melchoir Muhlenberg, says, "Leutbecker was a tailor, a pious man." He is buried at Span- genberg.) "The committee agreed that Stoever should preach one Sunday in each month ; this was against the decision of 'Squire Webb, that trouble would ensue and who had ordered him away. Stoever did so, and then asked for another Sunday, and finally the original possessors were crowded out." "About this time Count Zinzendorf began a noble work in christianizing the Indians. He had been assured by Court-preacher Ziegenhagen, in London in 1737, that "no Pastor would be sent to Pennsylvania, that the Germans were too poor to pay for one," and he conceived the idea that he had a mission to perform to draw together all Germans, in one undenominational body, but really to propagate Moravianism. For this purpose he laid aside his title and began to gather together such Germans as were not satisfied with the minis- trations of the Lutherans, and thus occurred what was termed the "Tulpehocken Confusion," which began July 18, 1742.^ There were about one hundred thousand Germans in Pennsylvania in 1741. The Reformed denomination existed under similar conditions to that of the Lutheran. No well developed denominational organization could claim rights based on priority of occupancy. There were not a dozen reg- (Note 1 — The Confusion at Tulpehocken, Transactions of the Mora- vian Historical Society, Vol. 4, p. 238.) 48 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 ularly ordained ministers in the state laboring with these people, and the conditions were appalling. "After Leutbecker died, a poor shoemaker from Germany- acted as school teacher for several years for the people, then came Gottlob Buttner, who preached for them, but the troubles caused his resignation. He was recalled, the congregation having purchased the ground and the church, twenty-two signing the call making them a free church. May 30, 1742. Johannes^ Zerbe, Peter Teck, Leonart, Michael, Johannes, Johannes Fincher, and Caspar Rieth, Peter Nicklass, Frederic Gerhart, Michael Schoefifer, Jorg Lesch, Hermanns Walborn, Hannes Lautermilch, and others. The deed between John Page, of London, and his agents gave them the land through the original patent of the tract, for the rent of one red rose, to be paid June 23, every year, forever. This pretty custom, observed annually in Manheim, Lan- caster County, has never been followed in Zion's or Rieth's Church. They were released for 4 lbs. 17 S. lawful money.^ ^ To this deed was affixed the sign and seal, August 16, 1742, of Conrad Weiser, J. P., as "an impartial spectator dur- ing the time of the Tulpehocken confusion." ^&i4^ Caspar Stoever, Lutheran, was accused of trying to turn Zion's Church over to the Moravians. Also, that when he (Note 2 — Deed appears In full, in Transactions of the Moravians, Vol. 4, p. 255.) (Note 3— Zerbe History, Part 2.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 49 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 went to England, it was said, that he collected money for the church and bought a plantation in Virginia for himself, stock- ing it with negroes for his own use. Stoever, in common with other great men, was not without his traducers. He per- formed a noble part in the early civilization of the State, but had his weaknesses ; like John Conrad Weiser, Sr., of whom it was said that, "when he went to England, to plead the cause of the Palatines before Queen Anne's Court, he encouraged the taking away of their lands that he might obtain a grant of land and found a colony of his own, in Ohio." It was for this reason, it was insinuated, he did not come to Pennsylvania until he came to die in 1746. His plan did not succeed and the Germans had lost confidence in his leadership. "With Gottlob Buttner was John Phillip Meurer, a teacher. He came as a Moravian evangelist to Pennsylvania in 1740. Pie was invited by the Free Congregation, of the Tul- pehocken to officiate for them, and Zion's or Rieth's church became Moravian. The Stoever party retired and built the "Christ Church," west of Stouchsburg, May, 1743. Dr. Schantz's "Sesqui Centennial Discourse" gives the 165 signers, copied from the church record. (Among them occurs the names of George Peter, Jacob and John Zerbe, sons of Mardin Zerbe (Zarva).^ Rev. Tobias Wagner also gave a list of the members, now issued in pamphlet form. Meurer was an itinerant and could not remain more than a few months. Peter Bohler succeeded him. Public dis- putations on the doctrine of sanctification with Pastor Tobias Wagner, of Christ Lutheran Church, were held and personal animosity and religious disputes governed the situation alter- nately. The first regular Moravian Church in the rural dis- tricts was formed April 9, 1745. The signers were John Zerbe, the miller, and wife Elizabeth ; the Fischers, father and (Note 1— Zerbe History Part 2.) 50 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 son, who were of the original thirty-three families ; the Con- rads, and the Muenchs and Michael Rieth and wife, all of Heidelberg Township. With the exception of the Conrads and Muenchs, the oth- ers were of the Zion's or Rieth's church. This church was known as the Heidelberg Moravian church and was disbanded January, 1760. (Bishop Spangenberg, Moravian, who organ- ized the church, frequently preached at Jonathan Herbein's home and at Abraham Bertolettes', in Oley^. Other technical difficulties followed with the arrival of Pastor Muhlenberg, son-in-law of Justice Conrad Weiser, who no longer assumed the role of an impartial arbitrator but inter- fered ; and was guilty of making a forcible entry into a school house and threatening to take the church from the Moravians if it was not at once surrendered. January 21-24, 1748, and again June 2, 1748, the Moravian Synod was requested to send a suitable person to take charge and replied, that "none could be found ;" and also declined to defend its property, "since it is contrary to the principles of the Moravian church to have recourse to the law." The mem- bers that remained continued with the Heidelberg church and Moravian activity ended in the Tulpehocken and the "Confusion" was over.-' The Moravians retired from activity in Berks County 1760. PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA The Province of Pennsylvania was chartered by Charles the Second, King of England, in the thirty-third year of his reign, March 4, 1682, to William Penn, son of Sir William Penn, Admiral. To enable him to extend the English Empire, and to reward the son for the services of his distinguished (Note 1 — Ancestors of Dr. J. H. Herbein, of Pottsville, and the Ber- tolet family, of Schuylkill Co.) (Note 2 — Transactions of the Moravians, Vol. 4, Part 1.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 51 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 father, and also to wipe out tlie debt owing Penn, by the crown for those services, tlie Province was granted him and his heirs. 1 The consideration named in the patent was "two beaver skins, to be delivered at Windsor Castle, January ist, every year and a fifth of all gold and silver ore to be found within its limits. "2 The Province was governed by a Provincial Council of seventy-two persons, a General Assembly and a Governor. Three counties were established at the first settlement of the Province, 1681 : Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks. With this establishment eighty houses were built in Philadelphia. A Swede settlement existed there before the advent of Wil- liam Penn, who came in 1681 and returned to England August 16, 1684. In 1699 he again visited the colony and returned November i, 1709. William Penn died July 30, 1718, at Rushcomb, England.^ Lancaster was erected 1729, and York and Cumberland followed in 1749 and 1750. Llarch 11, 1752, Berks and North- ampton were formed; but it was not until March i, 1811, that Schuylkill was included ; forty-four counties out of the 67, which form the State, having preceded it. Organization of Counties of Pennsylvania Up To 181 1, When Schuylkill County Was Erected. Adams — January 22, 1800, formed of a part of York. Allegheny — September 24, 1788, formed of a part of West- moreland and Washington. Armstrong — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Alle- gheny, Westmoreland and Lycoming. Beaver — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny and Washington. (Note 1 — Original documents in Land Office, Harrisburg.) (Note 2— Duke of York's Book of Laws, p. 465.) (Note 3 — Votes of the Assembly, Vol. 1.) 52 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 Bedford- — March 9, 1771, formed of a part of Cumberland. -Berks — March 11, 1752, formed of a part of Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster. Bradford — February 21, 1810, formed of a part of Luzerne and Lycoming. Bucks — One of the three original counties of the Province, in 1682. Butler — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny. Cambria — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Hunting- don, Somerset and Bedford. Centre — February 13, 1800, formed of a part of Mifflin, Northumberland, Lycoming and Huntingdon. Chester — One of the three original counties, established at the first settlement of the Province, in 1682. Clearfield — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Hunting- don and Lycoming. Crawford — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny. Cumberland — January 27, 1750, formed of a part of Lan- caster. Dauphin — March 4, 1785, formed of a part of Lancaster. Delaware — September 26, 1789, formed of a part of Ches- ter. Erie — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny. Fayette — September 26, 1783, formed of a part of West- moreland. Franklin — September 9, 1784, formed of a part of Cum- berland. Greene — February 9, 1796, formed of a part of Wash- ington. Huntingdon — September 20, 1787, formed of a part of Bedford. Indiana — March 30, 1803, formed of a part of Westmore- land and Lycoming. Jefferson — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Lycoming. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY S3 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 Lancaster — May 10, 1729, formed of a part of Chester. Luzerne — September 25, 1786, formed of a part of North- umberland. Lycoming — April 13, 1795, formed of a part of Northum- berland. McKean — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Lycoming. Mercer — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny. Mifflin — September 19, 1789, formed of a part of Cumber- land and Northumberland. Montgomery — September 10, 1784, formed of a part of Philadelphia. Northampton — March 11, 1752, formed of a part of Bucks. Northumberland — March 21, 1772, formed of a part of Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, Bedford and Northampton. Philadelphia -One of the three original counties estab- lished at the first settlement of the Province, in 1682. Potter — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Lycoming. Schuylkill — March i, 1811, formed of a part of Berks and Northampton. Somerset— April 17, 1795, formed of a part of Bedford. Susquehanna — Feb. 21, 1810, formed of a part of Luzerne. Tioga — March 26, 1804, formed of a part of Lycoming. Venango— March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny and Lycoming. Warren — March 12, 1800, formed of a part of Allegheny and Lycoming. Washington— March 28, 1781, formed of a part of West- moreland. Wayne— March 21, 1798, formed of a part of Northampton. Westmoreland — February 26, 1773, formed of a part of Bedford, and, in 1785, part of the purchase of 1784 was added thereto. York— August 19, 1749, formed of a part of Lancaster. (Smull's Hand Book.) 54 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 PETITION FOR NEW COUNTY The first attempt to erect a new county, out of the parts of Philadelphia and Lancaster counties, lying adjacent to the Schuylkill River, was made in 1738. Two petitions were pre- sented Council, January 13, 1738, by Lieutenant Governor George Thomas, of the Province of Pennsylvania. One from the inhabitants of Providence and Limerick, Philadelphia County, and another from those of the northeast side of the County of Lancaster, praying that a new county along lines presented on a map before that body, might be created, "That they were laboring under inconveniences, by reason of their distance from the Courts, held at Philadelphia and Lancaster," and many other reasons were given. The substance is as follows : 1st. The Town of Lancaster, where the Courts are held, is seated very advantageous for a Division. *** 2d. That our trade and commerce are equal with that of our neighbors, and demand like privileges. *** 3d. If the seat of justice was fixed upon the Schuylkill River, we could then cheerfully attend Courts and dispose of our produce. *** 4th. That many of us are divided from Lancaster by ridges of mountains, etc. *** 5th and 6th. The natural advantages of the situation favor the erection. *** Your petitioners humbly pray, etc. Among the signers of the original petition, who have descendants in Schuylkill County, were : Johannes Kirshner, Tobias Bickel, Henry and Jacob Razer (Reeser), Peter Plerbein, George Unruh, Andrew (Note — The original copy of the petition from that part, now Berks County, may be seen at the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia. It contains the names of 172 signers, of which 61 were of Welsh extraction and the rest Swiss, French and Germans.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 55 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 Boyer, Leonard Reed, Cunradt Weiser, John George Ceh, Peter Ritter, Henry Gruber, George Heil, Godfrey Fiddler, John Schall, John Zerbe, Phillip Zerbe. The petition was laid upon the table for further con- sideration. May 19, 1739, Lieut. Governor Thomas addressed a mes- sage to the Assembly, in which he mentions the proposed di- vision favorably. The Assembly, however, did nothing and after waiting six years the petitioners renewed their request for a new county, addressing another petition April 25, 1745. This was also laid on the table. This was followed by a similar petition praying that, "their former petition may now be con- sidered." Several other attempts were made to prevail upon the Assembly to consider the division ; and on the 28th of February, 1745, a committee of the petitioners appeared before the House to urge the matter. A resolution was passed that, "The House will at their next sitting take the said petition into consideration," but it was dropped for five years more. More petitions were offered, that were read and re-read and again deferred. February 4, 1752, the petitioners were on hand with still another petition from the inhabitants of Read- ing, that stated that, "That town had but one house, 1750, and that it now contained 130 dwellings and 160 families, of 378 persons, many of whom had removed thither, from comfort- able and good plantations, with the expectation of entering trade with the erection of a new county," etc. After fourteen years of determined persistence, the peti- tioners were finally rewarded and the bill became a law, and March 11, 1752, Berks County was erected. (Note— 4 Col. Records, 317-318.) (Note — The new dispensation of reckoning time had not been adopted, at this date, in the colonies and January is referred to as "the eleventh month," (March was the first) and May, as the "third month." The Pennsylvania Legislature, March 11, 17.52, recognizing the Act of the English parliament, 1751, adopting the Gregorian calendar, instead of the Julian, beginning the year January first, instead of March 25.) 56 BLUE BOOK OF Penna. Pioneers of 1723 The city of Reading was laid out in 1748 and named after the principal town in Berkshire, England. In one of the pe- titions for a new county the advantages to be secured from its erection are enumerated. Town lots were sold in 1749, by Francis Parvin, Conrad Weiser and Thomas Hartley, but the village did not thrive until the establishment of the county, in 1752.1 REMONSTRATE AGAINST REVISING CONSTITUTION In 1779 an attempt was made to destroy the Constitution of Pennsylvania. Memorials were presented the representa- tives of the Commonwealth remonstrating against that body, adopting measures that would result in an alteration of the Constitution of the State, and the Freemen of the interior coun- ties, petitioned against it. A general form of remonstrance reads : "Whereas, certain designing persons, under various specious pretences, but in reality prompted by ambition, pride and avarice, are endeav- oring to destroy the Constitution and form of government of this State, and to deprive the citizens of the inestimable privi- leges it secures to them, thereby introducing disorder and anarchy on purpose to pave the way for that detestable aris- tocracy which they have long meditated. And Whereas, etc." This general form of remonstrance was signed by indi- viduals throughout the State, and it formed the nucleus upon which the petitions from the various counties were founded. REMONSTRANCES FAILED Remonstrances, numerously signed, were forwarded the Legislature from Cumberland, York and Lancaster Counties, the latter county addressing the assembly by townships ; and (Note 1 — Francis Parvin was the great grandfather of Frank Parvin, formerly of Pottaville, Pa.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 57 Penna. Pioneers of 1723 in more than one instance handling these, their "honorable representatives of the Freemen, of Pennsylvania," without gloves. Berks County was particularly active in its remonstrance against this "Tory" measure, and sent a lengthy petition against this "extraordinary action of the executive branch." Among the seven hundred and thirty-five signers, in Berks County, occur many well known names, the ancestors of some of the most substantial citizens of Berks, Schuylkill and ad- joining counties, some of whom have been mentioned else- where in these pages. Adam Schultz, Christian Kaercher, John Zerbe, James Filbert, Daniel Rieth, Andreas Miller, Henry Batdorf, Wm. Lerch, John Rieth, George Matz, Christian Zerbe, George Reber, Lenhart Stub, Jacob Strouss, Casper Strauss, George Orwig, Balser Gehr, Jacob Hoffman, John Neifert, Benjamin Zerbe Mathias Staudt, Christian Gruber, John Staudt, Peter Filbert, Abraham Staudt, Daniel Zerbe, and many others of the same surnames and other well known Schuylkill County names.^ CONSTITUTION AMENDED The remonstrance was signed by 18,000 petitioners in the State, but it failed of its object. The constitution adopted with the birth of the colonial government, September 6, 1776, was altered at the State House, Philadelphia, November 24, 1789, ten years later, when the delegates from Berks County voted for it. (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Second Series, Vol. Ill, pp. 299, 332.) S& BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. Indian Troubles T IS not within the province of this work to dissect, analyt- ically, the reasons that led the Red Men to commit their ^ terrible atrocities upon the inoflfensive inhabitants of Pennsylvania. It is true the Indians were in actual posses- sion of this broad land of ours, until the white man came and instigated a policy with the aborigines that was at once both unfair and lacked even the basic principles of just dealing and honest purchase of their possessions. From the first treaty of William Penn and his English agents, to the close of the Revolutionary struggle, through the last century and up to the present time, the policy of the Colonial and United States governments has been to keep the Indians under sub- jection by paying them only a moiety of what their lands were worth, and then permitting them to be defrauded of their purchase money through dishonest Indian agents and unscrupulous individuals, whose dealings with them were based on the axiom, "There is no good Indian but a dead Indian." The Quakers hoped by the policy of presenting the Red Men, annually, with a few gewgaws, to maintain friendly relations with them ; and the Moravians endeavored to instil their religious faith into them, but the inroads made upon their hunting and fishing grounds, the constant encroachment upon their lands by hordes of white settlers who squatted upon their possessions without any pretense of paying for them, the SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 59 Indian Troubles in Penna. repeated pushing back of the Indians beyond the newly created frontiers, aroused the savage instincts within them, and the hostilities that followed are not surprising but rather, perhaps, vindicate their course. INDIAN POLICY After Braddock's defeat, in 1755, they took to the warpath, carrying death, destruction and rapine before them, until 1783-1800, when the final settlement was made with them and the policy adopted to abandon the Province for a life upon the government reservations. The Blue Mountains, of Berks, (Schuylkill) ; and Lancas- ter, (Lebanon and Dauphin) counties, were the range along which the fiercest attacks and assaults were made. No regular warfare was maintained, but bands of savages would creep silently upon the defenseless settlers and commit the most terrible atrocities upon them, scalping them or dashing out their brains and setting fire to their humble dwellings, killing or stealing their cattle and burning their crops.^ INDIAN FORTS In 1756 the Provincial Government established a chain of forts along the Blue Mountains, from the Susquehanna to the Delaware, at distances from ten to fifteen miles, or more apart, on both sides or at the gaps between the mountains. These forts were reinforced by block houses, already erected by the settlers, as places of refuge and frequently garrisoned by the soldiers of the Province. The report of the Commission to locate the Indian forts devotes about two- thirds of Vol. i, "Frontier Forts, Pennsyl- vania," to the forts along the Blue Mountains. Those of the (Note 1 — Daniel Eupp says, "More than 300 men, women and children were killed by the Indians, along the Blue Mountains, in the Indian troubles between 1750 to 1757.) 6o BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. land within the East and West branches of the Susquehanna River are next in importance. Actual settlement of the Wyo- ming Valley was not made until after the purchase of 1762; and the forts in the ^Vyoming were erected from that date to 1783. The forts of the Cumberland and Juniata Valleys began with the Harris block house, on the site of Harrisburg, at Harris' Ferry, and included forty-five forts, covering sixteen counties, being erected mainly by the settlers after the Indian purchase, of 1736, and maintained by them to protect the great highway of commerce to the west as well as the lives and homes of the settlers. THE FIRST FORT DUPUI The first settlement in Pennsylvania was not at Philadel- phia, as is generally supposed, but on the Delaware River, at Shawnee, in Monroe County, near Stroudsburg, where a set- tlement existed made by a Hollander, from the Netherlands, and was known as the Minisink Flats. It antedated the William Penn purchase, of 1682, many years. These men were Holland miners, and dug ore from the river banks and culti- vated the fertile river bottoms for their subsistence. Before 1725, Samuel Dupui, a Huguenot, settled there and built a log house, afterward replaced by a stone house, which was used in 1755 as a defense against the Indians and was known as Fort Dupui, defending the entire country south of the Blue Mountain. PROMINENCE OF FORT AUGUSTA Fort Augusta, Sunbury, Northumberland County, Penn- sylvania, on the east bank of the main branch of the Susque- hanna River, near the junction of the north and west branches, was built 1756. The French and English were struggling for supremacy in America at this date. The French owned Canada and the Lakes, and were encroaching upon New York and SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 6i Indian Troubles in Penna. Pennsylvania. In 1756 a party of them, with their Indian allies, came to the forks of the Susquehanna, bringing three small cannons with them. The friendly Indians at Shamokin, now Sunbury, had urged Governor Morris to erect a block house for his and their defense. Seeing the number of men at Fort Augusta, then partially constructed, the French and Indians withdrew, throwing their cannon into the river. The importance of that point, as a vantage ground, was recognized by the Provincial government and a regular fort was built ; two thousand pounds having been voted for its construction by the Provincial Assembly, and it was regularly defended and manned by a regiment of four hundred men, who were deployed to protect the friendly Indians and the settlers of the surrounding country, leaving fifty men to garrison the fort.^ Fort Augusta was considered a place of great strategic importance to the English, in 1756 and in 1777-1778, when the Continental army was in dire straits and called loudly for help, the military at Fort Augusta were kept active defending the settlements, the Wyoming massacre having occurred in that year.2 FORTS ALONG THE BLUE MOUNTAINS In August, 1749, the trespass of the new settlers on the land of the Indians, north of the Blue Mountains, became a subject of complaint to 'the Provincial Government. The Senecas, Onondagos, Tutatoes and Nanticokes, sent delega- tions to the Governor to urge him to prevent the newcomers from settling north of the mountains. The Governor made them presents and the next Indian purchase included the (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 2d series, Vol. II.) fNote 2 — The late S. P. Wolverton, member of Congress, 1896, owned the land upon which the Bloody Spring, belonging to the garrison, was located, and the Maclay mansion, built in 1773, is owned by his estate and was occupied as the family home for years. Mr. Wolverton was the father of Mrs. Benjamin Cumming, of Pottsville.) 62 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. lands between the Blue and Sharp Mountains, in Brunswick Township, on the north side ; Brunswick being so called before 1752, although not formally erected until 1768. This territory was then included (1749) in Lancaster County, and in Berks and Northampton Counties in 1752. A description of Fort Lebanon, 1756, reads: "Fort Lebanon, about twenty-four miles from Gnaden- hutten, (Fort Allen, Weissport), in the line to Shamokin (Sunbury). Fort one hundred foot square, stockades four- teen foot high. House built within, 30x20, with a large store room. A spring within. A magazine twelve foot square. One hundred families protected by it. No township. Built in three weeks, by the soldiers, something considerable given by the neighbors toward it.''^ Fort Lebanon stood on what is now the farm of Lewis Marburger, on the north side of the road, about one and a half miles from Auburn, and about the same distance from Pine- dale, Schuylkill County. Thomas Ebling, fifty-six years old, in 1896, was born in an old block house destroyed thirty years ago ; he was. a son of Gideon Ebling, who died 1893, aged eighty years, and a grandson of John Ebling, who died in 1856, aged eighty-five years. Paul Heim lived in the Block House during the Indian troubles and the settlers frequently took refuge in his house.^ Thomas Ebling says "his father and grandfather frequent- ly showed him the place where the fort stood. "^ Of the old fort nothing remains except a hole in the field twenty-four feet from the road marking the cellar. A spring nearbv would indicate that this was the water used.* (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Vol. II, p. 665.) (Note 2 — Bernard Eeilly, father of Hon. James B. Reilly, settled near this point about 1842, before coming to Pottsville and here former Con- gressman Reilly was born.) (Note 3— Indian Forts, Vol 1, p. 124.) (Note 4 — May 30, 1913, Mahantongo Chapter, D. A, R. erected a boulder on the site of the fort, with public ceremonies.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 63 Indian Troubles in Penna. FORTS LEBANON AND FRANKLIN Capt. Jacob Morgan was in command of Fort Lebanon, December 5, 1755, sometimes called Fort William. There were fifty-three men stationed here with stores and ammuni- tion and Capt. Morgan was ordered to patrol the country to Northkill and AUemaengle. The Pennsylvania Gazette, September i, 1757, says, "Sev- eral Indians have lately been seen prowling about Fort Leba- non. Sunday, August 21, the house and barn of Peter Semelcke, one and a half miles from the fort, were burned and three of his children carried off; himself, wife and one child being away from home at the time." The "Gazette"' further says, "the accounts from the frontiers are most dismal, that some of the inhabitants are killed, or carried off, houses burned and cattle destroyed daily, and the people afflicted with sick- ness and unable to run away. The atrocities over the Blue Mountains and in Albany and Windsor Townships are fright- ful." Fort Franklin was situated at the base of the Blue Moun- tains nineteen miles from Fort Lebanon. It was erected by order of Benjamin Franklin, November, 1755. It is sometimes referred to as the fort above AUemaengle, (All Wants), being just across the mountain from Albany Township. It was four- teen miles from Fort Allen, and is supposed to have been built to complete the chain and fill the distance between the Gaps of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers. It was on what is now the Bolich farm, owned by J. W. Kistler, near West Penn Station, on the Lehigh Railway, Lizard Creek branch, three quarters of a mile from Snydertown, Schuylkill County. Benjamin Franklin writes to Robert Hunter Morris, Esq., "Foulk is going to build another fort between this (Fort Allen) and Schuylkill, (Fort Lebanon), on the land at Surfas'."^ (Note 1— Zerbe History, Part 2.1 64 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. Fort Franklin was not an important fort and was aban- doned 1757.^ FORT LEBANON PROMINENT Some of the forts, like Fort Everett, were garrisoned but their forces were ranged around the country to defend the settlers. Rumors being spread that Fort Franklin, in Penn Township, Northampton County (now Schuylkill), was to be removed to the south of the Blue Mountain, a petition, signed by George Gilbert, Adam Spittleman, Henry Hauptman, Caspar Langeberger, the widows of Mark Grist and George Krammes, "who lost their lives in defense of their country last Fall" (they were killed by the Indians), William Ball, Phillip Annes, Jacob Leisser, William Weigand, Anthony Krum, Phillip Scholl, Jacob Keim, John Frist, Phillip Kirs- baum, William Gabel, John Wissemer, Jacob Richards, Chris- topher Speeher, John Scheefer and George Sprecher, all of Berks County (now Schuylkill), state that, "they will have to remove from their plantations, if the fort is removed, and pe- tition that it be rebuilt. This petition was read before the Provincial Council, Philadelphia, May 7, 1757. The above state that they lived within four miles of the fort.^ James Burd, commissioner, 1758, directs Jacob Morgan to continue patroling between Fort Lebanon and Allemaengle, Albany Township, to Fort Everett, on the south side. THE CHAIN OF FORTS Fort Henry, at the south side of the mountain, with Fort Northkill, west of the Schuylkill River, were too remote to benefit the settlers on the north side. The former was three miles north of Millersburg, Bethel Township. On the top of the mountain stood Dietrich Schneider's block-house, which (Note 1— Col. Rec, Vol. VII, p. 16; Penna. Archives, Vol. II, p 669 ) (Note 2— Penna. Archives, Vol. Ill, p. 162.) FORT LEBANON, BERKS CO. (SCHUYLKILL CO.,) PA., 1755 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 65 Indian Troubles in Penna. commanded a view of the whole valley and was used as a watch tower to apprise the garrisons below. Dietrich Schnei- der's was on the direct road to Pottsville and the Shaniokin road. Fort Swatara was southwest, the forts were twenty-five miles apart. Seventy-five people were killed and their houses burned in this district.^ Dietrich Snyder died 1817 and is buried at Rehrersburg. His wife, Dolly, continued to keep the hotel. She was a re- markable woman and at ninety-five could dance as nimbly as a young girl. She lived to the ripe old age of one hundred and fifteen years, and died in the Schuylkill County Hospital, having outlived her family .^ From Fort Dupui, ranging southwest, on the north side of the Blue Mountains, were Forts Hamilton and Penn, Norris and Allen and Fort Lehigh Gap, Fort Franklin being the next in line. Peter Doll's block house was twenty miles from Du- pui's and eight miles from Lehigh Gap, on the south side. The ground upon which Fort Norris stood, now owned by Charles Frable, son of Conrad Frable, belonged originally to the Serfas tract, as did that of the site of Fort Franklin. The John Serfas farm is distant about two hundred yards from the state road.^ FRIENDLY INDIANS The revolting atrocities committed by the whites, here- abouts, upon the friendly Indians were appalling. Teedy Uscung, the Delaware chief at Easton, was faithful to the Governor and even entered into an alliance with the English to furnish spies to watch the French.* (Note 1 — Conrad Weiaor's letter, Penna. Archive.?, Vol. II.) (Note 2 — Montgomery's History of Berks County, p. 1144.) (Note 3 — John Serfas was the grandfather of Nathan and T. H. Serfas, the latter Supt. of Public Schools in Monroe County, 1896.) (Note 4— Col. Kec VI, p. 756.) 66 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. Teedy Uscung was born on the Pocono, on the land of the Minisinks, near Stroudsburg. After the Indian hostilities closed, 1758, he returned here to live and where he was treach- erously murdered, 1763, by a delegation of warriors from the Six Nations. A tradition states that one day, at Stroudsburg, he met there a blacksmith named William McNab, a rather worthless fellow, who accosted him with, "Well, cousin, how do you do?" "Cousin, cousin," repeated the dignified red man, who was something of a wit, "How do you make that out?" "Oh, we are all cousins from Adam," was the reply. "Ah," replied Teedy Uscung, with a grunt, "then I am glad it is no nearer."! INDIAN ROMANCE Fort Lehigh, at Lehigh Gap, was immediately on the north side of the mountain, on the road to Fort Allen on the north, and Fort Norris on the east. It was built by the settlers 1755 -'56, and was abandoned 1758. Among the settlers living near it was a man named Boyer. With the other farmers he gathered his family into the block house for protection. One day with his son, Fred- erick, then thirteen years old, and the other children he went to attend the crops. The father was ploughing and Fred. was hoeing, while the rest of the children were playing about the house, when, without any warning, they were surrounded by Indians. Mr. Boyer called to Fred, to run and finding he could not reach the house, attempted to save himself by way of the creek. He was shot through the head and scalped in Fred's presence. The sisters and Fred, were taken captive and separated, the former never afterward being heard from. Frederick was a prisoner with the Indians in Canada, when he was sent to Philadelphia. Of Mrs. Boyer, who remained in the block house, nothing was afterward learned. Fred, returned to Lehigh Gap and took possession of the farm. He married (Note 1 — Stone's History of the Wyoming.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 67 Indian Troubles in Penna. a daughter of Conrad Merkhem, with whom he had four sons and four daughters. Frederick Boyer was the great grand- father of Mahlon Boyer, hrniber merchant of Pinegrove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.^ FORT ALLEN AT LEHIGH GAP Fort Allen was a miserable stockade, with a mounted cannon not of much actual use, only as a weapon to intimidate the Indians. After the fearful massacre at Gnadenhutten, Governor Morris writes : "Everything has been done in the county of Northampton, but the people are not satisfied, nor, from what I can learn from the commissioners, would they be, unless every man's house was protected by a fort and a company of soldiers, and themselves paid for staying at home doing nothing."^ That part of Berks and Northampton Counties, now in Schuylkill County, was replete with the harrowing details of rapine and murder, by the Indians, but the writer will confine the narrative to those identified with its early history, or to such tales that tradition has handed down through them. KILLED BY THE INDIANS The Pennsylvania Gazette, April i, 1756, says, "ten wagons went up to Allemaengle, Albany Township, to bring down a family and as they were returning with the refugees they were fired upon by Indians. George Zeisloff and his wife, two boys, of fourteen and twelve, and a girl of fourteen, all were killed, the others were wounded but not mortally. In the same township Adam Trump was killed. His wife, although wounded, escaped. His son was taken captive. The inhabitants of Brunswick Township, from 1755 to 1763, when there was a lull in the hostilities, were greatly alarmed (Note 1— Indian Forts of the Blue Mountains, Vol. I, pp. 142, 158, 159.) (Note 2— Col. Eec, Vol, VI, p. 771.) 68 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. by the numerous murders committed. Henry Hartman, who lived near the first mountain, in the vicinity of or between Landingville and Schuylkill Haven, was found dead lying in his house. The Deiberts, who owned what is now the Filbert farm, below Schuylkill Haven, buried their farming imple- ments and other things of value and were among the refugees. On their return they were unable to locate the cache and the buried articles did not turn up until long years afterward. REGINA HARTMAN CAPTIVE On Sculp's Hill, (Orwigsburg), on the site of the Luth- eran Church, lived a family named Hartman. During the absence of Mrs. Hartman and her son, who had gone to Finscher's mill with grist, the father and another son were murdered by the Indians, their charred remains with that of a dog being found among the ruins of the burned home. Two girls were taken captive, Barbara and Regina. They mur- dered the family of a man named Smith, who lived near what is now Landingville, and took with them their little girl three years old. The eldest of the Hartman girls grew lame and became very sick when they tomahawked her. Hunters found her body and buried it. That John Hartman lived upon this spot is incontrovert- ible. Hundreds of women and girls were taken captive by the Indians during the years, 1755 to 1763, and that Susan Smith, the Hartman girls and a sister of Martin Woerner, (Landing- ville), were all taken captives is also indisputable. The Rev. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, son-in-law of Con- rad Weiser, who lived upon a tract of land given him by his father-in-law, just across the Blue Mountains, in Allemaengle, and who had charge of the Lutheran congregations from, Al- bany Township to the Trappe, wrote that beautiful story of Regina Hartman, captive, so familiar to history (Hallische Nachrichten, p. 1029.) He states that the widow of John SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 69 Indian Troubles in Penna. Hartman called at his home February, 1765, and related the circumstance, stating that, "she had been a member of Rev. William Kurtz's congregation and had fled to the Tulpe- hocken after the massacre. "^ OTHER INDIAN CAPTIVES Lebanon County historians claim this incident to have occurred on the frontiers of Lebanon County. Ex-Governor Samuel Pennypacker gives it as "beyond Reading"^ ; and a Schuylkill County Historical Society iconoclast, says, "the Lebanon captive's name was Leininger and not Hartman" and that, "the captives who responded to the singing of the hymn, "AUein und doch nicht ganz allein bin ich," were from Union County and not Lebanon.^ To the unprejudiced mind it would seem that the Rev. Melchoir Muhlenberg knew whereof he wrote. Rev. William Kurtz had charge of the scattered people above the Blue Mountains, preaching at the Red Church, burned by the In- dians, 1757. The Allemaengle church and Muhlenberg's home were about eight miles across the mountain. The solution will, doubtless, be found in the fact that there were four hundred of these captives brought together by Colonel Bo- quet, at Carlisle, and all of the younger ones were reclaimed through some familiar action on the part of their friends or themselves ; and that there were many such "Reginas"among them. Of this number. Prof. Frederic Gerhard, (former leader of the Third Brigade Band, Pottsville,) related that his ma- ternal great great grandmother was one, Margaret Everhard. The family lived in the Tulpehocken, Berks County, on the (Note 1 — Mrs. Hartman and her daughter, Regina, are buried in the old cemetery of Christ Lutheran Cliureh, Stouchsburg, Berks County.) (Note 2 — Penna. German Society Magazine, Vol. VII, p. 12.) (Note 3— No. 8, Vol. Ill, Schuylkill County Historical Society Publi- cation.) 70 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. north side of the Blue Mountain, afterward Pinegrove Town- ship. A party of Indians came to the house one night and asked in Pennsylvania German to be admitted. The door was opened, when the mother was shot down, the house fired and the little girl taken captive. She was a young woman when returned by her captors and married a man named Simon Salada. Prof. Gerhard's mother's name was Bickle ; she was a great granddaughter of the Everhards, whose family early settled in Barry Township, Schuylkill County ; an uncle, To- bias Bickle, seventy years of age, is now living near Ash- land.i 2 3 THE FINSCHER'S AND MILLER'S The murder of the Jacob Finscher family, who were Quakers and lived about six miles from Fort Lebanon, near the junction of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway with the Mine Hill branch, above Schuylkill Haven, where stood their grist mill, led Jacob Morgan to petition for more men for the garrison. He writes to Governor Denny that, "they saw tracks and followed them to Phillip Culmore's house, thinking to put the people on their guard, but found Culmore's wife, daughter and (Note 1— Story of Everhard's, Vol. I, Indian Forts, p. 93.) (Note 2 — Rupp's History of Berks County.) (Note 3 — Mrs. Gerhard lias in her possession a huge family bible brought with them by the Everhard family when they came to this country from Holland, about 1742, where they had been Huguenot refugees from Alsace, France, from the time the Edict of Nantes was revoked, 1682, and where they had lived for several generations.) It is a remarkable specimen of the printers and publishers' art of the XVI century, printed in Nuremberg and freely illustrated with artistic cuts. The German text varies, from large caps, to brevier, minion and nonpareil type, as now known and the embellishments would do credit to any publisher, of the present day if, indeed, they do not belong to the lost arts. It contains beside the regular Old and New Testaments, the Apocalypse Minor Prophets, Augsburg confession of the Lutheran faith. Life of Martin Luther, and extracts from sermons on the context, by Prof. Johan Michael Hilhern, of Nuremberg, and other secular features. The translation by Luther was arranged by Dr. Joh. Sauberte and D. Salom Gassii.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 71 Indian Troubles in Penna. son-in-law just killed and scalped. Others were missing. Up- wards of sixty women and children fled to the fort. Frederick Riechelsdorfer and Gerhard's places were attacked and burned, and members of their families killed. Martin Fell, his mother- in-law and her daughter were killed and two of their children taken captive. Many fled across the Blue Mountains, to AUe- maengle, among them Heinrich Adam Ketner and his wife Katharine.! At the house of Nicholas Long they killed two old men and took another captive. There were nine children here who doubtless all would have been killed but for the timely arrival of Capt. Morgan's men. Nicholas Miller lived on a tract of land in what is now Spring Garden, afterward deeded to Conrad Minnich. The Finschers lived on the other side of the Schuylkill and the refugees fled toward Fort Lebanon, in the direct line of which stood the Heinrich Miller log cabin. A young boy who lived with the Finschers escaped and notified Ensign SchelTer, who with six men of Captain Kern's company was within three-quarters of a mile of Finscher's when the massacre occurred. About a mile from what is now Auburn, and more than one mile from Fort Lebanon, stood Heinrich Miller's log cabin, to which they fled, not being able to reach the fort.^ Here the Indians murdered four children and took the two Miller children captive. Ensign Scheffer and his men were in hot pursuit and the other refugees were left unmo- lested when they appeared. Miller and his wife were at work in a field nearby and saved their lives by flight. Miller was pursued for nearly a mile by an Indian who fired twice at him, his wife having hid in a thicket, escaped. Ensign Schefifer and his squad continued after the savages and fired upon them, the Indians returning the fire, a sharp conflict ensuing between them, when the enemy fled leaving behind the two (Note 1— Penna. Archives, Vol. Ill, p. 30.) (Note 2— See Miller History, Part 2.) 72 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. captive Miller children and a part of the plunder taken. The consequence of this attack and the wholesale massacre was the desertion of all the settlements beyond the Blue Moun- tains.i ^ WHEN THE FLIGHT OCCURRED The date of the desertion is variously given. The Penn- sylvania Gazette, October 19, 1758, gives this Indian upris- ing, "which extended from the Tulpehocken to the massacre of the Moravian Indians, at Gnadenhutten, as October 4, 1758. Rupp's Berks County History, p. jj, says "the flight took place September, 1763." The former date would seem to be correct. The Red Church was burned 1757, and family tradition places the flight of all the inhabitants north of the Blue Mountains, in Brunswick Township, as soon after that date. There is no doubt that many returned at intervals to plant and gather their crops before returning permanently, and that at least three flights were made by some of the least venturesome before they returned to remain. The atrocities committed at the base of the mountains on the south side induced the inhabitants of Windsor and Albany Townships also to flee before the marauders. Conrad Minnich, who lived with his father at the "Seven Stars" in 1752- 1757, keeping a road house on the site of the present hotel, on the State road from Reading to Sunbury, were burned out by the Indians and he fled to the Tulpe- hocken subsequently returning.^ * (Note 1 — It has been frequently asked why the settlers did not take refuge in Fort Lebanon ? It was inadequate for the number of settlers. With fifty-three men stationed there, the number of people settled within ten miles could not be housed within its limits and they were obliged to flee south of the Blue Mountain.) (Note 2— Miller's History, Part 2.) (Note 3 — The Pennsylvania Gazette, September 1, 1757.) (Note 4 — Eupp's History of Berks County contains an extract which says, "the Finseher massacre was the cause of the desertion of all the settlements north of the Blue Mountain.") VennfyhmU, E WS^'ed^il Land "^ ' • ftriiti rurr-^ "I&W5 X ^ ^. 5n the J^-"'-^ Coi)n/i,iam-rntTir{^^\ ^r oL-ri^a/^'' h^ I ft n^v^ W'row/'**i<«*'*»J iCraJe^ - „_ ~ for whlch-^^-^ agrees to pay to our Ufe, Xvithin the Term MiBtliib:: Date hereof, at the Rate of Fiftem Pmndi, TenShilliiigs, current Money of this Pro- fueraya'ed Acres; and alfo to pay the yearly Quit-rent oi One Halfpenny Sterling for every kt!a<,6i' Heirs and Affigns iax ever : Tfaefo/are the^eii^'^io authorife and require you to fur- roii'j-j'^ed, unto the (aid -fc-nyta-^ t^rl^'ru-c-^ ■. ~~-r- at the Place aforefaid, njtji . of To'^^'nftups appomted, the faid Quantity of tJn^/it^ fn-^^tz^ y -__^^ js.it'z-'v'eyed or appropriat6d,-»nd make Return thereof into the Secratai-y's Office, in order Sri:-'- 'hich this fhall be your fuihcient Warrant : "Which Warrant and Surv'ey, in cafe the nvuJ ^itot^n fulfil the above agreement within Six Months from the Date hereof, if^i Je. void. GIVEN under my Hand aniLtlie.Seal of the La?id-Offi(^ by Virtue of S>J.i i Proprietaries, ai Philadelphia, this /fil'i^^Zt^ ^"y'f/^ y-'^ Ditifmd Seven Hundred an^^^^^;^^^ >^ ^/ ^ue^yy^ ) rveyoi'fc ■ ■|^- I \ A t t_ CONK' ICH FOR SEVEN STARS, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PROPERTY. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 73 Indian Troubles in Penna. BY THE PROPRIETARIES (Copied from the original) Pennsylvania, ss. Whereas Conrad Minich of the county of Berks, hath requested that we would allow him to take up One Hundred acers of land, ajoining Jno Schwartz, Jno. Dunder ir'^rlTuTri'^lieoX ^"^^ ^^^^^'^ Bodorgers lands, beyond Special Order of the the blue mountains, and to include an Governor Improvement setled by the said Conard Wm. Peters, _'^ _ -' Sect. Minnich for years before the breaking out of the last Indian War in 1755, which obliged him to fly from his said Improvement, and all his buildings of considerable value were burnt by the Indians. In the said county of Berks — for which he agrees to pay to our use within the term of six months from the date hereof at the rate of fifteen pounds ten shilling current money of this Province, for every hundred acers; To Daniel Brodhead, j i ^ ii i -j. ^ r Esq., Deputy Surveyor, and also to pay the yearly quit rent of Execute this Warrant one Half Penny Sterling for every Acer Surety^inL 1^^^- thereof, to US, our Heirs and Assigns, tary office — for ever; these are therefor to author- for John^Lukens,^Esq. j^^ ^^^ ^.^q^^j^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ to be surveyed unto the said Conard Minich at the place aforesaid according to the method of Townships appointed, and said quantity of One Hundred Acers. If not already surveyed, or appropriated, and make Re- turn thereof into the Secretary's office, in order for confirma- tion, for which this shall be your sufficient Warrant. Which 74 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. warrant and survey in case the said Conard Minich — fulfills the above agreement within six months from the Date hereof, shall be valid otherwise void. Given under my Hand and the seal of the land office by virtue of certain Powers from the said Proprietaries, at Philadelphia this thirteenth day of January, Anno Domini, One Thousand Seven Hundred and fifty five.^ JOHN PENN. To John Luken, Surveyor-General. THE NEYMAN MASSACRE About the year 1780 a military post was established at the Schuylkill Gap, near Cape Horn, below Mt. Carbon, for the protection of the inhabitants and the woodmen who were engaged in cutting timber from the gap, the present site of Landingville. The huge trees were intended for masts for the ships of the French navy, the ally of the Colonial govern- ment, in the War of Independence. A saw mill, owned by Balsar Gehr, stood at the mouth of the Norwegian Creek, where it empties into the Schuylkill River (Mt. Carbon), which was in charge of John Neyman, sawyer. Neyman lived on the brow of the hill, in a small log cabin, in the rear of where the Pottsville Hospital now stands. MILITARY COMES TO THE RESCUE A letter, August 30, 1780, from Valentine Eckart to V. P. Moore states, that "John Negman (y) who lived at the saw mill about three miles above Conrad Minnich's, on Sun- day was, with his wife and three young children, barbarously murdered by the Indians."^ Colonel Eckart applied to the Pro- vincial Council for protection and ammunition. Captain Dennis Leary, in command of the detachment protecting the (Note 1 — See index for copy of original.) (Note 2— Vol. 8, p. 529, Penna. Archives.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 75 Indian Troubles in Penna. workmen cutting masts, also wrote Commissioner Moore, September i, 1780, informing him that he, with a detail of four men, buried the Neyman family and was joined in the pursuit of the Indians by Captain Baldy with ten men and the next day by Colonel Lindermuth with fifty men between them. They scoured the woods to Reading but found no traces but a house and barn, on the Little Schuylkill River, were burned and a little boy, named Shurr, was missing. Sixty men were left at dififerent settlements to protect the people. More protection was needed as the cunning savages rendered the masts cut unfit for usage by nicking or notching them.i HOW "OLD DRESS" SCARED THE INDIANS How "Old Dress" scared the Indians in the Indian mas- sacre after the French and Indian War shows what a strate- gist can do if he has courage and is endowed with enough presence of mind. The Dress family lived in the Panther Valley, (Bender Thai). The Indians had been friendly at first, but since success was beginning to crown the efforts of the hardy pioneers, there were mutterings of discontent among them, and they had upon one or two occasions shown their hostility, but no real depredations had been perpetrated as yet. Murders had been committed farther south, defenseless women and children were scalped or taken into captivity, their homes burned and their cattle driven away and the settlers were tortured beyond measure, but "Bender Thai" remained unmolested. Word came one day that there was an uprising among the Indians and that they were headed for the Valley. The block stockade. Fort Lebanon, near what is now Auburn, had served upon early occasions as a place of refuge for the (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Vol. 8, p. 542.) 76 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. settlers when in danger of being attacked; but it was now abandoned and the thoroughly frightened pioneers in "Bender Thai" made their preparations to flee to the block house, near the site of Schuylkill Haven. The women and children were gathered together and placed in charge of George Zerbe, who gathered the cattle to drive them to a place of safety. The Dress family formed part of the little caravan that turned toward the fort, but "Old Dress" was obdurate. He would not go.^ He was the first settler to discover rich farming land in that locality. He had spent several years in the "Thai" re- turning again and again to it and finally brought to it his wife and family. The Indians had given him the first kernels of corn which he planted as seed and in turn he had shown them how to fashion the rude farming implements he used, the iron for which he brought from the Lesher, Pott furnace, on Maxatawny creek. Once he had opened an abscess for "Sagawatch," the great chief of the mongrel tribe, and dressed it with home- made salve. Not without some display of the necromancer's art, it must be confessed, for he knew he was powerless among them, and "Sagawatch" was cured. He had frequently treated their "boils" with which they were afflicted, the result of dirt and squalor and improper food, for they were a lazy set, and looking upon him as something of a medicine man, the Indians called him the "Little White Father;" and believed, some of them, that he had supernatural powers. It was only the week before that an apparently friendly set had visited him. The mother had just completed the fam- ily baking in the huge Dutch oven back of the log cabin and on the plea of wanting a present from the "Little White Father" everyone of the large brown well-baked loaves of (Note 1 — Valentine Tress was a taxpayer in Pine Grove Township, Berks (Schuylkill) County, 1772. His will shows George Zerbe, Sr., and George Zerbe, Jr., as administrators of his estate.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 77 Indian Troubles in Penna. bread had found their way into a sack with other things they managed to lay hands on, and the good wife had another batch of bread to make. In the meantime the family subsisted on potato buffers," (a species of hoecakes made of grated potato and flour and baked on the hearth) until the leaven had raised and the new bread was again baked. Just a glance at "Old Dress" would show that he was not a man to be trifled with. Short, stout, broad of girth, and with sinewy muscles that stood ovit like whip cords, he was the picture of health and alert activity. His face was smooth and red and as has often been said of men who wear that type of whiskers, around the face from ear to ear underneath the chin, it was easy to be seen he was a man of determination. He wore his hair, which was scant, for he was partially bald, all combed up after the fashion of those days into a single tuft on the top of his head. This tuft from long practice stood up straight. If anyone could circumvent the Indians, the settlers knew he could. There was little time for par- leying and the women and children with their leaders were soon out of sight. Dress made his way hurriedly to the hillside and screened from view by some friendly bushes, watched the approach of the redskins. They came, some seated on their Indian ponies, the young braves running at the sides of the old men. Smeared with their war paint and with their war toggery on, beating their tom-toms and yelling like mad, they struggled up the defile. He could not count them, although he at first tried. There was Sagawatch, too, the greasy villain and traitor. What could he do single handed against so many, with his one old flint lock musket and home-made cartridges and Marie not here to help load. He fingered the tuft of hair, his top-knot, which he knew would soon be hanging with the other smoking and gory 78 BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. scalps from the belts of the foremost of the band, and his mind was made up. Taking an extra hitch at his rusty brown linsey woolsey trousers and rolling up the sleeves of his yellow grey woolen shirt, he ran as hard as he could in the direction of the oncoming murderous crew and in full view of them to the crest of the near- by hill. Screaming and yelling at the top of his voice and wildly gesticulating with his long bare arms and pointing with his fingers : "Come on, Boys," he yelled. "Here are the Indians." (Cum Buva, dah sin Sie, die Incha.) He screamed until he was purple with rage and told one imagin- ary party, with the wildest of signs and commands, to close up the defile and prevent their escape, the others should file up the left and right and surround them, and the rest should follow him. "Sagawatch," the murderous "tuyfel," could un- derstand German he knew, for he himself had taught him many words in the current vernacular. And then, still screaming as loud as he could and doubly gesticulating, he ran down the hill with all his might toward the red warriors, who thought they were being attacked by at least a battalion of soldiers under command of "Old Dress," whom Capt. Leary had reinforced with his squad, and they showed the white feather and turned tail and fled as fast as they could in the direction in which they had come. All night "Old Dress" watched at the single window of the little log hut. His blunderbuss and old musket ready, he would sell his life as dearly as possible, if they returned ; but they never did. When the settlers returned, "Old Dress" was quietly sit- ting in front of his cabin mending an old fish net. The cattle had all been recovered by him from their impounding in the clearings in the mountain fastnesses and returned to their rightful owners. The cows had been milked, the cream was ready for the good wives to churn and everything was going SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 79 Indian Troubles in Penna. on as usual. The Indians never molested the settlers again, and even to this day "Old Dress" is a hero to the descendants of the families of the early settlers of "Bender Thal."^ The Indian path along Sharp Mountain to Indian Run and the remains of the Indian village, at Swatara Creek, show many traces of a peaceful occupation of the land by the sav- ages at this point. The settlers were mainly of a migratory character in the west end, at this date, and they prudently avoided an encounter with the savages, or the latter who fre- quently used these paths from Berks County to Fort Augusta (Sunbury) were, doubtless, too much engrossed with larger game when on the war path and left them unmolested. INDIAN STORY One of the Indian legends related by an aged resident of the Panther Valley, was that of an Indian ghost, who wandered around the crags and bluffs through which the Swatara Creek runs, near Swatara. His father told him that the Indians who lived there had been out on a marauding trip and returned with a large amount of loot and some gold. One of the braves con- cealed the gold under a rock near the creek. He was killed by his companions for the treachery, and ever after his wraith was seen wandering in and out among the rocks to find his ill- gotten treasure. The narrator remembered frequently tracing his steps in and out on the Indian causeway, to find that treasure. His genii was the red man's ghost, whom he hoped to encounter some time unexpectedly and wrest from him his secret of wealth that would prove as fabulous as that of the hidden recesses in Monte Christo's Halls, but he never found him nor the treasure. Gold was said to have been found upon the "Gobbleberg," (near Schuylkill Haven) and the Indian superstition claimed that when it thundered and lightened, the rocks were some- times cleft in twain and the hidden recesses were discovered to (Note 1— Old Schuylkill Tales.) 8o BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna. be gorged with nuggets of gold. Whoever could claim them before they closed was in favor with the spirits of the air, and the genii of the mountain. Many hunted for this gold, but it was like hunting for the pot of that precious metal that hangs at the horns of the prismatic rainbow. Many of the flights, by the thoroughly frightened settlers, to the block houses and Indian forts were superinduced by false alarms. "The Indians are coming" ("Die India Kum- mah"), was sufficient to startle the sparse communities into almost immediate flight. On one occasion an old woman, whose son could carry her no further, was left in the woods (at her own request) to die. She could not live much longer anyway, she said, while the rest of the family hastened on to a place of safety. When the Indians came up to her place'of refuge they proved to be a squad of Captain O'Leary's Co- lonial Guards, who were protecting the woodsmen out to sight such timber as was needed to cut for the use of the navy yard at Philadelphia, and they carried the old lady to a place of safety between them. Another legend is told of an Indian maiden, Wanomanie, who sprang from the highest point of the rocky crags on the pinnacle of Sharp Mountain, (south of Henry Clay's Monu- ment,) into the declivity below and was killed. All because her father, Sagawatch, would not allow her to marry the dusky lover of her choice. It was said that on moonlight nights, in harvest time, she could be seen on a misty evening, through the clouds, taking the spring into the abyss below, her lover a close second, taking the leap after her, and Sagawatch leaning over the crest of the mountain to watch the lovers going to their certain death. Whether these ghostly sights were only apparent to those who had been imbibing too freely of spirits of another brand, or whether they were the innocent victims of hallucinations will be left to the vivid imagination of the readers.! (Note l~"01d Schuylkill Tales.") SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 8i War of the Revolution War of the Revolution fROM the passage of the infamous Stamp Act, March, 1765, by the British Parliament, when ^ Benjamin Franklin declared, "The Sun of Ameri- can liberty has set" ; and when Patrick Henry, in the House of Burgesses, in the oldest American commonwealth, Virginia, denounced the Act in the presence of two of the future presidents of the United States, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who were Provincial delegates ; to the attempted enactment of the Bos- ton Port Bill, June 18, 1774; through the dark days following the offering of the resolution in Congress, June 7, 1776, by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, declaring that, "the United Colonies were and ought to be free" and the involving of Lee's resolution into the subsequent Declaration of Independence, which as a formal document was adopted July 4, 1776; during the bitter struggle of the infant republic, to the sur- render of Lord Cornwallis, October 19, 1781 ; and the declara- tion of peace and the ratification of the treaty and final de- parture of the British troops, November 25, 1783 ; during the sacrifices and struggles incident to an eight year's war with a powerful nation, Pennsylvania, was ever loyal to the cause and motives that actuated the colonists to withdraw from the oppressive protection of England and establish the grandest and most effectual form of Republican government on the face of the globe. The Pennsylvania Associators and committee of obser- vation represented the sentiments of the yeomanry of the 8tate. They stood in the same relation to the American 82 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution colonies and their leaders in the War of the Revolution, as did the First Defenders, when Abraham Lincoln issued his first call for troops in the Civil War. At a meeting held in Reading, July 2, 1774, resolutions were passed and a committee appointed to meet with other comtnittees in Philadelphia, from the different counties in the Province. From the first formation of the Associators, the Berks County contingent were active in their support of the military defense of the rights of the colonists, contributing the allotted quota of men and forage for the army; and in raising the necessary supplies and money for the sinews of war. The following composed part of the first committee chosen to represent Berks County at the Provincial meeting, Philadelphia : Edward Biddle, James Lewis, Christopher Schultz, Mark Bird and John Jones. None of the Associators lived north of the Blue Mountains, but Dr. Jonathan Potts, Secretary, owned tracts of coal land around what is now St. Clair ; and Baltzar Gehr owned and operated a saw mill on the site of Pottsville, at the mouth of the Norwegian Creek where it empties into the Schuylkill River. Others of the Associators wf'.re : William Reeser, Christopher Witman, John Old,-"- Sebastian Levan, George Nagel, Michael Bright, John Patton and Jacob Shoemaker, Associators, are closely allied with this region through their descendants of successive gen- erations who populate Schuylkill County .^ After the battle of Lexington was fought, April 19, 1775, eight companies of riflemen were raised in Pennsylvania to join the Continental army, near Boston; of these that of Cap- (Note 1 — John Old was the ancestor of Daniel Old, a carpenter and contractor, who lived in Pottsville, 1840-'60. He built and owned the residence, 409 West Market Street, among other properties. He left no descendants.) (Note 2 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 138.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 83 War of the Revolution tain George Nagel was the first from Berks County. They joined Colonel Thompson's battalion of twelve companies of riflemen and were the first troops from Pennsylvania to reach Boston. 1 Efforts were made to recruit companies from each of the townships and the quotas of the more thickly settled portions of the county were augmented by recruits from the straggling and remote borders. The Welsh of Caernarvon Township raised a company of eighty-three Associators that were in the campaign in Canada during that dreadful retreat in mid- winter from Quebec. Other companies from Berks were in the Massachusetts' campaign and in the army of the Southern Department and participated in the final capitulation of Cornwallis. The Captains of these companies, of the regular Continen- tal line, were: Henry Christ, Miles Regiment; Jonathan Jones, First Pennsylvania Battalion; Benjamin Weiser, Hausegger's Regiment ; Jacob Bauer, Oddendorf's Corps ; John Spohn, Magaw's Battalion ; John Lesher, Patton's Regi- ment; Jacob Moser, Harmar's Sixth Regiment. At a Provincial Conference, held at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, June 18-25, 1776, provision was made to form a "Flying Camp," of 10,000 men, in the middle colonies ; the quota for Pennsylvania being 4,500 men ; this militia to march to such place as ordered by Congress. July 13, 1776, Berks County reported as having raised more than their quota of men to complete the battalion. March 17, 1777, a militia law was passed by the Penn- sylvania Assembly. The President of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth was to commission one free- holder in each county to serve as a lieutenant of the militia for the said counties. The constables of each township, borough, ward or district in the said counties were to return (Note 1— Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol, X, pp. 3-13-34.) 84 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution to the lieutenant an exact list of the names of every male white person residing within the township, borough, ward or district, between the ages of eighteen and fifty-three years, capable of bearing arms. Each county was to be sub-divided into districts, each district to contain not less than 440 and more than 680 privates and each district was to be sub-divided into eight parts. The militiamen of the district were required to meet and elect three field officers ; one colonel, one lieu- tenant colonel and one major, who were to be freeholders and inhabitants of the district and the militia men of the sub- divisions were to elect one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign and two persons to be styled court martial men, who shall respectively be such persons as are entitled to vote for members to serve in the General Assembly. The whole of the militia so enrolled were required by law to be exercised m companies, under their special officers, on the last two Mondays in the month of April and three first Mondays in the month of May and in battalion on the fourth Monday in May and in companies on the last two Mondays in the month of August and the last two Mondays in the month of Sep- tember and the third Monday in the month of October and in battalion on the fourth Monday in October. On which days officers and privates were expected to attend and drill under penalties of fines. Brunswick Township, under this law, was organized into the third battalion or northern section of Berks County. The battalion officers were: Colonel, Michael Lindemuth, Bern Township; Lieutenant Colonel, George May, Winsor Town- ship, and Major, Martin Kercher, Winsor Township. The officers of the second company of the battalion, which was the Brunswick Company, were: Captain, Conrad Minnich ; ist Lieutenant, John Graul; 2nd Lieutenant, John Stout; Ensign, Phillip Boning; Court Martial men, Gideon Moyer, John Crawford and George Stout. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 85 War of the Revolution October 17, 1777, General Washington reported that, "the term of service of many of the military had expired and that one-half of the men capable of bearing arms, from the ages of eighteen to fifty-eight, should be called into the field." The quota from Berks County was three hundred men and one hundred and fifty men in Berks were recruited January I, 1778. The system of supplying men was simple and ef- fective. It was carried on in such a manner as to render as- sistance to the government without the people suffering losses. The time of service was short and many returned and attended to their crops, upon which the army depended for forage and supplies and that their families might not starve, and went out again. Others offended against discipline and went home to attend to their affairs before their terms of service expired and almost invariably returned when a fight was impending. Through this method several hundred militia men were kept in the field continuously, from Berks County, to reinforce the operations of the regular line under General Washington. It will be noted by the above that the term "Court Mar- tial" was not one of opprobrium, nor was it used in the mili- tary sense now given it. A "Court Martial" man, in the Revolutionary war, was a "reputable citizen" and ranked next to ensign. THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE The General Assembly, of Pennsylvania, June 12, 1777, passed an Act requiring the men of the State to take an oath of allegiance and fidelity to this State. This was necessary owing to the loosely joined federation of states in rebellion against the King and to having no constitution ; the test oath showing who would openly stand for the new government. This oath required great courage on the part of those who took it, for if the revolutionary cause should fail, their property would surely be confiscated and they, themselves, be imprisoned. 86 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution In some of the counties of the State many declined to take the oath, but in Berks County nearly every man took it; the original lists (Berks County Historical Society Library) con- taining about six thousand names. These men were formed into eighty or ninety companies, of sixty-four men each, and many of them in turn served some time in the field. Of the men of Berks County, who served in the Revolu- tionary war, as Associators, Militia men, or long term Conti- nentals, scarcely two-thirds of their names are on record. A few of these missing names may occasionally turn up but the bulk of them will never be found. In some of the Western States, where societies of the D. A. R. and Sons of Veterans exist, this taking of the oath of allegiance is considered sufficient evidence for admission to the organizations. 1 As has been heretofore stated, the Berks County militia men, all of whom took the oath of allegiance, guarded pris- oners, were in the campaign in New Jersey; while Wash- ington's army was at Valley Forge they reinforced it and assisted the militia of other counties in patroling and guard- ing the open country between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, and also participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Of the six battalions of Berks County militia no complete records have ever been found. They may never have been recorded in the Pennsylvania Archives, or they may have been lost or were most probably burned in 1808 or 1814. In the former year many public documents were destroyed that had been stored in a two-story frame building in Washington, D. C, and when the British forces of General Ross, September 24, 1814, marched unopposed into the city and burned all of (Note 1— A D. A. R. woman, in Nebraska, obtained an oath of alle- giance record from Berks County of her great grandfather (George Laucks) and received an added "Bar" for it (1913), and a short time ago sent for proof of another ancestor of hers, (John Lorah.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 87 War of the Revolution the public buildings, except the patent office, many valuable papers, among them the military rosters, were consumed in the holocaust. August 17, 1777, Jacob Morgan reported that twelve com- panies of militia had marched from Reading, the whole num- ber of whose officers and men were six hundred and fifty-six. The total number of militia men from the State, at that date, was two thousand, nine hundred and seventy-three. (Another authority fixes the number from Berks as seven hundred and thirty.) The battalions from Berks County were under Colonels Undree (Uttery) and Hunter. From the State returns, church records, newspapers and family returns of private papers and deaths, the list in the Pennsylvania Archives, of these men, is being slowly aug- mented, but of the five German companies from the vicinity of Womelsdorf, whose rosters were lost, little is known. Captain Jacob Livingood's Riflemen, of Middletown, now Womelsdorf, were formed September, 1781. The company served until January, 1782. The roster of this company was among the five never recovered. The members of these companies were from Heidelburg and Tulpehocken Townships. As the old church records are being slowly translated and old tombstones unearthed in the early cemeteries, and private family records are being transmitted to the State, the Penn- sylvania German Society and the State and County Historical Societies, some of these rosters may be partially re-incarnated, but there is yet much to unearth of the records of the seventy thousand individual soldiers who formed the army of the war of the Revolution. "There were four thousand militia from six districts of Berks County. The first company, third battalion, was from Pinegrove Township." (Note 1 — Penna. Associators, Vol. II, pp. 257-276.) 88 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution (Note) — In the United States a battalion consisted of two, four, six, eight or ten companies, according to circum- stances and was commanded by the senior officer present. The number of men in a battalion varied from one hundred to one thousand. In the Revolutionary War the maximum number was six hundred and eighty privates, three field offi- cers, one colonel, one lieutenant colonel and one major. The companies each had one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants and two court martial men. Of the twelve captains that composed these battalions of militia, three were men from that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill County, Captains Michael Furrer (Forrer), Jacob Wetstein (Whetstone), and Conrad Minnich. There were a number of men from the vicinity of what is now McKeansburg and West Penn, then included in North- ampton County, who enlisted under Captain Brucker, of that county. Michael Forrer recruited his company from "the western section of Berks County (now Schuylkill), and the Tulpe- hocken."! Capt. Michael Furrer's^ 3 (Forrer) Co., stationed at South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776. Bat. of Col. John Patton. Captain, Michael Forrer; ist Lieutenant, Nicholas Sey- bert ; 2nd Lieutenant, John Gernan ; Sergeants, Adam An- spach (Alspach,) Henry Spang, Peter Leis, Philip Anspach, (Alspach) ; Ensign, Jacob Read (Rieth) ; Drummer, William Sherman; Fifer, Adam Read (Rieth). Privates — George Wendlewolf, Peter Smith, John Keiser, Christian Witman, George Kantner, George Swartz, Daniel Sheffer, John Troutman, Michael Hoffman, Michael Bruker, William Feygert, Henry Deerwechter, George Deerwechter, Valentine Schiffller, Peter Deefenbach, Jacob Ruhl, Simon (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. II, p. 249.) (Note 2 — Andrew Miller History.) (Note 3 — Michael Forrer lived in Pine Grove Township.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 8g War of the Revolution Linck, Frederick Sheffer, Valentine Troutman, Daniel Read, Peter Stein, Henry Koch, Adam Schnee, William Scheefer, George Emerich, Conrad Hoster, George Winter, Peter Hous- er, Nicholas Read, HEINRICH MILLERi, Jonas Read, Nicholas Lechner, John Stup, Daniel Kuff, Andreas Aulen- bach. The above company was recruited from both sides ot the Blue Mountain. The Wetsteins were from near McKeansburg, and are on record from Pinegrove Township, their company was recruited largely from the north side of the Blue Mountain. August 7, 1777, Jacob Wetstein's Company, mustered un- der Colonel Daniel Hunter, of Oley, and was on duty around Philadelphia, participating in the battle of Germantown under General Washington. The return roster of the company is given as containing forty-nine men and eight officers and in- cludes the following: May 17, 1777. First Company, Captain Jacob Wetstein.2 Ensign, Henry Wetstein; Conrad Sheffer, Rudolph Buz- zard, Ludwig Herring, George Brouch. The battalion of Colonel Daniel Udree, of Oley, was mus- tered in at the same date. To this command belonged the company of Captain Conrad Minnich, of Brunswick Town- ship (Manheim). No trace of this roster has been found. The company was made up of men from both sides of the Blue Mountain. The return report of third class, Berks County Associators and Militia, Col. Daniel Udree, shows Captain Conrad Minnich's Company to have had on the muster roll } one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants, one drum and fifer, four substitutes. (Note 1 — Heinrich Miller lived in Brunswick afterward Manheim Town- ship. He was the ancestor of all of the descendants of Andrew Miller, Sr. — Miller History.) (Note 2 — The descendants of Jacob and Henry Wetstein reside at Ta- maqua, Schuylkill County, and spell their name "Whetstone.") (Note 3 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5, pp. 128-201.) 88 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution (Note) — In the United States a battalion consisted of two, four, six, eight or ten companies, according to circum- stances and was commanded by the senior officer present. The number of men in a battalion varied from one hundred to one thousand. In the Revolutionary War the maximum number was six hundred and eighty privates, three field offi- cers, one colonel, one lieutenant colonel and one major. The companies each had one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants and two court martial men. Of the twelve captains that composed these battalions of militia, three were men from that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill County, Captains Michael Furrer (Forrer), Jacob Wetstein (Whetstone), and Conrad Minnich. There were a number of men from the vicinity of what is now McKeansburg and West Penn, then included in North- ampton County, who enlisted under Captain Brucker, of that county. Michael Forrer recruited his company from "the western section of Berks County (now Schuylkill), and the Tulpe- hocken."^ Capt. Michael Furrer's^ 3 (Forrer) Co., stationed at South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776. Bat. of Col. John Patton. Captain, Michael Forrer; ist Lieutenant, Nicholas Sey- bert ; 2nd Lieutenant, John Gernan ; Sergeants, Adam An- spach (Alspach,) Henry Spang, Peter Leis, Philip Anspach, (Alspach) ; Ensign, Jacob Read (Rieth) ; Drummer, William Sherman; Fifer, Adam Read (Rieth). Privates — George Wendlewolf, Peter Smith, John Keiser, Christian Witman, George Kantner, George Swartz, Daniel Sheffer, John Troutman, Michael Hoffman, Michael Bruker, William Feygert, Henry Deerwechter, George Deerwechter, Valentine Schiffller, Peter Deefenbach, Jacob Ruhl, Simon (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. II, p. 249.) (Note 2 — Andrew Miller History.) (Note 3 — Michael Forrer lived in Pine Grove Township.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 89 War of the Revolution Linck, Frederick Sheffer, Valentine Troutman, Daniel Read, Peter Stein, Henry Koch, Adam Schnee, William Scheefer, George Emerich, Conrad Hoster, George Winter, Peter Hous- er, Nicholas Read, HEINRICH MILLERi, Jonas Read, Nicholas Lechner, John Stup, Daniel Kuff, Andreas Aulen- bach. The above company was recruited from both sides of the Blue Mountain. The Wetsteins were from near McKeansburg, and are on record from Pinegrove Township, their company was recruited largely from the north side of the Blue Mountain. August 7, 1777, Jacob Wetstein's Company, mustered un- der Colonel Daniel Hunter, of Oley, and was on duty around Philadelphia, participating in the battle of Germantown under General Washington. The return roster of the company is given as containing forty-nine men and eight officers and in- cludes the following: May 17, 1777. First Company, Captain Jacob Wetstein.^ Ensign, Henry Wetstein ; Conrad Sheffer, Rudolph Buz- zard, Ludwig Herring, George Brouch. The battalion of Colonel Daniel Udree, of Oley, was mus- tered in at the same date. To this command belonged the company of Captain Conrad Minnich, of Brunswick Town- ship (Manheim). No trace of this roster has been found. The company was made up of men from both sides of the Blue Mountain. The return report of third class, Berks County Associators and Militia, Col. Daniel Udree, shows Captain Conrad Minnich's Company to have had on the muster roll:' one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants, one drum and fifer, four substitutes. (Note 1 — Heinrich Miller lived in Brunswick afterward Manheim Town- ship. He was the ancestor of all of the descendants of Andrew Miller, Sr. — Miller History.) (Note 2 — The descendants of Jacob and Henry Wetstein reside at Ta- maqua, Schuylkill County, and spell their name "Whetstone.") (Note 3 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5, pp. 128-201.) go BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Nine officers and forty-one privates, making a total of fifty men, mustered as a company August ii, 1777, four days after the battalion. Captain Conrad Minnich is referred to^ as "of the Revolution, from Brunswick Township, near the Schuylkill, several miles south of Sharp Mountain, then the frontier,"-' and also notes Colonel Daniel Udree having six companies with a battalion of three hundred and one men around about Philadelphia, from August 11 to December i, 1777, and that eight thousand, nine hundred and seventy- seven men, from 1775 to 1782, were in service from Berks County. Captain Conrad Minnich's Company, mustered May 17, 1777, and August 11, 1777, Colonel Udree and Colonel Lindemuth's battalions were mustered. Two records refer to Captain Minnich's Company as "Associators and Regulators" under Colonel Udree and two to Captain Conrad Minnich's second company, third battalion, Colonel Michael Lindemuth. The company serving twice under different commanders. John Stout, ensign ; John Graul, Phillip Boning, George Stout, Gideon Meyer, John Crawford, privates, are the only names of the company of fifty men recorded. Those who have made a study of the records in the Penna. Archives will appreciate the difficulty encountered in drawing a chronological order out of the records of the military, a logical sequence, in many cases being the only conclusion that can be arrived at. Of the fifty-three bat- talions of the Pennsylvania Associators only fragmentary records are given and these are frequent repetitions of each other and occur with slight additions or omissions, perhaps, in different volumes. The Continental Line in the War De- partment, Washington, D. C, is nearer completion but here also there are many imperfect records. The Militia com- panies went out several times, the time of service being lim- (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. IV, p. 265.) (Note 2— 5th Series, Vol. V, pp. 128, 135, 190, 201 Penna. Archives.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 91 War of the Revolution ited to two months. Occasionally persons of the same name, in large families, enlisted during these various terms of ser- vice and to identify these properly other documents than the Archives must be called into requisition to endorse them.^ Of the officers and privates of the fifty-three battalions of the Associators of the Colony of Pennsylvania, July 4, 1776, the following are of those closely associated with the localities of Berks and Schuylkill Counties, north and south of the Blue Mountains : First Battalion — Privates John Hartman, Peter Filbert. Second Battalion — Colonel, Mark Bird; Private, Benj. Tolbert. Third Battalion — Private, Henry Spoon, Private Mathias Wenrich. Fourth Battalion — Major Michael Lindemuth ; Private Michael Moser. Fifth Battalion— Col. John Patton. Sixth Battalion — Major Conrad LefHer.^ Seventh Battalion — Colonel Sebastian Levan. Major Martin Kergher (Kaercher) was of the third battalion under Colonel Michael Lindemuth. He lived in Windsor Township and was the ancestor of the Kaerchers, of Schuylkill County. Col. John Patton was the ancestor of the Pattons, of Barry Township, Schuylkill County, who removed from Berks County, south of the Blue Mountain, to what was then Northumberland County.^ * Col. Lindemuth's two sons served as substitute drummer (Note 1 — Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. V.) (Note 2 — Conrad Leffler, ancestor of William Leffler, deceased, Land- ingville; Aurelian Leffler, McKeesport; Uriah G. Leffler, Mechanicsville; Mrs. Mary Paul, Port Carbon; and indirectly connected with C. W. Wil- dermuth and others of Pottsville.) (Note 3— Vol. V, 5th Series, p. 262.) (Note 4— Penna. Archives, 5th Series, 5th Vol., pp. 160-180.) 92 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution boys in Captain Rodermel's and Lieutenant Umbenhauer's Companies, for which they received forty-nine pounds. Berks County Militia, First Battalion : — Colonel, Daniel Hunter; Lieutenant Colonel, John Guldin; Quartermaster, Isaac Feather. First Company — Captain, Mathias Wick; Court Martial Men, John Pott, Jacob Heffner (ancestor of the late Samuel Heffner, of Pottsville, and his descendants). May 17, 1777. Third Company — Captain, Jacob Rotherniel ; Lieutenant, Daniel Stout; Ensign, Christian Merkle. May 10, 1780. Fourth Company — Captain, George Focht; Ensign, John Yoder. May 10, 1780. Fifth Company — Captain, Jacob Hill; First Lieutenant, George Schall. Sixth Company — Captain, Peter Wanner (Werner) ; First Lieutenant, Henry Strauch. Seventh Company — Captain, George Beaver. May 10, 1780. Detachment of First Battalion Berks County Militia, Captain Charles Krause, guarding prisoners, August 16 to October 16, 1781, thirty-five Privates: Caspar Merkle, Titan McCarty, Jacob Sigfried (Jacob Sigfried, ancestor of the Berks and Schuylkill County Sigfrieds.) Reber, Conrad — Captain George Miller's Co., on duty South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776.1 (Father of George Reber and grandfather of George, Jonathan and Daniel Reber, deceased, of Schuylkill County.) Ney, Valentine— Ney, Jacob; Aulenbach, Daniel; Swartz, John ; Loose, Jacob ; Mayer, Phillip, were other mem- bers of this company from that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill.2 (Great grandfather of Daniel Ney, Friedensburg; Valentine Ney, buried in Summer Berg cemetery.) (Note 1— 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 152.) (Note 2— Vol. V, p. 194.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 93 War of the Revolution Orwig, Henry ; Fisher, George ; Fisher, Joseph — Colonel Michael Lindemuth certifies that they served out their time as substitutes, no company mentioned. They were from Brunswick Township (now Schuylkill County.) Beard, Adam — Captain Third Company, Third Battalion ; (grandfather of the late Michael Beard, and great grandfather of Captain Samuel and Attorney Herman Graeff, of Tamaqua, deceased.) Graeff, Daniel — Captain Fifth Company, Third Battalion, Ex- eter Twp. (ancestor of the Schuylkill County Graefifs.) Bechtel, Jacob — John, Peter and Henry were of this Bat- talion, and Judah and Moses Boone, Exeter Township (ancestors of Judah Boone, deceased, of Pottsville, and the Boones, of St. Clair.) Easterly (Esterly), Daniel — Captain Robinson's Company, Exeter Township, October, 1781. On list of Depreci- ated Pay (grandfather of the late Daniel Esterly, of Pottsville.) Kercher, John; (Kaercher), Kercher, Christian; First Com- pany, Third Battalion, Captain Krauss, return 1783. Henry Miller, of Longschwamp, Berks County, also on the roll.i Miller, Sebastian — Captain Seventh Company, (A class) ; Fourth Battalion; return May 31, 1781. John Reber, John Van Read, John Reasher (Reeser) and Adam Fulmer on the rolls.^ Wolf, Michael — Captain of company on duty at South Amboy, N. J. August 26, 1776.^ Private Ludwig (Wendel) Swartz, McKeansburg. (Note 1 — Vol. 4, p. 257 Penna. Archives, 5th Series.) (Note 2— 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 262, Penna. Archives.) (Note 3— 5th Vol, pp. 158-170.) 94 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Captain Diehl's Company, Berks County Militia, January 22, 1777. Dallet Rhein and Pant Enge, from Pinegrove Township, Schuylkill County. Nagle, Phillip— A drummer boy in the War of the Revolution, was the grandfather of Colonel Daniel Nagle and the late General James and Captain Phillip Nagle, of Potts- ville. The Revolutionary soldier, Phillip and wife, are buried in the old cemetery in the rear of Trinity Luth- eran Church, Reading. (Simon and Phillip Nagle came from Rotterdam, October 16, 1751, ship Duke.) Nagle, George and Peter — Were Captains in the Continental Line. They were of a branch of the same family as the above, cousins, it is presumed. Schefifer, Nicholas — Captain of Company on duty at New Town, January 2, 1777. Includes on its muster roll: Huy (Hoy), John, Lieutenant; Abraham Hoy, Ensign. (An- cestors of Schuylkill County Hoys.) Gernandt, Mathias — (Ancestor of the Gernandts formerly of Orwigsburg and of Aaron Gernandt (Gernan), of Pottsville.) Kerschner, Conrad — Of Windsor Township, Berks County, (great grandfather of Mrs. A. J. Pilgram, Pottsville.) Rauhn, Jacob — Progenitor of the Charles Rahn family, of Pottsville (Part 2.) Matz, George, and Medler, George — Ancestors of old Schuyl- kill County families, are also on the roll of this com- pany.^ Zwally, Captain — (9th class.) Schwaller, Christopher — From the return of the 7th class of Militia. Battalion Lancaster County Militia, Colonel, John Huber, under marching orders to Sunbury. (Note 1— 5th Series, 5th Vol.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 95 War of the Revolution Zvvally, Christopher — Believed to be the same man. Captain Duck's Company.! ^ Other oiScers in the Berks County Militia were: Captain Daniel DeTurck — Mustered into service July, 1776, with a muster roll of three commissioned and eight non commissioned officers, sixty-one men. He was the great grandfather of Samuel DeTurck, of Friedens- burg, deceased.^ Nicholas Scull, the surveyor of plats in Schuylkill and adjoining counties, and Frederick Fernsler, the great great grandfather of the Fernslers, of Pottsville, were members of this company. Captain Henry Strouch — August loth to September 9th, 1780, 6th Battalion; of Brunswick, afterward Manheim Township ; ancestor of the Strauchs, of Schuylkill County. Captain Jacob Schartel — After whom Schartlesville, Berks County, was named, was the great grandfather of Al- bert, Harry and William Schertle, deceased, of Potts- ville. Captain Phillip Filbert's Co., December 13, 1777; 48 men, 9 officers. Colonel Jacob Weaver, great grandfather of Attorney J. H. Filbert, of Schuylkill Haven, and an- cestor of the Filberts, of Pinegrove, and of P. K. Fil- bert, of Pottsville. Ensigns — Henry Orwig, 2nd Company, 4th Battalion, Nicholas Leib and John Stout, all of whom have numerous descendants in Schuylkill County, Captain Frank Leib, of Harrisburg, and Ellwood Orwig, of Lansford, being among the number directly or indirectly connected. (Note 1— Vol. 7, pp. 890, 233, 891.) (Note 2 — Some of the above named spelled the name "Schwalm" later, but their connection with the Berks County family cannot be traced.) (Note 3 — Isaac DeTurck, born 1686, came from Northern France to Duchess County, New York, 1709, and to Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1721. He was the ancestor of Daniel DeTurck, who was the great grandfather of Samuel DeTurck.) 96 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Lieutenants — Gernant, (Gannon), Phillip Spohn, Henry Focht. Seitzinger, Nicholas — Captain Charles Gobin's Company, September 9, 1780. Frederick Bensinger — Came to Brunswick Township, 1740, and lived in that vicinity. He was in the Revolutionary War, his name occurs on the pension list. His descend- ants reside in this county and in the western part of the State. A great granddaughter, Mrs. Jacob Olhau- sen, deceased. Peter Kutz, Anthony Roeder and Frederick Shaffer, from Pine- grove Township, now Wayne and Washington Town- ships, were Revolutionary soldiers. John Dollinger is buried in St. Peter's Lutheran and Reformed cemetery, Pinegrove. Jacob Reinhart, from Upper Mahantongo, now Eldred Town- ship, Revolutionary soldier, lived and died in that town- ship. Conrad Eisenhuth — Revolutionary soldier from Berks County, lived to the remarkable age of 1 1 1 years. His son, Con- rad, died at 95. The former was the grandfather of A. C. Eisenhuth, of Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. Peter Bock, Isaac Moser, Balthaser Borck, Andrew Burkes, Bernard Kepner, Phillip Schwartz, Henry Lutz, Henry Hoffman, Frederick Hettinger were in the Revolution- ary War from Brunswick Township (from the vicinity of McKeansburg.) There were five residents from the same locality in the War of 1812. The above are buried at Frieden's church, near New Ringgold and at McKeansburg. The first settlers came to that vicinity in 1740. They were Daniel, Jacob and Frederick Bensinger, Phillip Schwartz and John Kuehnle. They brought their families with them and named their settlement SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 97 War of the Revolution "Schmaltzdahl." Their first churcli was held in a log school house and was known as "Friedens, unweit der kleinen Shool- kill, neben den Blauen Bergen, Braunschweig, Berks County." Ulrich Heiser and Abraham Seltzer came 1758; Bernard Kep- ner, 1769; Jacob \A'hetstone (Capt. of Company from Pine- grove Township), Andrew Bolich, Balzar Koch, Henry and Frederick Sassaman, in 1769-70. A tract of land was given, additional, 1768, when a new church was built. Part of this locality was in Northampton County until Schuylkill County was formed, 181 1. Jacob Shoemaker — Was born in New Jersey, 1760, and died at Bloomsburg, Pa., 1840. He served throughout the entire Revolutionary War. Plis great grandson, William H. Shoemaker, of Shenandoah, was born in Pottsville, 1832. The list of these men is imperfect. There may be more, but enough have been given to refute the assertion fre- quently made, that "Schuylkill County was not represented, to any extent, in the War of the Revolution." It should be borne in mind that the locality known now as Schuylkill County was not changed, only its name. ZERBES IN THE COLONIAL, FRENCH AND INDIAN AND REVOLUTIONARY WARS The name Servi, Xavier, Servitz, Seriver, Serfas, Serfass, Service, Servey, Servier, Sevier, Zerfas, Zerfass, is the same as Sevier, Sarva or Zarva, in the original and many branches of the family who spelled the name phonetically as above, have adopted the "Zerbe," "Zerbee," "Zerby," "Zerbey," others retaining the original spelling. There are sixteen different methods of spelling the name, as is stated else- where. 98 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution The following occur in the Fifth Series Penna. Archives, which contains fifteen volumes, the sixteenth being an index: Serfas, Adam, 4th Vol., p. 344, Capt. Continental Line, List of Depreciated Pay. Serfas, Charles, Vol. 4, p. 344, Private, same. Serfas, Christian, Vol. 4, p. 664-672-357; Vol. 8, p. 203. Private, same. Serfas, Frederick, Vol. 8, p. 242-297. Serfas, Henry, Vol. 8, p. 113-448-562; Vol. 4, p. 357. Serfas, Jacob, Vol. 8, p. 577. Serfas, John, Vol. 4, p. 664; Vol. 8, p. 575. Serfass, Capt., Vol. 8, p. 96. Serfass, Adam, Vol. 8, p. 96, pp. 598-599-600, 48-109. Serfass, Christian, Vol. 8, p. 264. Serfass, Christian, Vol. 4, p. 344; Vol. 8, p. 306. Serfass, Frederick, Vol. 8, p. 283, 297, 596. Server, Daniel, Capt. John Slater's Co., Lancaster Co., ist Battalion Lancaster Militia. (Daniel Zerbe, son of John Zerbe, the miller and brother to Benjamin, who set- tled in Pinegrove Twp. — Zerbe History.) Server, Jacob, received depreciation pay. (Original rolls.) Continental Line. Jacob was a son of John Zerbe, wife Catharine Stup. He went early to Cumberland County. Christian Zerbe, who married Christina Strauss, was a brother.) (Vol. 6, pp. 556, 553, 577.) Servier, Phillip — Cumberland Company, same county, Vol. 4. p. 638. The U. S. paid the army in depreciated money, (shin plasters). This currency became lower and lower in value, the Tory sympathizers buying it up in quantities to still fur- ther reduce the credit of the government. The Legislature of Pennsylvania passed an Act to pay from the resources of SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 99 War of the Revolution the State treasury the balance, and all Penna. soldiers were paid off at par by the State. This was called the "Depre- ciation Pay," hence the lists. Servise, John, Capt. Nicholas Saltmier, May i, 1777. Vol. 3, _ p. 89. Service, John — -Capt. James Dunn's Co., Chester Co. Asso- ciators and Militia, 8th Battalion, Col. Patterson Bell. Service, John — ^Capt. Gilbert Gibbs, Chester County, June 18, 1777. Militia of foot. Col. John Hannum. Serfass, John — Vol. 8, p. 282, 493. Serfass, William, Vol. 8, p. 282, 306. Servey, Peter — Vol. 2, p. 109, Capt. Huling's Co., Jan. 5, 1776; Nov. 25, 1776; Commissioned, Col. Arthur St. Clair, furloughed from Oct. 1776, by Gen. Gates, Con- tinental Line. (Son of George Peter Zerbe, Zerbe His- tory.) Service, John — Vol. 4, p. 963; Vol. 5, p. 809, 817. Service, James — Vol. 4, p. 963. Servis, Jacob — Vol. i, p. 302. "Detachment Penna. Regt. in Garrison at Fort Bedford under Col. Jos. Shippen, Jan. 24, 1760. Capt. Hambright's Co. Surver, Phillip — Vol. 6, p. 556-564. Surver, Adam — Vol. 8, p. 575. Servise, John — Vol. 3, p. 1025. Server, Abraham (8th Vol., p. 222.) Capt. Jacob Heller, two months tour of duty, from around AUentown, North- ampton County. 8th Co., Capt. John Santee. Server, Daniel — 7th Vol., p. 4, 245. Server, Jacob — 4th Vol., p. 333 ; 6th Vol., p. 332-563. Server, Phillip— 4th Vol., p. 630 ; 6th Vol., p. 563-630. Serves, Henry — 8th Vol., p. 306. Serfass, Christian — Same company from Northampton Co., same, 100 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Servey, John — Private Continental Line, Northumberland Co. Vol. 4, p. 379, p. 693. (From lists of soldiers who received depreciation pay, and also from a manuscript record, no date, headed "Rangers on the Frontiers.") Note — In addition to the Depreciation pay the Pennsyl- vania Legislature passed an Act entitling each soldier from this State, in the regular service of the Revolutionary War, to 200 acres of land. The officers were graded accordingly, a Major General receiving three thousand acres. There were no homestead laws attached to the bill and the greater part of the land fell into the hands of unscrupulous land specula- tors who bought up the bulk of the grant as low as fifty cents per acre. Servey, Benjamin — Private, Capt. Benjamin Weiser's Co. of the German Regiment, of the General Battalion. Zerbe, Benjamin (the same, enlisted twice) — Continental troupes commanded by Colonel Nicholas Hausseg- ger, in the service of the United Colonies, in barracks, Phila., Oct. 3, 1776. Enlisted July 19, 1776; Dec. 3, 1776. The Penna. German Regt. Berks County. Court Martial Man, Vol. 3, p. 793. (Son of John Zerbe, the miller), (Zerbe History). Court Martial Man ranked next to Ensign. Serven, William — Enlisted Dec. 10, 1776; killed Oct. 4, 1781. Col. Hazen's Regt. Penna. Continental Line. Vol. 3, p. 780. Vol. 4, pp. 357-672. Service, Thomas — Private, Capt. Charles McHenry, 5th Penna. Regt., Continental Line, Sept. 9, 1778. Service, Thomas — Was in McHenry's Company to August, 1778, and afterward in Col. Richard Butler's Company. Sarvas, John — Private 5th Penna. Regt., Continental Line, January 17, 1781. Vol. 5, p. 89. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY loi War of the Revolution Service, Thomas — Private, Capt. John Barclay, 5th Penna. Infantry in service U. S., Col. F. Johnstone, Comman- der, April, 1780. Vol. 3, p. 62. Service, Thomas — Private, Capt. John Lacy, 1778; enlisted January i, 1777, Capt. Alex. Johnstone, in service U. S. 5th Penna. Regt. Col. F. Johnstone Regt. Continental Line, April 30, 1776. Servits, George — Capt. John Gragery, Col. Nicholas Kerns, Northumberland Co., April 22, 1782. Vol. 8, p. 493. From list of "Depreciated Pay," Vol. 4, p. 344. Service, Thomas — Private, Capt. John Lacy's Co. January 5, 1776 to January 9, 1778. Fourth Penna. Battalion, Col. Anthony Wayne. Vol. 2, p. 150. Serfass, John — Capt. John Gregory, Col. Nicholas Kerns, for the year 1782, April 22, from Northampton Co., Vol. 8, p. 493- It should be borne in mind that the early magistrates were phonetic spellers. Many of the early settlers, the French and German, had little or no knowledge of English, and had not decided upon perfect translations of their names into that language. They spelled by sound. Of these were the Zerbes. Others took the meaning of their names and changed them, as Hunter, Stone, etc., which differed widely from the names in the original pronunciations and spelling. Servey, John — 4th Vol., p. 369-693-379, Northumberland Co. Militia. Private in Continental Line. Servas, John — Served as a private in Capt. Byles Co., 3rd Penna. Regt., in Revolutionary War and that he was paid to September i, 1776, 3 pounds, 15 shillings for service. Serva, John — Private, John Mull's Company, same battalion commanded by Col. Peter Hosterman, on duty for 16 days, from April to July, 1779. 102 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Servy, John — Private, Capt. John Black's Company, same bat- talion from October 9 to October 28, 1779. The above three are from the records of the War Dept., Adj. General's Office, Washington, D. C, January 4, 1912. (There w^ere in 1736 three John Zerbes in Berks County. Owing to the custom of naming one son after the father, to perpetuate the name, this number of Johns had doubled at least until 1776. Those too, who migrated to Northumber- land and Northampton County, also had Johns; they were, however, all related and first cousins, except the descendants of one of that name, who were of the second degree. The record from the War Department states, that, "as the term of all Militia men was not longer than two months, the same men returned several times under other, or the same com- mands and the records often refer to the same man," hence, the duplication of names.) Servitz, Joseph — Private Capt. George Shriver's 3d Co., 7th class, Northumberland Co., Vol. 8, p. 357. Sarby, George — George Peter Zerbe, son of Martin Zerbe. Private, Independent Troop of Horse, Phila. County, 1756. Capt. Edward Jones, Vol. i, p. 50, French and Indian War. They were of the 3d Battalion and were known as the Augusta Regiment. Martin and John Phillip Zerbe (Zerbe History, brothers, were in Queen Anne's War, 171 1. (Part i and 2.) Seriver, George— Capt. John Patton, 7th Co., 6th Battalion, Col. Jas. Taylor, Lancaster Co. From the original mus- ter rolls, public records, Harrisburg, April 15, 1783. Vol. 7, p. 619. (Son of George Peter Zerbe, Zerbe History.) Zehrfass, Capt. — Vol. 8, p. 590; Vol. 6, p. 216. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 103 War of the Revolution Zehrfass, Abraham — Vol. 7, p. 245-312.1 Zarban, John — Private in Capt. Weaver's Co., same battalion, Berks County, from April 5, 1779, for a period of 22 days. (Son of George Peter Zerbe — Zerbe's History.) Zerben, George — 3d Series, Vol. 6, pp. 32i-'22. Accounts Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co. (8th class.) 39 pounds. (Son of John Zerbe, the miller — Zerbe History.) Zerbe, Leonard — Sth Vol., p. 230. Ensign, Company 8, 5th Battalion, May 17, 1777. 3rd Series, Vol. 6, pp. 32i-'22. 6th Battalion, 4th Co., Heidelberg, Capt. Phillip Fil- bert. (Son of John Zerbe, the miller — Zerbe History.) (Sworn in by Peter Spyker, Justice, with 778 others. Total number enrolled, 1778.) Zerben, Michael — 3rd Series, Vol. 6, pp. 22-38. 2nd Sergt., Capt. George Miller's Co., from Bethel and Tulpe- hocken Townships. 29 men, 4 ofhcers. Mustered De- cember 13, 1777. On duty at South Amboy, N. J. (Son of George Peter Zerbe — Zerbe History. Sept. 5, 1776. 5th Series, Vol. 5, p. 152.) Four thousand and fifty- eight men. Zerban, Michael — Account of Capt. Weaver's Co. 4th class. 8 pounds. Vol. 5, p. 151, 152. (Son of John Jacob Zerbe, Bethel Township.) Zerbe, Christian — Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co. Series 3, Vol. 6, p. 322. All of the above occur in the Fifth Series, Penna. Ar- chives, unless otherwise credited. The Pennsylvania Militia all served several tours of field duty, but only a few of the company lists have been preserved. The new Fifth Series of (Note 1 — There are many references throughout the Bth Series to the name spelled as above, but as the Christian name is the same as those previously given, spelled with an "S" instead of "Z", for the surname, it is believed that they are in most instances correlative.) 104 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution fifteen volumes, the sixteenth being the index, contains nearly all of the Pennsylvania Revolutionary records that have been found up to 1906. BERKS AND SCHUYLKILL IN REVOLUTION Those included in the following list are from Volume Five, Fifth Series, Pennsylvania Archives. Baker, David — Second Lieutenant, Capt. George Miller's Co. On duty South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776. (Wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Zerbe and Eliza- beth Loucks.) Gruber, Christian — Ensign, 6th Co., 2nd Battalion, Class A. May ID, 1780. Vol. 5, p. 183. Gruber, Christian — First Co., 6th Battalion Lancaster County Militia, 1783. Vol. 7, p. 609. Gruber, George— List of "Depreciated Pay," Vol. 4, p. 495. Gruber, Valentine — Served in Capt. Rieff's Co., December 11, 1777 — February 6, 1778. Gruber, Albrecht— Capt. Conrad Shirman's Co., 6 Bat., Aug. 10, 1780. Reber, Conrad— Capt. George Miller's Co., September 5, 1776. (Vol. 5, p. 152.) (MiUer-Reber History, Part IIL) Reber, Michael— Capt. Baldy's Co., Militia, September 9, 1780. (Note) — The name Staudt occurs more than one hun- dred times in the 5th Series Penna. Archives. It would seem that any one of that name in the United States, who can prove the chronological order of descent, may find among the names of those mentioned an early ancestor. The Stoudts (Staudts) were numerous in the Revolu- tionary War. Among those from Berks and Schuylkill Coun- ties are the following: The name Staudt is variously spelled. Stout, George— Ensign, Capt. Jacob Kremer's Co., Co. 7, (A class), 6 Bat., May 17, 1777. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 105 War of the Revolution Stout, Daniel — Sergt. Jacob Baldy's Co., August 10, 1780. Stout, Daniel — Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co., 5 Vol., p. 183. Stup, John — Capt. Conrad Sherman (brother of Catharine Stup, wife of John Zerbe), Vol. 5, p. 41. Stout, John — Sergt. Capt. Daniel Riefif's Co., Feb. 6, 1778. Swartz, Christian — Capt. Jacob Ladig's Co., Oct. i, 1781, (brother of Wendel Swartz, married to Eva, daughter of George Zerbe.) Stout, John — Capt. Conrad Minnich's Co., May 17, 1777; 3rd Bat., Col. Michael Lindemuth. Stout, John — Ensign, May 10, 1780, Capt. Anthony Schra- der's 3d Co., 5th Battalion, (brother of Elizabeth Stout, married to Andrew Miller.) Stout, Daniel — Lieut., May 10, 1780. Stout, John — Sergt. Capt. Daniel Rieff's Co., Dec, 1777; Jan., 1778; in camp thirty and a half miles below Read- ing. Stout, Joseph — Shipmaster, Lucia Packet, 1762-1776. Stout, Capt.— Fifth Series, Vol. 3, pp. 534, 568, 574, 575, 582. Swartz, Jacob — List of Depreciated Pay, Vol. 4, p. 495. Stout, Abraham — Vol. 5, p. 442. Stout, Daniel— Vol. 5, pp. 373, 378, 167, 234; Vol. 7, p. 766. (Those above, credited as coming from Lancaster Coun- ty, lived in Heidelberg Township, near the line dividing Berks and Lancaster Counties. They were in Lancaster County prior to 1752, when part of Heidelberg was legislated to remain in that county. Families in Berks County, near the line, were closely identified with their friends and neighbors on the other side who had not changed their locality but the name.) The name Merkle under various spellings occurs about eighty times in the Penna. Archives. The Merkles were very numerous in the Revolutionary War. There are also one hundred and sixty mentions of this name in the old Moselem io5 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution Church records, Richmond Twp., Berks County. (Pennsyl- vania Genealogical Society, Philadelphia), (Fifth Series Penna. Archives, 5th Vol., p. 183.) Merkle, Jacob — Capt. John Fulmer's Co., Wayne Township, formerly Manheim (Berks), Schuylkill County. Merkle, Caspar — Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co., Vol. 5, p. 183. Markle (Merky), John — Capt. John Fulmer's Co. (Same). Merkle, Abraham — 1781, Sth Vol., p. 185. Merkle, Nicholas — Mercklin — Vol. 6, pp. 240, 246. Merckle — Vol. 8, pp. 195, 210. Merckling — Vol. 6, pp. 240-246. Merkle — Vol. 5, p. 211. Merkly — Vol. 4, p. 252. Merkle, Bernhard — Capt. Baldy's Co., Sept. 9, 1780. Merkle, George— Capt. Peter Nagle's Co. Merkle, Christian, Jr. — Capt. Jacob Ladig's Co. Merkle, John — Capt. Jacob Ladig's Co., October i, 1781. Merkle, Christian — Ensign, 5th Co., May 10, 1780, 3rd Co., and 1st Bat. from Trappe. Marckle, Abraham — Independent troop of horse, Phila., 1756. Marckle, Michael— Vol. 3, p. 855, Capt. of the Light Dra- goons, came from France with Lafayette and belonged to the Independent corps. Cavalry and Foot, December ber 28, 1778. Merkle, Merkel, Merclin, Marckle. Part 2. THE RIETHS AND THEIR RECORDS Rieth, Michael— Capt. John Ruling's Co., Commissioned January 5, 1776; November 25, 1776. Furloughed from October, 1776, by Gen. Gates, Continental Line. Vol. 2, p. 109. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 107 War of the Revolution Rieth, Valentine, Jacob, Phillip, Adam, Caspar, Peter, Chris- tian, John, Samuel, George, Daniel, Michael, Frederick. — The name Rieth is now spelled Reed, Ried and Read. There were fourteen of that name in the Revolutionary War, all sons of the two who came from the Palatinate, I7I0, and settled in the Schoharie, subsequently remov- ing to the Tulpehocken, 1723. The two former were ensigns. Jacob died 1821, Valentine, 1825, 75 and 76 years old ; both are buried in Rieth's cemetery, Stouchs- burg, Berks County. Rieth, Leonard — 2d Series, Vol. 3, p. 23, List of Officers, Rev. War, Berks County, Wagon Master, Jan. 8, 1778. Col. Henry Haller, Reading, held same position Feb. 25, 1778. Vol. 3, p. 23. (Leonard, son of George Rieth, wife, Anna Maria, daughter of George Peter Zerbe — Zerbe History.) Rieth, John (Johannes) Was from Pinegrove Township. He was a brother of Leonard Rieth. (Note — In the latter part of July, 1777, in anticipation of an invasion by the British, under Gen. Howe, the Executive Council secured wagons to remove the public records, at Philadelphia, to a place of safety and to assist the families of the inhabitants to remove, with the aid of the militia men. The President of the Executive Council ordered three hun- dred and fifty wagons from the Lieutenant of Berks County. Col. Jacob Morgan made the requisition according to the number of taxables. The Continental Congressional Records and Treasury were moved to Lancaster and Congress met there on the 27th of July. After the enemy left, October 17, 1777, only twenty of the three hundred and fifty wagons were retained.) FAMILY TRADITIONS Two incidents, in which members of the Rieth family participated, may prove interesting to others than those who have preserved the traditions. io8 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution In 1793 when General George Washington visited Wom- elsdorf, he expressed a desire to see the tomb of Conrad Weiser and asked to be accompanied thither by three of his old body guard who had come to do honor to their old com- mander-in-chief. Christopher Lechner, Jacob and Valentine Rieth responded and spent an hour in his company. General Washington knelt at the lonely farmside grave for a brief prayer for his former comrade in arms. (Conrad Weiser's tomb is noted elsewhere.) On another occasion General Washington had met some of his officers, for a conference, at the old tavern at Valley Forge. He came out of the hotel rather hastily, unattended. Leonard Rieth, who was loitering outside, seeing his predica- ment rushed to his assistance and acted as aid-de-camp, or orderly, holding his horse and adjusting his cloak and stirrups, Washington apparently not noticing the omission on the part of his regular attendant. GEORGE WASHINGTON SPOKE PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN Phillip Schwartz lived in the vicinity of what is now McKeansburg, with the earliest settlers prior to 1776. After the battle of Trenton, in which the Pennsylvania Germans saved the day for their redoubtable leader, Washington re- ported that the term of service of many having expired, that one-half of the men capable of bearing arms should be called into the field. The order was made October 17, 1777, and January, 1778, one hundred and fifty men were recruited from Berks County, Phillip Schwartz, of Brunswick Township, was one of the number, but prior to this an interesting little epi- sode occurred which has been handed down among the remi- niscenses of the family. When Schwartz heard that he was wanted he said: "I will go, but I must see General Washington first." Schwartz rode to Washington's headquarters on one of a handsome SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 109 War of the Revolution pair of black colts, that he had spent much time and care upon in raising and that were the pride of his heart. Upon inquiring of the sentry for General Washington he was ad- mitted to his presence only upon the plea of most urgent business. ("Ich muss e' in sehnen.") Schwartz then related to the great commander in the reigning vernacular, that "He wanted to go to the field before, he would go now but there was no one home but his wife and the children. They could manage the farm but they could not care for the colts, they needed his care, they would die without him." Washington went out and inspected the handsome horse and then said, "Cum yusht! Wier bezallen dich fier die guile was sie ward sin." Phillip Schwartz went home, brought the remaining colt and received his pay for the pair and served his full time. The horses were used for mounts for the officers and to the end of his time, Schwartz died about 1840, he related this story. He was very proud of his service in the struggle for freedom and on Battalion Day, or any great political or other celebration, in Orwigsburg, in which the military participated, old Phillip Schwartz appeared in his Continental uniform, sat upon the platform and was made one of the Vice Presidents of the meeting or an honorary member of a committee. His grandsons were, Joseph and Edward Schwartz, well known citizens of Schuylkill County. THE WAR OF i8i2-'i4 On the 3d of June, 1812, the United States declared war against Great Britain. Hostilities began, with England, as early as June, 1807, when the French and British govern- ments ordered the seizure and confiscation of American ships, on the high seas, in utter defiance of the rights of neutrals 110 BLUE BOOK OF War of 1812-14 and when hundreds of American sailors were impressed into the royal navy on the pretence that they were deserters from the English forces and her ships of war. The Indians of the northwestern frontier, instigated by British emissaries, at- tacked the frontier settlements and an invasion of Canada was undertaken by the Americans, in 1812. The successes of the American navy, including the Great Lake's fleet, far out- balanced the defeats of the forces by land. The campaign of 1814 was more important. After a series of victorious ma- neuvers in New York and on Lake Champlain, the American forces repulsed the British, who lost their fleet and 2,500 men. In the summer of 1814, a British fleet landed a force of sev- eral thousand men on Chesapeake Bay, under General Ross, who advanced upon Washington, burning the capitol, the President's House and the several executive buildings of the government. After the defeat of the British at New Orleans, a treaty for peace was signed at Ghent, December 24, 1814. (Note — The city of Washington was founded, 1790, by the first President of the United States, whose name it bears. It became the seat of the Federal government in 1800. The delegates from the original twelve colonies, fifty-five in num- ber, met in Philadelphia, September 5, 1774. The second Congress met May 10, 1775, and issued the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. The Congress removed to Bal- timore toward the end of that year. The first Congress of the United States met in New York in 1789, its sittings were transferred to Philadelphia in 1790, and were removed to Washington in 1800.) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, county seat of a southeastern county of the same name, adjoining the Maryland line, was the seat of the State government from 1799 to 1812. Many valua- ble records were burned here, too, by the destruction of the court house, 1828, by fire. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY iii War of 1812-14 SOLDIERS IN WAR OF 1812-1814 FROM SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Captain John Barr — Tavern-keeper, Pinegrove. Michael Fritz — Substitute for Jonathan Seidel, Friedensburg. (Father of E. J. Fritz and Mrs. J. K. Baker, of Potts- ville.) Samuel B. Riland — Friedensburg. John Aulenbach — Friedensburg. Jacob Mennig — Friedensburg (father of Edward Mennig, of Pottsville.) Adam Snyder — Friedensburg. George Lerch — Friedensburg — First Defenders — 181 2. Daniel Kaercher — Friedensburg. (Grandfather of Samuel B., Edward and Daniel Kaercher, Pottsville.) John R. Bannan — Pottsville. Burd Patterson — Pottsville. Benjamin Pott — Pottsville. Daniel Christian — Pottsville, (drummer boy). Charles Siegfried — Pottsville. (Grandfather of George Filer, Mrs. K. C. Wilson, the Rehrs and others, of Pottsville.) David Maurer — Pottsville. Christopher Loeser — -Pottsville. (Father of Mrs. Sarah Bris- coe, Mrs. F. P. Dewees, and uncle of Charlemagne Tower.) Andrew Achey— Pottsville. Henry Fidler — Pottsville. Conrad Roeder — Pottsville. (The Roeders were among the first butchers of Pottsville, and highly respected.) Caspar Roeder, Pottsville. Peter Dinger — Pottsville. George Dinger — Pottsville. George Deidrich — Pottsville. John Schoup — Pottsville. John Kessler — Pottsville. . 112 BLUE BOOK OF War of 1812-14 Peter Bressler — Lower Mahantongo Twp. Jonathan Bressler — Now Hegins Twp. John Sterner — Manheim and Pinegrove Twps., native of Long Swamp, Berks Co. (Father of Charles B. Sterner, Potts- ville.) Phillip Staller— Wayne Twp. Plenry Heckaman — (Father of Sarah Heckaman, of Stouchs- burg, Berks Co., and grandfather of the wife of Capt. W. F. Stitzer, of Schuylkill Haven.) Peter Starr — Branch Twp. George Hoerner — Lower Mahantongo Twp. (Father of Mrs. Ernest Nichol, dec'd, of Pottsville.) John Kawl — Now Hubley. Ludwig Shott— Berks Co. (Grandfather of Dr. C. Lenker, Sch. Haven.) Phillip Snyder— From Mohrsville, Berks Co. (Grandfather of Henry B. Snyder, of Mahanoy Plane, Schuylkill Co.) John Hummel— Berks Co., 1776, (Grandfather of Hon. Ed- ward Hummel, Pinegrove.) Peter Aurand— Berks Co. (Father of Aquilla Aurand, of Ta- maqua.) Jacob Heisler — East Brunswick Twp. Jacob Waltz, East Brunswick Twp. George Moyer— East Brunswick Twp. Capt. John Christian— East Brunswick Twp. Rev. John Stein — East Pinegrove Twp. (Rev. John Stein, son of John Stein and wife, Susanna Eckles born two miles north of Pinegrove, July 17, 1794. He preached in 'many Lutheran churches in Schuylkill and Lebanon counties, among them Jacob s church, Pinegrove Twp.) (The Christians of Pottsville have good military records in all of the wars since 1812. John, Michael and Daniel came to Cumru Townshin Berks County, from Switzerland, about 1780. The latter went to Marv- land and settled. Michael was the ancestor of the Berks County branch John settled north of the Blue Mountains and was the head of all of that name m Schuylkill County. Capt. John Christian was the father of Wm Christian, father of C. & L policeman Capt. Daniel Christian. Other sons were Jacob and Benjamin, of Pottsville.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 113 War of 1812-14 RECORDS FROM TOMBSTONES St. Peter's Lutheran and Reformed Cemetery — Jonathan Bonavitz, Benjamin Bonavitz, John Bonavitz, John Boyer, Dr. Jacob Christ, Henry Eckler, Jacob Lehman, Daniel Um- benhen, Henry Zimmerman. St. John's Lutheran, Pinegrove — Henry Conrad, John Barr, Peter Filbert, Daniel Kitzmiller. Hetzel's Church — Phillip Zerbe, 1812 ; Joseph Zerbe, 1861 ; John Zerbe, 1861 ; John Hummel, 1812. St. Jacob's, Swatara Valley — John Ream, Adam Reed, Ja- cob Spancake, 1812, 1861. St. Paul's Evangelical, Pinegrove — Henry Reinoehl. (Pension list, soldiers in the War of 1812, Penna. Archives, 6th Series, Vo. 9, pp. 408, 505, 603.) 114 BLUE BOOK OF Mexican War Mexican War Schuylkill County Represented PHERE had been a constant friction between Mexico and the United States prior to the admission of Texas into ^' the Union. The Mexicans imprisoned Americans, seized their ships and confiscated their goods. In 1831 this country concluded a treaty of commerce with Mexico, which was frequently vio- lated and the Americans retaliated by assisting Texas to be- come an independent State. Ten years later, March i, 1845, Texas was added to the United States, and a declaration of war followed. November i, 1846, Governor Shunk issued a call for volunteers which was immediately responded to by two regiments of infantry from Pennsylvania. Schuylkill County responded with the Washington Artillery, now Co. F, of Pottsville, Fourth Regiment, National Guard of Pennsyl- vania. November 30, 1846, the company reported at Phila- delphia, joining six companies from that city, two from Pitts- burg and one from Wilkes-Barre. Peace was concluded after a strenuous warfare of not quite two years and the Pennsylva- nia infantry disbanded in Philadelphia, July 24, 1848. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Mexican War "5 Muster Roll of Co. B, ist Regt., Pa. Vols., War With Mexico. December 5, 1846 (From copy in possession of Col. Daniel Nagle, Pottsville, Pa.) OFFICERS Captain, James Nagle, 1st Lieut., Simon S. Nagle, " 2nd Lieut., Franklin B. Kaercher " 3rd Lieut., Jacob Fellnagle, " 1st Sergt., Edward Rehr, 2nd Sergt., William S. Nagle, 3rd Sergt., Edward Kaercher, " 4th Sergt., J. L. McMicken, 1st Corporal, Enos Zentmyer, " 2nd Corporal, David Llewellyn, " (On way to New Orleans) 3rd Corporal, J. Egbert Farnum, " 4th Corporal, Edward W. Masson, " 1st Musician, Daniel Nagle, Drummer, " 2nd Musician, Reuben Stamm, Fifer, " age 25 years, Pottsville " 25 " PRIVATES William C. Boland, Charles Scrimshaw, Daniel Shappell,, Elias Shelly, Emanuel Shelly, A. H. Berger, Nelson Berger, Henry Smink, George Seitzinger, William Seitzinger, John Stegner, 25 20 32 20 21 24 25 22 23 25 18 23 23 36 26 26 27 27 40 29 Pottsville ii6 BLUE BOOK OF Mexican War John Shuster, (Discharged at Perote Castle, January 7th, 1847.) Jacob W. Shoub, Michael Sands, (Left at New Orleans, January 15th, 1847.) James Sands, Robert H. Savage, (Left at New Orleans, January 1 2th, 1847. Samuel Shadman, Henry Fisher, George W. Garrett, John C. Gilman, Thomas W. Guthrie, (Discharged at Vera Cruz.) Elias F. Hiney, John Hays, Peter Hass, William H. Hatcheley, John Jennings, (Left at New Orleans, January i2th, 1847.) Elias Kelly, (Discharged at Vera Cruz, March 17, 1847.) John Kepply, Singleton Kimmel, Michael Lust, William Tyson, Abel B. Macy, Alexander McDonald, Ferdinand Mammerank, age 22 years, Pottsville 22 22 25 28 22 21 24 34 21 26 22 26 25 24 26 " 28 " 22 " 37 ( t " 24 " 28 " 22 " 20 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 117 Mexican War John Mooney, age 21 years, Pottsville (Left sick at Pittsburg De- cember 21st, 1846.) John Myers, (( 21 " " Samuel McLaughlin, " 35 " (Discharged at Vera Cruz, April 2nd, 1847.) Thomas Simpson, " 18 " (Left in Mexico.) Robert F. Walter, " 26 Gottloeb Wishue, " 22 Robert Welsh, " 22 William Wolfinger, " 22 " William Witecomb, " 25 " Owen D. Thomas " 29 Andrew Stamm, " 20 John Douty, it (Killed at San Angel, by M ex- ican Greaser in ambush.) Joel Metz, (t James H. Ruckel, " 2'X " " David Jones, " 22 " " (Discharged at Vera Cruz, April, 1847.) Benjamin Shell, " 20 Benjamin Smith, " 20 " (Died at Perote Castle, June 29th, 1847.) Augustus H. Boyer, " 21 Bernard Barr, " 32 " Valentine K. Mills, " 30 " (Died at Perote Castle, Au- gust 8th, 1847.) ii8 BLUE BOOK OF Mexican War William Merkle, age 25 years, Pottsville (Killed by Mexican Greaser in ambush at San Angel, about August 1.) Benjamin Nagle, " 26 (Died at San Angel, Mexico.) John M. Nolan, " 24 Francis M. Wynkoop, " 28 (Elected Colonel from the ranks at Pittsburg.) Francis C. McGeen, " 23 Henry Richards, " 22 John Hand, " 19 " Philadelphia Thomas W. Guthrie, " 22 Henry Graeff, " 26 (Died at Jalapa, Mexico.) Patrick H. McElroy, " 23 " Pittsburg (Left January 5, 1847, ^t New Orleans.) Joshua Jenkins, "24 Thomas Quiddington, " 42 John McCormick, " 19 William Hines, " 20 Thomas J. Gilpin, Mahlon A. Fraser, age 25 years, New Orleans. (Left at Vera Cruz, April 8th, 1847.) William Knockhouse, age 22 years, Schuylkill Haven. William H. Stackpole, age 21 years, Waynesburg. Samuel Montgomery, age 22 years, Waynesburg. (Died at Perote Castle, August 26th, 1847.) James H. Ross, age 20 years,Waynesburg. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 119 Mexican War Levi Bright, age 30 years, Reading. (Lost on march from Pueblo to Perote.) Charles Seagraves, age 22 years, Reading. George W. Hesser, aged 27 years, McVeytown. Seth Price, age 26 years, Orwigsburg. Edward Robins, age 21 years, Port Carbon. Levi Essler. Commissioned officers 4 Musicians 2 Non-commissioned officers 8 Private soldiers 83 Total 97 Number of men enlisted in Pottsville 74 Number enlisted outside of Pottsville, but in county 10 Number enlisted outside of county along route to New Orleans 13 Total 97 The following is a copy of a letter written by William Merkle, July 16, 1847, to his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Merkle, of Spring Garden, Schuylkill Haven, several days before his death. Col. Daniel Nagle says : "William Merkle and John Douty went out for a walk, one morning, beyond the picket line, when they were shot by Mexican Greasers lying in am- bush. Their bodies were recovered and buried within the redoubts." (History of Merkles.) The original is in the pos- session of his great nephew. Prof. Bartolet, Instructor of Mathematics, Collegiate Institute, York, Pa. The stamp bears the date of November 5, 1847, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Wm. Merkle was an uncle of W. M. Zerbey, deceased, of Potts- ville. 120 BLUE BOOK OF Mexican War Castle of Revote, Mexico, July i6, 1847. My Dear Mother:— I am now in this castle, 36 miles from Jalapa, about no from Vera Cruz, and more than 2,600 from you and my own dear home. I am in good health, good spirits, and pleased with my companions. Here we live on the best productions of Mexico, without work, and permitted to enjoy ourselves as we most desire; and so long as we enjoy health, no one could wish for more happiness. The building is very large, the city of Revote a short mile distant, and the whole country around is a level plain of cultivated land, bounded by mountains ot immense heighth, for their tops are always covered with snow. Beef, pork, potatoes, onions, beans, peas, tomatoes, etc., are very plenty, but very dear here. We have had some hard fighting, but, thank God, I am yet among the living, although in the midst of all the trials. On the evening of the 21st of June, our company, with some others, left here to relieve a train of wagons from Vera Cruz, and the next morning at three o'clock Ave routed our savage enemies at Lavidia, about .16 miles from here. The Mexicans numbered about 500 — our force about 300; but we routed and defeated them, killing about 100 of them, with- out loss of a single man, although we lost four horses. We are now awaiting fresh orders, and expect to have another engagement with more than 5,000 Mexicans who have fortified the National Bridge, between here and Vera Cruz. When or whither we go is uncertain. The sick and wounded are dying very fast in our hos- pital. The funerals average from 10 to 13 every day. We have only lost five out of our company by death, but many by desertion and discharge. We are uncertain when peace will be agreed upon, or when we will return home. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Mexican War 121 I have never received an answer to any of my letters home, and you need not expect another until you write to Your affectionate son, William Merkle. Mrs. Elizabeth Merkle. The Civil War of the Rebellion has not been adverted to in these pages. It is of too recent occurrence and its his- tory too well known to class it with the early events to which the volume is devoted. Its stirring history is left to the pen of the historian of the future if it has not been already covered by the ready writer. 122 . BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers The Early Settlers fT IS difficult to divorce a given locality from the name it bears at the present time. From this arises the general ^ impression that Schuylkill County, because it was not or- ganized at that date, has no ante-Revolutionary history, and that its area had no settlers before Berks County was erected in 1752, or even before its broad acres were included under its present title, Schuylkill County, in 181 1. It should be borne in mind that the land included in Schuylkill County was once known as Chester, later as Lancaster and then as Berks County. The history of the early settlers along the Schuylkill River and the interior townships of Schuylkill County is synonymous with that of Berks County and one of the keen- est pleasures of the historian is to trace the relationship of the heads of the many prominent families in Berks County, (Schuylkill), whose descendants by the hundreds occupy prominent places in the makeup of other cities, states and towns all over the United States and not the least of them, those that have contributed so largely to the population of Schuylkill County. A brief mention of some of these, it would be impossible to note all, is involved in the story. EARLY NOTABLE SETTLERS The Minsi Indian village, Tulpewehaki, after which the section called Tulpehocken was named, existed in 1723, when the thirty-three families came to where Middletown, Dauphin County, now is, on the Swatara Creek, where they distributed themselves, their descendants populating the Tulpehocken, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 123 The Early Settlers from which was formed Tulpehocken, Upper Tulpehocken, Bethel, Heidelberg, North Heidelberg, Lower Heidelberg, Bern, Penn, Centre, Upper Bern, Marion and Jefferson Townships, all that locality at that date being then included in Chester County. One of the most notable men among the early settlers was Conrad Weiser Jr^., who came to the Tulpehocken from New York, 1729, with his wife and four children and settled one mile east of Middletown (Womelsdorf.) His father, John Conrad Weiser, Sr., was a magis- trate and man of influence in Gross Astlach, County Back- nang. Duchy of Wuertemberg, Germany. With the ruin of his home he cast his lot with the Palatines and immigrated to America in 1710. The mistake of his life was that he, a widower with seven children — one daughter, married, re- mained in Germany — in 171 1, married a woman much younger than himself. His first wife was Anna Magdalena Ueblen, who died May i, 1709, and was buried in Astlach. The second wife, with whom he had three children, was unkind to him and to his children. Two of his sons, George and Christoph Frederick, were bound out by the Governor of Long Island ; his family scattered, and his son, Conrad, lived with the Mohawks. THE WEISERS, FATHER AND SON Though treating his children with harshness he seemed himself to have been very unhappy and came in great hu- mility and penitence, at the age of 86, to die with his son, Conrad, in Penna., his death occurring July 13, 1760, and that of his wife June 10, 1781. Conrad Weiser, Jr., was born at Aestaet, Herrenberg, Wuertemberg, Germany, November 2, 1696. He came with (Note 1 — A diary of his, owned by Howell Souders, of Tamaqua, Pa., and translated from the German by Rev. George Gebert, gives many in- teresting facts of his life.) 124 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers his father to New York, 1710, at the age of 14. He lived with the Mohawk Indians eight years, in the family of Quaynant, Mohawk Chief, where he acquired the Magnaisch language. Returning to his father's home in the Schoharie he frequently acted as interpreter between the Germans and the Indians. He was employed in this capacity by the Pro- vincial Government, after his removal to the Tulpehocken, 1729, a position he filled with great discretion and tact. He was promnient in the French and Indian war and served as Colonel in that war in command of the Second Battalion, Pennsylvania Recruits. He was a magistrate for the Pro- vincial Government and his letters to the agents of that Government during the Indian War reflect great credit on his sagacity and prudence in his dealings with the red men.^ CONRAD WEISER'S DIARY^ 3 In the year 1696 on the 2nd of November was I, Conrad Weiser, born in Europe, in the country of Wuertemberg, in the Magistracy at Herrenberg. The village is called Ae- staet, and at Kuppingen nearby I was baptized. * * * * My father's name was Johann Conrad Weiser. My mother, Anna Magdalena, nee Ueblen. My grandfather, also Jacob Weiser, magistrate in the village of great Astlach, in the District of Backnang, situated in the county of Wuert- emberg, in above village. My ancestors, from very olden times were born and lie buried there, as well on the father's as on the mother's side. * * * * In the year 1709 my mother departed on the ist day in May in the 43rd year of her age, when she was with her loth child. She left the children : Catrina, Margreda, Magdalena, (Note 1 — Col. Records, Vol. 2, Penna. Archives.) (Note 2 — Prom "Penn Germania," September-October 1912 Vol 1 Old Series.) ' ' ' (Note 3— The diary is interwoven with many pious ejaculations and quotations from the Scriptures. The historical part only is published.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 125 The Early Settlers Sabina, Conrad, George, Frederick, Barbara, Johann Frederick, and was there buried by the side of her ancestors. * * * * In the above named year, 1709, my father moved away from Great Astlach, on the 24tli of June. He took seven chil- dren with him. My oldest sister Catrina remained there with her husband, Conrad Boss, with whom she had already two children. My father left them his house, fields and meadows, vineyards and gardens. They could raise no more than 75 guilders. The rest, amounting to 600 guilders, my father was to get later, but was never done and is now presented to them. *!• *? *!* '1^ After about two months we landed in London, England, with some thousand (a few thousand) Germans whom Queen Anna of most honorable memory received and supplied with food. About Christmas we were loaded, ten ships full, about 4000 souls, for America. On the 13th of June we came to anchor in New York, North America, and in the Fall of the same year were placed on Lewenstein's Manor at the expense of the Queen. * * * * Here in Livingstone or Lewenstein Manor, we were to burn tar and cultivate hemp to remunerate the Queen for the passage. From Holland to England and from England to New York under direction of Compeers as: Johann Cast, Heinrich Meyer, Reichard Seukott, who were placed over us by Robert Hunter, Governor of New York. Nothing would succeed however, and the people were declared free and re- leased in the year 1713. Then the people separated into the province of New York. Many remained there. * * * * Nearly 150 families resolved to move to Jochary, a place about 40 English miles to the west of Albany. They sent Deputies to the Magnaisch Land to confer about it with the Indians, who allowed them to settle at Jochary because of their Indian deputy, who was in England, while the German people lay in tents on the black heath, had presented this 126 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers Jochary to Queen Anna to settle this peoplp on it. The In- dian Deputies were sent to direct the Germans to Jochary. My father was the first among the German Deputies. * * * * In November, 1713, after the above mentioned deputies returned from the Magnaisch Land to the Manor Lewenstein, the people moved the same Fall to Albany and Schenectady, so as to move to Jochary the next Spring. Bread was extra- ordinarily high. The people worked hard to earn their daily bread, but the inhabitants were very liberal and did these newly-arrived Germans much good although the evilminded were not wanting also. My father arrived the same Fall in Schenectady and stayed during the winter with a man by the name of Johann Meynderton. A chief of the Magnaisch Na- tion by the name of Quaynant visited my father, and they decided that I should go with Quaynant into his country to learn the Magnaisch language. I went with him and arrived toward the end of November, in Magnaisch Land, and had to lodge with the Indians. I had to suffer much from the severe cold for I was but poorly clothed. Toward Spring I suffered much from hunger because the Indians had nothing to eat. One bushel of corn cost from 5 to 6 shillings. The Indians were at that time also very cruel in their drunken- ness, so that I had often to hide myself from fear of the drunken Indians. * * * * In the Spring of 1714 my father moved from Schenectady to Schohary, with about 150 families in great poverty. One borrowed a horse here and another borrowed a cow there, a harness for a plow, with it they hitched together and broke up so much land so that the next year they had almost corn enough to eat. During the year we suffered much hunger however, and the people made many a meal with wild pataten (potatoes) and strawberries (Erdbonnen) which grow here in large quantities. Potatoes are called by the Indians, ochnanada and strawberries, otachvagara. * * * * SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 137 The Early Settlers If we wanted flour we had to go about 35 or 40 miles for it and to get it we had to beg it on credit; then one got a bushel or two here and the other there of wheat and had to be often 3 or 4 days from home before we. arrived with our own people, who waited meanwhile with pain and tears for bread. The people had settled in villages, of which there were seven. The first and nearest to Schenectady was called i, Knes Kernville ; 2, Gerlachsville ; 3, Foxville ; 4, Hans George Schmitzville ; 5, Weisers or Bremenville; 6, Hartmansville ; 7, Upper Weiserville. * * * * After the deputies who had been sent to Lewensteine's Manor returned toward the end of July, I came again from the Indians to my father. I had made a good beginning, or had learned the greater part of the Magnaisch language. One English mile from my father's house lived some Magnaisch families. Then there were often of the Magnaisch on their hunting trips in trouble and there was much to interpret but without pay. There was no one else to be found among our people who understood the language. I therefore mastered the language completely, as much as my years and other circumstances permitted. * * * * Here the people lived for a few years without a preacher and without government, generally in peace. Each one did what he thought was right. About this time I became very sick and thought I had to die and would gladly have died, for my stepmother was a stepmother indeed. On her repre- sentation I was treated very severely by father, had besides no other friend, and had to sufifer hunger and cold. I had often decided to run away but by this sickness the bridle and bit were in my mouth, I was bound as it were with a rope to render obedience and to stay with my father. * * * * I have said above that my father migrated as widower from Germany and landed with 7 children in New York in 1710. There my two brothers George Frederick and Chris- 128 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers toph Frederick were bound out by the Governor of Long Island, with permission of my father who was sick at the time. The following winter, namely in December, my young- est brother Johann Frederick, died about the sixth year of his age and was buried in Lewenstein's Busch. He was the first dead that was buried in the church flats of the Reformed church, in Weiserville. * * * * In 171 1 my father married my stepmother, of whom I have just written. It was an unfortunate marriage and caused that my brothers and sisters were all scattered. And at last I was alone with him, besides the three children he had with my stepmother as Johann Frederick and Jacob Wei- ser and Rebecca. Everything else, too, went backward and one misfortune after another came over our family, of which I took at all times my share. Often I knew not where to go and I learned to sigh to God and the Bible became to me a very acceptable book. * * * * To come back to Schohary, the people had taken pos- session of it without greeting the Governor of New York, who after he showed them his disapproval, sold the land of Schohary to seven rich merchants, of whom four lived in Albany and the other three in New York. The names of those in Albany were: Meyndert Schiller, John Schiller, Robert Livingstone, Peter von Brughen. Those in New York were : George Clark, at the time Secretary ; Doctor Hads, Rip von Dam ; whereupon arose a great cry in Schohary and Al- bany because in Albany many people desired that the people should keep the land. * * * * The people in Schohary divided into two parties, the strongest party would not submit but maintained the land, and sent therefore deputies to England to obtain from Kino- George, the First, not only Schohary but more land for the other High Germans. It did not go according to their wish, for first the three deputies had to depart secretly. They SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 129 The Early Settlers took ship therefore in Philadelphia in 1718 and ran as soon as they got on the open sea into the hands of pirates, who took their money as well as that of the people of the ship, and then let them go. * * * * My father, who was one of the deputies, was bound and scourged three times but would confess to no money. At last William Schaft, the other deputy, said to the pirates : you men, I and this man had one purse and I have given it to you, he can give you nothing, thereupon they let him in peace. They had to run into Boston to buy provisions in the place of those which the pirates had taken from them. When they arrived in England they found the times changed, nor did a Queen Anna rule any more, they found but a very few of the old benefactors. * * * * Among them were two gentlemen, Boehm and Robert, Preachers of the German Castle Chapel. These did all they could. The matter of the deputies came at last before the Lord Commissioners of Trade and Plantation. The governor of New York, Robert Plunter, was cited home, in the mean- time the deputies got into debt. Walrath, the third deputy, got homesick, boarded a ship for New York and died on the ocean. The other two were thrown into prison. They wrote in good time for money but the imprudence and dishonesty of those who should forv^^ard the money which the people had brought together, caused the money to come very slowly to England. Meanwhile Robert Hunter had arrived in England, settled his difficulties, had accounted for what he had done to Schohary before the Lords of Trade. H^is opponents were in prison, had neither friends nor money. When at last a draft of 70 pounds sterling arrived they were released from prison again and renewed their appeal. At last they effected an order on the newly arrived Governor of New York, by the name of William Burnet to give to the High German people, which had been sent to New York by Queen Anna the land which had not yet been given away. * * * * 130 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers Toward the end of the year, 1720, William Burnet arrived in New York. At the beginning of 1721 I was sent to this above named Governor to give him a petition. He showed himself friendly and told me of the order of the Lords of Trade he had brought with him, which he had resolved to live up to. Our deputies were yet in England and were not satisfied with the decision, but efifected nothing more. Toward the end of this year, 1721, Schaft had become dis- satisfied with my father and came home — they had both hard heads. At last in November, 1723, my father also came home. Schaft had died some weeks after his arrival. * * * * Governor Burnet gave those few who wanted to settle on land of the Magnaisch land patents, namely for land on Stony Arabia and above the fall but none on the river, as the people had hoped, therefore they separated, most of them moved to the Magnaisch land or stayed in Schohary and bought land from the above named 7 gentlemen. The people received news from the land at the Swatara and Tulpehocken in Penn- sylvania. Many of them came together, cut a way from Scho- hary to the Susquehanna and brought their goods hither and made canoes and journeyed down to the mouth of the Swa- tara Creek and drove their cattle overland in the Spring of 1723. Thence they came to Tulpehocken and this is the be- ginning of the Tulpehocken Settlement. Later others fol- lowed and settled there, at first without permission of the owners of the land or his company, or toward the Indians from whom the people had not yet bought the land. There was no one among the people who could manage them, each one did as he wished and their stubbornness stood in their way up to this time. I will now leave them and describe my own cir- cumstances : In 1720 when my father went to England I married my Anna Eva, the Rev. Johann Frederick Heger, Reformed preacher, united us on the 22nd November in my father's SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 131 The Early Settlers house in Schohary. On the 7th of September, 1722, my son Philip was born and by Johann Bernard von Duehren, Luth- eran preacher, baptized. His sponsors were Philip Braun and his wife. On the 14th of January, 1725, my daughter Anna Madlina was born and was baptized by Johann Jacob Oehl, Reformed preacher. The sponsors were Christian Bausch, Junior, and my sister Barbara. * * * * On the 24th June, 1727, my daughter Maria was born and was baptized by William Christoph Birkenmeyer, Lutheran minister. Sponsors were Nicklas Feg and his wife. On the 24th of December, 1728, my son Frederick was born. He was baptized by Johann Bernard von Deuren, Lutheran preacher. Sponsors were Nicklas Feg and his wife. These four were born to me at Schohary. After this, namely in the j'ear 1729, I moved to Pennsylvania and settled at Tulpehocken where the following children were born to me : On the 27th of Feb- ruary, 1730, my son Peter was born and on the 15th of Feb- ruary, 1 73 1, two sons were born to me, who were named Christoph and Jacob ; the first lived fifteen weeks and the second thirteen weeks, when they were released from the evil of this time and departed into blessed eternity. On the 19th of June, 1732, my daughter Elizabeth was born to me. On the 28th of January, 1734, my daughter Margreda was born. On the 23rd of April, 1735, my son Samuel was born. On the i8th of July, 1736, another son was born to me. I named him Benjamin. When he was three months old the kind Providence of the Almighty God took him away. In the same year my daughter Elizabeth followed. On the nth of August, 1740, again a son was born to me. We named him Jabez. The mercy of God released him from the evil of this time when he had lived 17 days. On the 27th of February, 1742, again a daughter was born to me. I named her Hannah. On the following nth of August she departed into the blessed eternity. On the i6th of March of this same year my beloved 132 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers datighter Madlina departed from time to eternity with a gentle death after a long continued sickness. On the I2th of August, 1744, my son Benjamin was born to me. (Ending of my book writing.) (The diarist died July 13, 1760; his wife, Anna Eve, December 27, 1778, and his stepmother, 1781.) THE WEISER FAMILY Conrad Weiser did not seem to ally himself with either party in the early religious difficulties, but as mentioned heretofore, signed himself as an "impartial witness'' and J. P. to an arbitration settlement in the "Tulpehocken confusion." He however was baptized at Ephrata by Conrad Beissel, of the German Seventh Day Baptists, but antagonisms arose and he forsook that society several days after his baptism. The remains of Conrad Weiser and his wife Anna Eva — to whom he was married in the Schoharie, November 22, 1720, and by whom he had fourteen children — are interred on the Sheetz farm, in a private burial ground, less than a mile from Womelsdorf. The Weiser farm contained two hundred and forty-eight acres and the remains of several old stone buildings, erected a century and a half or more ago, may still be seen on it. A handsome granite monument has been erected to the mem- ory of Conrad Weiser by the citizens of Womelsdorf. It stands in front of the public school house and is an ornament to the town. Rev. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg was born at Reimbeck, Hanover, Germany, September 6, 171 1. He could preach in German, French, Swedish, HoUandische and English and was a fine Latin scholar. He came to America November, 1742, and was stationed at the Trappe from whence he visited the Lutherans as far north as the Blue Mountains. He was mar- (Note 1— Life of Conrad Weiser, J. S. Walton.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 133 The Early Settlers ried to Anna Maria, daughter of Conrad Weiser. He lived for a time in Albany Township, but died at the Trappe, October 7, 1787. His son. Rev. Henry E. Muhlenberg, vi^as an able minister of the Lutheran church at Lancaster, and his grandson, Rev. Henry A. Muhlenberg, vv^as for 27 years the efficient pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading. On his retirement he was elected to Congress, where he served as a member nine years and was subsequently United States minister to Austria. John Peter Muhlenberg, whose statue is in Statuary Hall, national capitol, Washington, D. C, was a son of Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, D. D., and was born at La Trappe, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was a Lutheran minister but was obliged to be ordained a priest in the Pro- testant Episcopal Church in order to take a charge in Vir- ginia. He preached his farewell sermon at Woodstock, that state, December, 1775, concluding it with these words, "There is a time to preach, there is a time to pray, but this is the time to fight." He then threw off his black silk robes and stepped forward in the full uniform of an officer of the Continental Army. A drum was beat outside of the church and a fife played and on his repairing thither, a company of recruits of the male members of the congregation was formed with the fighting pastor as captain. GOVERNOR JOHN ANDREW SCHULZE Rev. Christian Emanuel Schulze was a son-in-law of Rev. Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg and Anna Maria Weiser. He was pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, from December, 1770, to March 9, 1809. Governor John Andrew Schulze was born in the parsonage, July 19, 1775, and was edu- cated and ordained for the Lutheran ministry, 1796. He assist- ed his father in Berks, Lancaster and Lebanon counties but retired from the ministry and removed to Myerstown, Dau- 134 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers phin County, where he engaged in the mercantile business. He was elected to the Legislature, 1806, and twice re-elected. He was Prothonotary of Lebanon County for eight years, from 1813 and in 1821 was again elected to the Legislature. In 1822 he was a Senator from Dauphin County and was elected Governor of Pennsylvania and served from Decem- ber 15, 1823, to December 15, 1S29. Governor Schulze signed the charter erecting Pottsville, Schuylkill County, into a bor- ough, March 11, 1828. NOT ALL GOVERNORS When word came that John Andrew Schulze had been elected Governor of Pennsylvania — so the story goes — several friends of his called at the family home to offer their con- gratulations. The household were at the supper table and the mother was busy waiting upon her clamorous young brood that they might satisfy their vociferous and healthy appetites without interruption. Hearing the conversation, one of the boys said, in the reigning vernacular : "Mom, if Pop is Governor, will we all be Governors, too?" When the good dame replied : "Nay ! Yuscht ich und der Daddy sin Governors." ("No, only father and I are Gover- nors.") Berks County furnished three governors for the Common- wealth : Joseph Hiester, from December 19, 1820, to Decem- ber 16, 1823; Governor Schulze and Francis R. Shunk, who served from January 21, 1845, to July 9, 1848, when he re- signed. Joseph Hiester was a son of John Hiester, who emi- grated 1732 from Elsof, Westphalia, Germany. He was a Captain in the Revolutionary war and was governor when the capital was removed from Lancaster to Harrisburg. The cap- ital was removed from Philadelphia, 1799, and remained at Lancaster until 1821. Governor Hiester left an estate of $468,000.1 (Note 1 — Smull's Hand Book.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 13S The Early Settlers BALTZAR GEHR Those of the early justices who served from 1752 to 1776, on the Berks County Judiciary and were identified with the early development of Schuylkill County were : Conrad Weiser, Francis Parvin, James Boone, Jacob Levan, Jacob Morgan, George Douglass, Jonathan Potts and Baltzar Gehr. Baltzar Gehr was born of German extraction at Ger- mantown, January 22; 1740. He removed to Amity Town- ship, Berks County, and married Catharine Hunter, in Oley, 1767, where he was employed as gunsmith. In 1771 he bought a large plantation in Bern, near the Blue Mountain and represented that part of Berks County and what is now Schuylkill County, in the Pennsylvania Associators. He was active in the militia, 1775-1776, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Revolutionary War in the campaign about New York. He was judge in the county courts, 1775-1784, and a member in the General Assembly, i782-'86-'92-'99. He died June 19, 1801, and is buried on a farm in Maxatawny Township, near Kutztown, to which he removed from Bern. His two sons and two daughters died soon after and having left no will, his large estate was involved in a costly litigation covering a period of fifteen years. Baltzar Gehr owned a saw mill at the mouth of the Norwegian Creek where it empties into the Schuylkill River, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It was operated by a man named John Neyman, who with his family lived on the hill slightly in the rear of the site of the Pottsville Hospital. Col. Val. Eckert reported to the Council, August 30, 1780, that "Joh*i Neyman, who lived at a saw mill on the road from Reading to Shamokin, three miles above Conrad Minnich's, thirty-three miles from Reading, was, with his wife and three young children, barbarously murdered by the Indians."^ (Note 1— Penna. Archives, Vol. 8, pp. 529-571.) 136 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers It is related of Baltzar Gehr that he attended a levee given by President Washington, in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, in company with others from Reading. In that day cards were not commonly used but the names of the guests were announc- ed upon their arrival. Entering the hall door he gave his name, upon request, to the usher, who called it out to another usher at the first landing of the stairway, who in turn called it out again to another at the door of the Assembly room. Not having been acquainted with the custom this public use of his name excited Mr. Gehr, so, that, he exclaimed in a loud tone of voice, "Yes, yes, I'm coming, give me time," to the great amusement of the other guests.^ JACOB MORGAN Jacob Morgan was born in Wales, 1716, and emigrated with his father, Thomas Morgan, to Caernarvon Township, Berks County, 1730. He was prominent in the French and Indian War and commanded a company of men who were stationed at Fort Lebanon, Schuylkill County. He was a judge and a justice of Berks County and represented it at the Provincial Council of 1776, and in the convention for framing the Constitution, the same year. He was Colonel of a bat- talion of Associators and held the command of all the troops raised in the county. In 1777 and 1778 he was a member of the executive council of the state and of the council of safety, in 1777. He held the appointment of assistant forage master. He died November 11, 1792, aged 76 years and is buried at Morgantown, which was named for him and which he laid out in 1770. (Colonel Jacob Morgan was the great grand- father of the Misses Douglass, of Orwigsburg, and the great great grandfather of George, Frank and Clement Rose- berry, of Pottsville. Miss Holt, teacher in the public schools, Pottsville, and others are also descendants.) (Note 1 — Daniel Rupp's History of Berks County, p. 229.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 137 The Early Settlers THE DOUGLASS FAMILY Belonging to Lotz's battalion for the "Flying Camp" was a company commanded by George Douglass, Amity Town- ship, Berks County, 1776. George Douglass was married to Mary Piersol Morgan, by whom he had six children, Richard, Andrew, George, Elizabeth, married to John Jenkins ; Rebecca, to Mordecai Piersol ; Bridget, to James May ; Andrew, the second son, to Rachael Morgan, daughter of Colonel Jacob Morgan. Andrew^ Douglass was the father of George^ Douglass, of Douglassville, Montgomery County, and later of Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. He was educated for a physician, but having ample private means, never en- tered the active practice of his profession. George^ Doug- lass was married to a sister of Attorney John R. Bannan, of Pottsville, by whom he had eight children, three sons, de- ceased, and five daughters, one of whom, deceased, married Attorney John W Roseberry, of the Schuylkill County Bar, and three others at this writing, 1915, are still living in the old homestead, and one in Pottsville. One of the earliest settlers in that part of Berks County, now Schuylkill, was Jacob Frederick Kuemmerlin (Kemmer- ling), who took up a tract of two hundred acres of land in Panther Valley, about 1750, (now the Fessler tract). Rev. John Caspar Stoever's records note a son of the above, John Michael Kuemmerlin, baptized by him, July i, 1753, ''across the Blue Mountains." A son of Jacob Frederick Kemmerling settled in West Brunswick Township, near the Kimmel meet- ing house, about 181 1, where the stone house he built is still one of the substantial homes in that vicinity. The descend- ants of Jacob Frederick still live in the southern part of the county, some having moved to the West. (Note — The figures 1, 2, 3 refer to the number of the generation.) 138 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers GENERAL HUGH MERCER'S SWORD PRESENTED TO ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY The writer is indebted to Miss Rachael Douglass for the following correspondence from the "Pennsylvanian," of Feb- ruary 13, 1 84 1, John W. Forney's newspaper, published at Harrisburg. The letter from Philadelphia to the "Pennsylvanian," dated February 6, 1841, states in gist, that, "Mrs. George W. Morgan, of Philadelphia, presented to the St. Andrew's So- ciety, of that city, January 28th, a sword of General Hugh Mercer. The latter was a Scotch soldier who brought to the aid of General Washington and the Colonial forces a sterling devotion and rare strategic ability, in the War of the Revo- lution. After the battle of Trenton, General Washington formed his troops into three divisions to cross the Delaware, at dif- ferent points, hoping to surprise the British after the Christ- mas festivities. If this masterly stroke had succeeded the result would have been to sweep away the British from all their posts and thus establish a firm footing in the Jerseys. The surrender of eight hundred and eighty-six of the Hes- sians to the Colonial army inspired new hope in the American forces. The battle of Trenton was re-fought January 2, 1777. Lord Cornwallis, who was on the eve of sailing for England on this display of fresh courage on the part of the Continentals, returned and resumed his command of the British forces. Generals Mifflin, Cadwalader and Hugh Mer- cer were Washington's supports, the latter was severely wounded in this engagement and died in the arms of his de- voted friend. Brigadier General Jacob Morgan, to whom be- fore expiring he handed his sword. This sword was pre- sented to and accepted by the St. Andrew's Society, Philadel- phia. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 139 The Early Settlers A copy of the resolutions passed on the presentation, thanking Mrs. Morgan, was sent her and is still in possession of the family. They were signed by: Quintin Campbell, Pres. ; R. Glendinning, Sec. ; John Struthers, John K. Mitchell, James Ronaldson. John K. Mitchell was the father of Dr. S. Wier Mitchell, deceased, the latter of whom referred to the presentation of this sword at a banquet, given in the Clover room, Bellevue- Stratford, at the one hundred and thirty-seventh anniversary of the Society, December 5, 1906. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, DANIEL BOONE "Arnold's Life of Abraham Lincoln" says, Mordecai Lin- coln, great grandfather of President Lincoln, lived at the Quaker settlement, in Oley, before 1735. He came there from Massachusetts, having lived a short time in New Jersey. He died May, 1736, and is buried there. He devised a tract of land to his three sons, Mordecai, Thomas and Abraham. The family went to Kentucky. President Lincoln was a descendant of Thomas Lincoln, son of Abraham. Mordecai Lincoln sold his part of the tract of land to Michael Zerbe.^ Ellis Hughes, who had a saw mill near Pottsville, lived in Amity, in 1736, and was a trustee of the Friends' Meeting House, on the Oley line. Daniel Boone, the famous hunter, was born in Exeter, on Monocacy Creek, October 22, 1733. He was a son of George Boone, who took up a tract there, 1718, and subse- quently removed to North Carolina, then to Kentucky. Some of the earliest residents of this township were the Esterlys, Daniel, Jacob and Bernhard, from whom the Esterlys of Reading and of Pottsville are direct descendants. They took up land in 1740. (Note 1 — Mordecai Lincoln, Grantor, to Michael Zerbe, Grantee, April 30, 1789, tract of land in Exeter Township, B. 146, p. 504, Berks County Courts.) I40 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers Isaac Levan lived in this township before 1770. He was the progenitor of the Schuylkill Haven and Minersville Le- vans. The name originally was spelled Le Van. September 5, 1720, a petition was presented to court at Philadelphia for the erection of a new township, but it was not till twenty years later that Oley was formed. Isaac DeTurck and Jonathan Herbein were among the signers, both of whom settled there in 1717. Isaac DeTurck came from northern France to Dutchess County, New York, 1709, and to Oley in 171 7. (Samuel DeTurck, d., of Friedensburg, and J. H. Herbein, of Pottsville, are descendants of the above.) Samuel Saul, Peter Bertolette, George Boone, Yost Yoder and Isaac Levan were among the signers — their descendants are well represented in Schuylkill County. Jean Bertolette, a native of Picardie, France, near the English Channel, was a Huguenot and came to this country with the Palatines, 1726, the Berks County branch retained the original spelling, but the Bartolets, of Cressona, Schuyl- kill County, anglicized it although they claim descent from the same head. John Keim came to Oley Township in 1718, where his son, Nicholas Keim, was born April 2, 1719. His first wife was Magdalena Hoch, twin sister of Maria Hoch, who married John Pott. He removed to Reading, 1755, and 1769 bought the old "White Store," Penn Street, where he carried on a general hardware business, and Avhich was in possession of the family one hundred and thirty years. He was the first judge of the Berks County courts, from 1752 to 1760. He was married twice, his second wife was Susanna, daughter of Dr. George De Benneville, for whom George De B. Keim, de- ceased, who located in Pottsville, was named. Mr. Keim was appointed general solicitor for the Reading Railway Com- pany, 1875, and in 1883 was elected vice president. He died OLD SCHUYLKILL COUNTY MAP SHOWING DATES OF ERECTION OF TOWNSHIPS. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 141 The Early Settlers December 18, 1893, at Reading. He was married to Elizabeth Cocke Trezevant, the onl)^ child of Judge of the Supreme Court, Trezevant, of South Carolina. Mr. Keim left one child, Julia. Mrs. George De B. Keim endowed the Pottsville Hospital with a perpetual annuity in memoriam of her husband, and that institution is otherwise receiving benefits through her generosity, at the present time. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY ERECTED FROM BERKS Schuylkill County was created in 181 1 and contains an area of eight hundred and forty square miles ; its population, 1910, was 207,894. It contains thirty-one townships and twenty-nine boroughs, with Pottsville, the county seat, a third class city.i In 1775 there were only eleven counties in Pennsylva- nia. In 1776 the resident taxables north of the Blue Moun- tains, who were also subject to military duty, numbered one hundred and fifty, and the whole population in what is now Schuylkill County was six hundred. The entire area, except one-sixth, since added, of Schuyl- kill County was known as Berks County and prior to 1752, as Lancaster, and before 1729, as Chester County. In 1776 the total population of Berks County was about twenty thousand, the taxables were about four thousand and this number between the ages of eighteen and fifty-three were subject to military duty. The population of Pennsyl- vania was three hundred thousand white and two thousand colored. The number of inhabitants in that part of Berks which was included in Schuylkill County, in 181 1, was six thousand. The Township of Bethel occupied the northwestern cor- ner of Berks County, from the top of the Blue Mountain to (Note 1 — Commissioners' office, court house, and SmuU's Hand Book.) 142 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers Swatara Creek. To the east and south lay the Tulpehocken Manor, which was in Chester County, until 1729, when it be- came part of Lancaster. In 1738-9, Bethel, Tulpehocken, Heidelberg and Bern were the townships in the northwest and centre. The taxables in 1775 were: In Tulpehocken three hundred and four ; Pine Grove, ninety ; Heidelberg, two hundred and eighteen; Brunswick, one hundred and twenty- seven ; Bern, two hundred and sixty-nine. Bern was erected in 1738 and extended over the Blue Mountain into what is now Schuylkill County, including the territory between the Blue and Sharp Mountains. This part of Bern was included in Pinegrove Township, 1771. (Bern, Upper Bern, Penn and Centre Townships, Berks County, were all erected out of Bern, 1841-1849.) An interesting locality, historically, is the manor of two thousand acres set apart for the use of Thonjas Penn, 1732. It was known as "Allemaengle (All Wants), prior to 1752. From it was formed Albany, Windsor and Greenwich Town- ships, the two former being the boundary line between Berks and Schuylkill Counties, in the northeast corner of the former and forming a triangle, sometimes known as "Die Ecke." There were many refugees from Schuylkill in Allemaengle during the Indian troubles, i755-'8o. (The borough of Port Clinton is in Schuylkill County, but its railway centre and railway depot are located in Windsor Township, Berks County.) Conrad Weiser gave his son-in-law. Rev. Melchoir Muh- lenberg, a tract of fifty acres of land upon which was erected, 1776, the Allemaengle Church. This church was a contem- porary of the Red or Zion's Church, of Schuylkill County, built 1752, and like the Red Church had a log building for worship before the above was built, the Red Church ante- dating it in date. (The first churches were all built of logs.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 143 The Early Settlers Immediately after the purchases from the Indians, 1741 and 1749, settlers took these lands on both sides of the Schuylkill River, and Brunswick Township, on the north side of the mountain (now in Schuylkill County) was known as such long before it was legally created. Berks County tax lists show the names of taxables in "Brunswick" as early as 1754 (the first tax list). The town- ship was erected 1768, the year following it had forty-six resident taxpayers, thirty-six married and ten single men. Among these were : Heinrich, Nicholas and Johannes Miller, Peter Conrad, Michael Deibert, Joseph Fisher, Paul Heim, Godfried Orwig, Valentine Tress, Henry Ketner, Jacob Kant- ner and Adam Heiser. The road, known as the "King's Highway," from Reading to Fort Augusta ran through this township. Pine Grove Township was erected in 177I) its area in- cluded the land west of the Schuylkill River, between the Blue and Sharp Mountains; the line extending from the top of the mountain and including that part of Bern Township that lay north of that division and on the north side of the mountain. In the first assessment of taxes, 1771, there were fifty-five taxpayers, among whom were: Michael Forrer, Hans and Frederick Weiser, Michael Bretz, George Bressler, Michael Folmer, Henry Gebhart, Leonard and Philip Rieth, Mathias and Jacob Miller, Conrad Minnich, Benjamin, Dan- iel and Phillip Zerbe. (Conrad Minnich was the first tax col- lector of Pinegrove Township.) Manheim Township was erected in 1790, from territory taken from Brunswick. The commissioners appointed to make the division were : George Reber, Philip Shatz, Jacob Shartle, John Shomo, Thomas Wright and Henry Vanderslice. There were one hundred and fifteen taxpayers in the assessment of 144 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers 1791, among- whom were : Conrad Kerschneri, Frederick Boyer Michael and Jacob Alspach, Andrew Miller, Wm. Koch, Ja- cob Kepner, Michael and Henry Hummel, Martin Dreibel- beis, Michael and William Deibert, Michael, Peter and Phillip Confer, Jeremiah Reed, Daniel and John Stout, Conrad Min- nich and George Zerbe. Some of these names occur as taxpayers in Pine Grove and Brunswick Townships and also in those that came later. It should be borne in mind that the names of the townships and not the localities, in which the early pioneers settled, changed and that these townships were then part of Berks County and before 1752 in Lancaster County and prior to 1729 the locality was included in Chester County. The area of these three original townships embraced the land extending from the Blue Mountains on the south to the Sharp Mountains on the north, and from Windsor Township on the east to Albany Township on the west. (On the Schuylkill River, near where the west branch empties into the regular channel, almost in the exact centre of these townships and in what was first known as Pinegrove Township, George Zerbe located, 1785, two tracts of land, one on each side of the road, on the west side of the long covered bridge (now in Schuylkill Haven), where he ran a fuling mill and cultivated a farm. Martin Dreibelbeis, 1775, built a stone grist mill on the east bank, opposite.) The line between Berks and Northumberland Counties was run 1795. On November 4, 1799, three new townships were laid out of the upper half, Schuylkill, Norwegian and Mahantongo, a part of the area of Berks not yet having been (Note 1— Of the above, Conrad Kerschner, taxpayer in Brunswick and Manheim Townships, it is related of him, by Montgomery, that he walked to Philadelphia to secure a grant of land from the Penns, upon which to build a church and in 1771 secured forty acres, the ground upon which old St. Paul's Church, of Hamburg, stands. He is buried at the Red Church cemetery. West Brunswick Township.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 145 The Early Settlers included in the townships. Mahantongo joined Pinegrove Township until 1807, when lower and upper Mahantongo were erected. Of these three townships, Berks County col- lected taxes from 1802 till 181 1, when, with the addition of Rush and West Penn Townships, from' Northampton County, they were, with the three original townships, Brunswick, Pine Grove and Manheim, formed into Schuylkill County, including, as heretofore stated, all but one sixth of its present area. Of this sixth, contiguous parts were added from Lu- zerne, Columbia and Carbon Counties, until it attained its present proportions, attempts having been made several times to slice off portions to aid in forming new counties, but with- out success. The few Catholics in Brunswick and Pine Grove Town- ships were Germans and French, they attended church south of the Blue Mountain. The earliest Roman Catholic Church in Berks County was erected in Hereford Township, 1743. The Rev. Theodore Schneider, from Bavaria, was granted two patents for land which were taken up 1747 and 1748 by Fathers Neale and Greaton, for one hundred and twenty-one and three hundred and seventy-three acres respectively. Here the early Catholic settlers attended church. The priests were zealous and acted as itinerant missionaries to their scant flocks, visiting them on horse-back to administer the rites of the church to such as were unable to walk any distance. There are a number of early Catholics buried in the old cemetery of the Red Church (one and a half miles below Orwigsburg), among these: Johann Eichman, born June 16, 1727, Alsace, France, died November 15, 1817; James Lyons, born November 2, 1768, in the town of York, Ireland, died February 26, 1819; Michael "McQuire," native of Ireland, died September 24, buried October 6th, aged 55 years. (Red Church records.) 146 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers TOWNSHIPS AND FIRST SETTLERS Townships Organized First Settlers Barry, 1821 — From Lower Mahantongo. 1808 — The Yarnalls who came from New Jersey, John Bailey, John Garivey, John Heter, the Shupperts. Three thousand acres of land was owned by Joseph Eeed at that time. Blythe. 1846. 1780— Identified with those of Schuyl- kill Township. Branch. 1836— From Cass and Frailey. 1750— The Adams', Phillip and George Clouser, Peter Starr, Fausts, Thomas Reed, John and Peter Zerbe, Andrew Steitzel, Fox. Butler. 1848— Prom Barry. 1800— 1795— Nicholas Seitzinger, the Brobsts, Prestons and Kunkels. Cass. 1848 — From Branch 1810 — Phillip Alspach, on Primrose Hill; Krause, Abraham Hoch, Kant- ner, Peter Yokam. East Brunswick, 1834 — from Bruns- wick. 1770 — John Kinear, Phillip Schwartz. Later — Ulrich Heiser, Daniel, Jacob and Frederick Bensinger, Bernard Kepner, Christian Koch, John Bo- lich, Abram Seltzer. East Norwegian. 1847 — From Nor- wegian. 1780 — Peter Neuschwander, George, Jacob and Peter Reed, John and Conrad Heim, the Bechtels, Thomas and William Gottschall, John Mau- rer and Henry Gilbert. East Union. 1867 — ^From Union. 1802. Eldred. 1848— From Up- per Mahantongo. 1805 — Caspar Hepler, Jacob Reinert, Peter Klock, Samuel Drecksler. 1818 — Black Charlie, Negro Hermit; Samuel Gaskins, David Lomison, Adam Etien, Jacob Crone. Foster. 1855 — From Cass, Butler and Barry. 1831 — Widow Levan kept log tav- ern near Mt. Pleasant. Hegins. 1853-1858— From Lower Mahanton- go. 1801-1780 — George Klinger, James Osman, Peter Kuhns, Jacob Heber- ling, John Dietrich. A half breed Indian, Eager, here in 1775. Hubley. 1853 — From Lower Mahantongo. 1804 — Phillip and Michael Artz, George Dietrich, John Haldeman, John Schmitz, John and Henry Stable. Kline. 1873. 1815 — John Stackhouse, prior to this included in Rush. Mahanoy. 1849 — From Rush. 1791 — One Eeisch, others, John Eisenhuth, Samuel May, Daniel Brobst, Erastes Williams, Henry StaufFer. New Castle. 1848 — From Norwe- Frailey. 1847 — Prom Barry, Branch and Mah- antongo. wegian. 3 families in 1800-1790— Nicho Allen, who was the reputed first discov- erer of coal in Schuylkill County, Jacob Yoh and John Boyer. NorthManheim. 1845 — From Man- heim, from Bruns- wick. 1752 — Conrad Minnich came in 1752. Others, Henry Strauch, Michael and Wm. Deibert, Henry Dreibel- beis, George Zerbe. Ellis Hughes had A saw mill near the "Five Locks." North Union. 1867— From Union. 1806— Conrad Faust, Alburtis Miller, Fred. Lebenberg. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY The Early Settlers 147 Norwegian. 1811 — From orig- inal three town- ships. 1780-1790— Bright, Jacob Yohe, John Boyer, William Yohe. Pine Grove. 1771-1811-1750— Original. The Schnokes, Rebers, Hetricks, Haberlings, Schwalms, Zerbes, Boy- ers, Schaeffers, Bressler, Feltys, Minnichs, Eberts, Steins, and oth- ers. Tremont. 1848— From Pine- Porter. 1840-1847— From Lower Mahanton- go. 1774 — Daniel and Ennier Williams, Cox, Lengle, Kline and Scull. James Wilson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence,' owned large tracts of land here. In 1803 Daniel Green built a log cabin on top of Broad Mountain. Rahn. 1860— From West Penn. 1752— Identified with West Penn. Burkhardt Moser came 1799 and John Kershner. Reilly. 1857— Prom Branch. 1790 — Jacob Fox and family, two of their daughters married Peter Starr and George Haeffer. The original patent of land, dated 1803, was granted Michael Kunkle. Rush. 1811-1752— From Northampton. 1780-1800— Jacob Neifert, the Gott- schalls, Thomas Linder, John Faust. Ryan. 1868 — From Rush and Mahanoy. 1784 — David Dresh, Heasing, Kregler, George Focht, John Faust. Schuylkill. 1799-1811. 1780-1802 — Solomon, Joseph and Phillip Merkle, Yosts, Gilberts. South Manheim. 1845 — Prom Man- heim. Matthew Heim. grove. 1818— The Hippies, Pinkertons, Clarks, Zimmermans. Others includ- ed in Pine Grove Township. Tre- mont means three mountains. Union. 1867-1818. Embraced in North and East Union, taken from Columbia and Lu- zerne. Frederick Lavenburg built log house, 1801. Upper Mahantongo. 1799-1811— Prom Mahantongo. 1780 — Identified with Mahantongo and Eldred. Peter Klock and Al- exander Klinger, the former in 1775. Washington. 1856 — From Pine- grove and Wayne. 1760— Phillip Zerbe, Peter Weaver, Peter Hetzel, George Kreraer, Michael Bressler and others iden- tified with Pine Grove Twp. Wayne. 1827— From Man- heim and Pine- grove. 1775 — Egidione Moyer, Millers, Kaer- chers, John Apple, Schwartz, Jacob Merkle. Embraced in Manheim and Pine Grove. Walker. 1878— From Schuylkill 1802 — Identified with Rush and Schuylkill. West Brunswick. 1769-1811-,34-1742 From Brunswick. Paul Heim, Gottfried Orwig and Hcinrich Miller and others. (See Brunswick Twp. West Mahanoy. 1863. From Maha- noy. Identified with Mahanoy Twp. West Penn. 1811— Prom North- ampton. 1752 — Is the largest township in Schuylkill County. The early set- tlers have been previously men- tioned. Tobias Wehr opened a store here, 1780. Scene of Indian massacres of first settlers after purchase of Indian lands in 1768. 148 BLUE BOOK OF The Early Settlers POPULATION IN 1810 Brunswick Township, 1770; Pine Grove Township, 1290; Manheim Township, 1354; Lower Mahantongo Township, 637; Upper Mahantongo Township, 489 ; Schuylkill Township, 353 ; Norwegian Township, . The first census of Pennsylvania was taken September 7, 1791, and nine hundred and ninety-three, in these townships, were reported as "unorganized," or as a floating population, many brought here, no doubt, by the discovery of coal, 1770. Martin Dreibelbeis settled at a point on the Schuylkill River, 1775, (the site of Schuylkill Haven) where he erected a stone grist mill, ran a farm, store and distillery. The store was a strongly built log building with double plank doors. It was called the block house and was a refuge for the settlers in the Indian troubles. The family lived in the block house. His daughter, Christina Dreibelbeis, married Benjamin Pott, son of John Pott. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 149 Who Was Who First Settlers of Schuylkill County NEUFERTS, WHETSTONES, POTTS pHERE were other settlers on the site of Pottsville before John Pott's advent. Pie was an iron master and estab- ^j lished the forge and furnaces, in 1806, before removing here, in what was known as the orchard, near the Schuylkill River. He was a prominent citizen and did much toward the early establishment of the borough. John Lesher, father of Maria Lesher, operated a furnace on Pine Creek and also a forge in Oley Township. John Lesher was a Deputy Wagon Master in the French and Indian War and a representative from Berks County to the Constitutional Convention, 1776, and a member of the Gen- eral Assembly from 1776 to 1782. The Pott and Whitney families, of Pottsville, are descendants of Maria, daughter of John Lesher, and wife of John Pott. Wllhelm Pott came to America, from Germany, 1734. Pie first settled in Germantown, Philadelphia, but removed early to Oley Township, Berks County. He died in 1767, leaving two children, John Wilhelm and John Pott. John- Pott married Maria Hoch, 1755. John^ Pott was born January 16, 1759. He married Maria Lesher, July 9, 1765, and came to Pottsville from Oley, 1810. He laid out the borough, 1816, in the original plot, which included only the lots on each side of Centre Street, between Union and Race Streets, and the lots on both sides of Mahantongo as far as Sixth Street. He presented the lot to the borough, upon which the Grammar School building. North Centre Street, now stands, and the park in the rear, which was used as a ISO BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who cemetery and upon which a log school house was built, and also the lot, to the church authorities, upon which St. Patrick's church is built. William Thompson, great grandfather of Lewis C. and William and Heber S. Thompson, deceased, of Pottsville, was in the war of the Revolution. He was a farmer and lived near Thompsontown, Dauphin County, now Juniata, which was named for him. Two brothers, James and John, came from County Antrim, Ireland, and settled, in 1730, near what is now Lebanon, then Lancaster County, and before that Chester County, removing from there to Dauphin County. At Thompsontown, Juniata County, there stands an old mill, established in 1780. In the rear of it on a knoll is a stone house of the Revolutionary period. Here Samuel Thompson, of Pottsville, father of Lewis C, Heber and William Thompson, was born. A great nephew and a great grandson of the originator of this branch of the family live in the old homestead and bear the family name. KLOCKS, CHRISTS, BRESSLERS John Peter Klock came to America, in 1750, with his parents, being then seven years old. They settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania, John coming to Eldred Township, in 1793. Six generations are represented in Schuylkill County. Dr. H. A. Klock, of Mahanoy City, and William J., of the Pitman farm, are descendants. 'Squire Klock, who was one of the early school teachers, of Pottsville, belonged to this family. One of the early pioneers of Eldred Township, when it was included in Pinegrove, was John Kehler, who came here before 1800. Peter and Felix, of successive generations, lived on the same farm cleared by their grandfather John. They have been a prominent and well to do family for five generations in Schuylkill County. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 151 Who Was Who George Werner, of Reilly Township, who died 1840, was a Revolutionary veteran. He was the father of Christopher Werner. Edwin Schlicher was born in Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County. He was of the fifth generation of Stoefel Schlicher, who came from the Palatinate, Germany, about 1740. His great grandfather, Henry Schlicher, served in the Revolutionary army. His grandfather, John, and his father, George, were farmers. Dr. J. H. Swaving's children are lineal descendants of Stoefel Schlicher. George Simon Bressler, born in Manheim, Germany, February 22, 1722, came to Pennsylvania and the Tulpehock- en, 1749. He died, 1802, and was buried at Hetzel's church, near Pinegrove. He was one of the first settlers in Pinegrove Township. Emanuel Christ came to Berks County about 1750. He was a Captain in the Revolutionary War, Continental Line. He had a son Emanuel, whose son Isaac came to Mahantongo Valley, about 1780, when it was included in Pinegrove Town- ship. He died 1837. The Christs were prominent in the Civil War. George M. Christ, of Ashland, and Colonel Ben- jamin Christ, of Minersville, were descendants of Emanuel Christ. POTTS, HELMS, HESSERS Peter^ Helm came from the Rhine Palatinate, sailing from London, 1709, with the one hundred and fifty families for New York, who settled in Livingstone Manor. He was among the seventeen hundred who died shortly after landing. He left a son, Simon, who was the head of the Helm family in New York and Pennsylvania. Peter'' D. Helms, of Potts- ville, is a lineal descendant of Peter^ Helm (Peter", Peter^, Samuel^, Peter^, Simon^, Peter^.) Samuel'' Helm removed from Sullivan County, New York, where the Helm home- (Note — The figures 1, 2, 3 denote the number of the generation. 152 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who stead, erected 171 5, is still in possession of one of the family, to Berks County, Pa., and from there migrated to Pike County, Pa., where Peter^ was born. The latter settled near Mc- Keansburg, removing subsequently to Womelsdorf and thence to Myerstown, Pa., where Peter^ was born. Peter Helms, with his son, Peter D. Helms, of Pottsville, removed to Schuylkill Haven, 1852. Peter D. Helms married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Richard Edwards, a pioneer Welsh preach- er, by whom he had seven children. Samuel^ Helm was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.i The descendants of Simon and other children of Peter^ Helm are settled in Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsyl- vania, New York and other states. The Helms of the fourth generation were numerous in the War of the Revolution. The Heplers, of Schuylkill County, are represented by five generations, in Eldred Township. They were of the earliest pioneers and came from Berks County, about 1780. A. A. Hesser, deceased, station agent at Schuylkill Haven, was a son of Henry Hesser, and a direct descendant of Fred- erick Hesser, a drummer boy in the Revolutionary War, buried in St. John's cemetery, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. The Potts family came to Philadelphia, about 1682, emi- grating from England with William Penn. John Potts was born there. J-Iis son Thomas married Elizabeth Luken, 1750. He was a member of the Continental Congress, 1775. His son, liugh H. Potts, was born in New Jersey, 1773. He was the father of George H. Potts and an officer in the first United States Army. In 1800 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain John Hughes, who was in the Revolutionary War during the entire struggle. George H. Potts was born in Delaware, 181 1, and removed to Pottsville, 1829, where he engaged in mining operations. He married a daughter of George M. Gumming, a sister of Attorney Benjamin Cum- (Note 1 — Pension Certificate and army record, Bureau of Pensions.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 153 Who Was Who ming, Sr., and of Mrs. G. W. Snyder. He removed to New York, 1853, M^here he died. Joseph Harris, deceased, Presi- dent of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, a former resident, was married to two of his daughters. George Potts, of Pottsville, now of New York, was a son of George H. Potts. William Audenried, son of Lewis Audenried, who emi- grated from Switzerland, 1789, to Kutztown, Berks County, about 1810, was elected to the State Senate, 1824, having served as a Justice of the Peace for Brunswick Township for five years and as a member of the Legislature for two terms. To him is accredited having said, in that body, that "Schuyl- kil County had no coal, only a lot of black stone in its soil." John Macomb Wetherill removed to Pottsville, from Philadelphia, 1846, at the age of eighteen years, engaging in the management of coal lands for the Wetherill family, who were large owners. His great grandfather, Samuel Wetherill, was a Quaker but discarded his religious tenets at the break- ing out of the Revolutionary War and was at the head of the sect known as the Free or Fighting Quakers. He was never married and died in Pottsville, 1884. Francis Wade Hughes, Attorney at Law, was born in Montgomery County, 1817. His father, John Hughes, was one of the family of that name who came over with the Penns. His mother was the daughter of Benjamin Bartholomew, who was a Captain of Cavalry during the Revolutionary War. John Hoffman came from the vicinity of Heidelberg, Germany, about 1740 and settled in Lancaster County, after- ward Dauphin, 1785. His wife was of Huguenot stock and six generations inter-married with the descendants of those who had left Alsace and Lorraine after the edict of Nantes was revoked. Peter, of the second generation, was a Revolutionary soldier. The paternal names of John and Pe- ter have alternated all along the line to the present bearer 154 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who of the name, John R. Hoffman, formerly Assistant Manager of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, whose maternal ancestor was named Boyer, (Beyer). Other Hoffmans of the same family were in the War of the Revo- lution. Henry Kiihl Nichols, d., late chief engineer of the Read- ing Railway, was born in Pottsville, August 24, 1830; wife, Sarah C. Donaldson. They had one daughter, Clara, d., wife of R. E. Tucker. Henry Nichols' great grandfather was Michael Hillegas, Colonial Secretary and first Treasurer of the United States. Both of his grandfathers were officers in the Revolutionary War. Gen. Francis Nichols, his grand- father, was presented with a sword by General Washington, the sword is now in possession of a nephew. His father, Lieut. F. B. Nichols of the U. S. Navy, was active in the war of 1812, and died from the effects of wounds received on board the Chesapeake, commanded by Captain Lawrence at the tiifie he was killed. Mr. Nichols' brother, Gen. W. A. Nichols, served with distinction in the Mexican and Civil Wars, and a nephew, Major Nichols, was in the Spanish War and sta- tioned at Manila. Mr. Nichols resided in Pottsville until 1883 when he removed to Philadelphia, where he died. THE MORRIS ANCESTRY The Morris' are descended from Richard Morris, who came from England and settled in Westchester County, New York. He obtained a land grant of three thousand acres from Governor Fletcher, with manorial rights. He died 1673, leaving a son, Lewis, who became Chief Justice of New York, and subsequently Governor of New Jersey, From him is descended a representative of the Colonial Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Henry Morris, of Philadelphia, prominent in Schuylkill County's early coal business, and after whom Morris Addition, Potts- ville, was named; and Richard, John and Samuel Morris, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 155 Who Was Who deceased, of Pottsville, claimed descent from Richard Mor- ris. Robert Morris, Mrs. G. W. Kennedy, Mrs. George Hoffman and others, of Pottsville, are descendants. Mrs. John Morris, Mrs. Samuel Thompson and Mrs. Morri- son, mother of N. C. Morrison, were sisters, their family name being Cunningham. They were from Juniata County. Henry Aurand, of Huguenot ancestry, left Alsace, France when Louis XIV issued the revocation of the edict of Nantes and went to Holland, 1685, from where he removed to Heidelberg, Germany. At Dillenberg, a son, John, was born, September 2, 1725. In 1753 John came to Pennsylvania, settling at Maiden Creek, Berks County, October 2. He was married three times and was the father of seven children, Henry, Daniel and Jacob were born in Germany; Peter, George, Dietrich and Elizabeth, in America. Peter was the great grandfather of Aquilla Aurand, of Tamaqua. Mrs. Mary Heilner and Mrs. Caroline Carter, of Tamaqua, were among the daughters. Henry K. Aurand was born in Sunbury, 1833. Daniel Aurand, cabinet maker, deceased, of Pottsville, belong- ed to the family. Prof. Livingstone Seltzer, County Superintendent of Public Schools in Schuylkill County is a lineal descendant of Balthasar Bock, of Brunswick Township, in the Revolution- ary War. On the paternal side he is descended from a sol- dier for the British Crown in that war. MARLON BOYER, GULDIN, COLEMAN The Heebners, of Port Carbon, are descendants of George Heebner, of Montgomery County, a Revolutionary War soldier. He came to this county in 1816 and lived on a farm near the site of the County Home, where he conducted a mill. His son, Abraham Heebner, came to Port Carbon, in 1829, and was regarded as the founder of that place, being prominently identified with all its early afifairs. 156 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who Peter Brown was a native of Alsace, France. He came to America and settled in Virginia before the Revolutionary War, in which he was engaged from the beginning to the end as a teamster, hauling supplies from Philadelphia to Vir- ginia. He settled in Berks County, where his son, grandfather of P. J. Brown, of Reiner City, Schuylkill County, was born. Cal. Brower, of Tremont, was a native of Berks County. The old Brower homestead, near Douglassville, was in pos- session of the Browers, in 1750. Mahlon Boyer, of Pinegrove, was born near Reading. His great great grandfather removed there from near Phila- delphia about 1750. His grandfather, when seven years old, was captured by the Indians and then taken up the Susque- hanna River. He was retained in captivity until sixteen years of age when he escaped. His son William was born in Reading, in 1800. (Indian Forts, Vol. I.) Dr. B. C. Guldin, of Minersville, was the great great grandson of Daniel Guldin, of Oley Township, Berks County, who came to that region about 1760, from Switzerland. His grandfather was Benjamin C, who lived near Womelsdorf, where his father, Benjamin H., was born. The great grandfather of Samuel and William Mortimer, the former a Borough Treasurer of Pottsville, settled in Robeson Township, Berks County, prior to 1770, where he and his wife died. The family removed to the vicinity of Port Clinton, from where they went to different points. The children were: William, George, unmarried; John, d. St. Louis; Andrew and three daughters, Lydia, m. ' Scull and settled at Johnstown ; one da., m., Pullman ; Asbury Mortimer, of Pottsville, was a descendant of the above family. Andrew Mortimer was Chief Burgess of Pottsville and a member of Council. His children were : Nelson, Samuel, Borough Treasurer; Asher, Mrs. Hannah Stevens, Port Car- bon ; Mrs. Mary Kantner, and Andrew, Jr., who settled in Salt SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 157 Who Was Who Lake City and became a Mormon. William Mortimer, Sr., was a member of the Legislature, 1838, and County Commis- sioner, 1833. William Mortimer — Sons : William, Michael, Washing- ton, Morgan. William kept the White Horse Hotel. His sons later conducted the old Mortimer House, corner of Centre and West Norwegian Streets, William and Washing- ton both engaging in the mercantile business for many years after their retirement from the hotel. The children of Wil- liam Mortimer were : Charles, George Wesley, both deceased, Horace, jeweler; Frank, dry goods merchant, and Gilmour. The daughters were: Mrs. Tillie Engle, Mrs. F"annie Robin- son, deceased, Mrs. Emma Muir, deceased, and Mrs. Susan Palmer. Mrs. Heber S. Zerbey, a daughter of Samuel Mortimer, has in her possession the Mortimer family coat of arms, an original armorial (bearing) of the date of looi A. D., which was brought to America by the first Mortimer, who came from England, 1685, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where he died and is buried. He is said to have been the grandfather of the only Mortimer who settled in Berks County. Cornelius Coleman, of Llewellyn, is the great great great grandson of Carl Coleman, who settled in Louisiana, in 1704, then a French Province. His grandfather was born in Berks County, where the family removed and later to Dauphin County. His great grandfather, John, was a Revolutionary soldier under Lafayette. He died in Lykens, 1839. Daniel DeFrehn was born near where Tuscarora stands, 1791. His parents were Huguenots and came to America and settled in Berks County, from where they removed to near what is now New Philadelphia, Schuylkill County, in 1790. He removed to Orwigsburg where he settled and raised a large family, working at his trade of carpenter and con- 158 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who tractor. Of his five sons, Joseph and Daniel, father of George DeFrehn, cashier of the Miners' National Bank, of Pottsville, both were prominent and well known citizens. William Koch was born in Philadelphia, 1747, but settled in Oley Township and in Womelsdorf, Berks County. He removed to Brunswick Township, where he operated what is since known as Kunkle's saw mill. His son, Henry, was the father of Mrs. Charles T. Bowen, deceased. He was married to a daughter of Balthaser Bock. His son, Daniel, father of Richard, was a member of the State Legislature, i860. Balthaser Bock was born, in 1746, in Aide Hassan Graf- schaft, Hanan, Germany. He came to this country, 1754, with his father, the latter engaging in the French and Indian War, 1755. The family settled in Windsor Township, Berks County. Balthasar was sold to a farmer near Pinegrove to pay his passage. Serving his time he rejoined the family on the other side of the Blue Mountains. Although a lame man, he served in the Revolutionary War. He settled in McKeans- burg, where he died, 1827, and is buried there. He was a man of remarkable energy and has many descendants in Schuyl- kill County. Baltzer Bock bought a tract of land, 1791, from Peter Orwig for eight hundred and fifty pounds. It was part of the original John Webb tract, patented 1750, situated near what is now McKeansburg. Franklin P. Weiser, of Ashland, and James Weiser, of Minersville, also the Weiser's formerly of Orwigsburg, now of Ohio, are lineal descendants of Conrad Weiser. William Donaldson, grandfather of William Donaldson, of Pottsville, served in the Revolutionary War from North- umberland County. He is buried in the Baber cemetery, Pottsville, his remains having been removed here from Dan- ville. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 159 Who Was Who Isaac DeTurck settled on the Quassick Creek, Duchess County, New York, emigrating from the Rhine with the twelve hundred Palatines, 1709-1710, as a husbandman at the age of twenty-three and unmarried. He left New York, 171 1, and settled with the little band of Huguenots in Oley Town- ship, Berks County, 1712. The Hocks and Yoders took up land here, in the Penn Grants, about the same time. De- scendants of the Hoy family, in Berks and Schuylkill, are from this branch of the Hochs, the name in the original having frequently been spelled "Hoy" and this spelling has been retained by some of the family. Samuel DeTurck, d., of Friedensburg, was a direct descendant of Isaac DeTurck. Ulrich Heiser lived at Focht's Forge, near McKeansburg, about 1780. He was the son of Ulrich Heiser, of Oley Town- ship. He removed to Manheim Township, near the site of Schuylkill Haven, where George, the father of Veterinary Surgeon Edward Heiser, deceased, 87 years of age, was born, as was also his father. Christian Luther settled in Lancaster County, 1751. Diller Luther, with two brothers, all doctors, came from there to Orwigsburg but returned to Reading, where the former practised from 1832 to 1838. Diller Luther entered the coal business, in which he was engaged for a quarter of a century. His brothers, John and Martin Luther, practised medicine and were prominent in their profession. John died at Harrisburg, 181 1. Martin Luther, of Reading, was a very successful surgeon. Roland Luther, deceased, of Potts- ville, General Manager of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, who married Theresa Yuengling, was of this family, a son of Peter Luther. Hans Jacob Neuferdt came to America from Wurtem- burg on the ship Nancy, September 27, 1752, and took the oath of allegiance at Philadelphia. His son, Johan Jacob, born 1765, came to Rush Township, Schuylkill County, 1797, i6o BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who then Northampton County. He had a son, John Jacob, whose sons were: Peter, George and John. They were of the earli- est settlers in Rush Township. The Whetstones were other early settlers of Schuylkill County. Isaac Whetstone (Whetstine) was a Captain in the Revolutionary army. He was the progenitor of the Whet- stones, of Tamaqua, and came to America from Wurtemburg, Germany. (Revolutionary War. second part.) He was one of the earliest settlers and original owners of land near Mc- Keansburg. John George Huntsinger came from Rotterdam, 1743, to Berks County, immigrating to Hegins Township, then Pine- grove Township, about 1780. He was the grandfather of Prof. Emanuel Huntsinger, of Hartford, Conn., and has a numerous line of descendants in Hegins, all prosperous and well known. D. B. Green was born in Reading. His parents were John and Catharine Bright Green. Pie was admitted to the Bar and began practice in Schuylkill County, where he was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, 1871, and elected Additional Law Judge, 1881. He died in 1892. Wil- liam Green, grandfather of Judge D. B. Green, 1810, owned a tract of land near McKeansburg, where he lived for a time subsequently removing to Orwigsburg, where he kept the Rising Sun Hotel in the big square, and removed from there to Reading. JOHN R. AND BENJAMIN B. BANNAN Benjamin^ Bannan, born near Belfast, Ireland, March 17, 1770, died near Molatton, Pa., October. 1816. He was a far- mer in summer and taught school in winter. The old Swede church was used as a school house and here Francis Rawn Shunk, Governor, i845-'48, of Pennsylvania, also taught school. His wife was Sarah , born April 12, 1762; died SCHUYLKILL COUNTY i6i Who Was Who November 20, 1825. Both are buried in the Episcopal ceme- tery, Douglassville. Their children were: Abraham, a school teacher in Union Township, Berks County, who studied law and removed to Orwigsburg, where he practised for a time. Benjamin^ Bannan (Benjamin^), also taught school before he learned the trade of printer with former Congressman Getz, at Reading, on the Reading "Gazette." Benjamin^ Bannan purchased the Pottsville "Miner's Journal," 1829. He was thrice married and left two daughters. A daughter of Ben- jamin^ was married to Dr. George Douglass, of Orwigsburg. John^ R. Bannan (Benjamin^), born September 19, 1796, located at Orwigsburg and was admitted to the Schuylkill County Bar, 1818. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. He made a study of the land laws, acquiring title to valuable coal lands. He removed with his family to Pottsville about 1850, from the large red brick mansion, in the big square, Orwigs- burg, now owned by Solomon Moyer, to his newly erected old colonial mansion, Cloud Home, on Sharp Moun- tain, still occupied by members of the family, where he died May 3, 1868. He made the plans for the Orwigsburg Acad- ' emy, completed 1813, and supervised its erection and pre- sented the ground to the Borough on which was erected the Henry Clay Monument. He married Sarah Ann Ridg- way, born December 31, 1806, who died November, 1879. Their children were: Thomas R. and Douglass R., both graduates of Yale College, the former a prominent lawyer, wf., Alice Johnson; the latter entered the U. S. navy; Zelia R., Francis B., Mary J. and Martha R., all deceased with the exception of the latter and Francis B. Bannan, who married Mary T., daughter of George Reppelier, an individual coal operator, of Pottsville. They had six children, four of whom are living. Daniel Yoder was born in Oley, Berks County, 1789. His father, Peter Yoder, was an early settler. The former removed to Pottsville before it was erected as a borough and i63 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who lived on the brow of the hill, now the corner of East Nor- wegian and Wolf Streets. He was an inventive genius and took out a patent upon a pump which had a large sale before hydrants came into general use. William L. Yoder, of Maha- noy City, deceased, who removed to Virginia, was a grandson of Peter Yoder and son of Daniel. George Yoder settled in Eldred Township prior to 1809. He had a son William and his sons were Abraham and Nathan. George Yoder came from Oley, Berks County. Dr. George K. Binkley, of Orwigsburg, was born in Berks County, where his father, Benneville, was born, 1818. His grandfather, Henry, was an early Sherifif of Berks County. EARLY SETTLERS, WHO THEY WERE Peter Dreher came to this county with the earliest settlers. He was the great grandfather of Dr. C. B. Dreher, of Tamaqua. Drehersville was named for him and the de- scendants of that family. He was a native of Austria and on coming to this country served in the Revolutionary War and was wounded at the battle of Brandywine. Mrs. Arthur Shay, , wife of a late Judge of the Schuylkill Courts, is a descendant. John R. Diehm, deceased, was of Revolutionary stock. His great great grandfather settled in the Shenandoah Val- ley, Virginia, with the early Palatines. His son, William, was born there, 1764. The family removed to Reading, 1780, where William was appointed Sheriff. John Springer was the maternal great grandfather of the late Jesse Turner, of Port Carbon. He served three years in the Revolutionary War and was at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown. The family lived in Delaware. Alexander S. Faust, deceased, was the son of Samuel Faust, of Bern Township. His great grandfather came to this country, 1776. He was a soldier for the British crown. He became a prosperous farmer and had a numerous progeny. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 163 Who Was Who Henry Bast came to Manheim Township from Berks County, where he was born, 1818. Jeremiah F. is a son and the third generation are now living in Schuylkill County and are prosperous citizens. Michael Hoppes was born, 1752, in West Penn Township, when it was a part of Northampton County. He was a Revo- lutionary soldier and lived, died and is buried there. A large number of descendants from his son. Christian, are settled in that county. John W. Roseberry, Sr., was admitted to the Berks County Bar in 181 1. He removed to Orwigsburg, where his son, John, Jr., was born and where after his death his widow conducted a private school for girls. The latter, John W. Roseberry, was admitted to the Schuylkill County Bar and was a prominent citizen of Pottsville. The Matz's were of the earliest settlers in Brunswick Township. William Matz, a Sheriff of Schuylkill Coun- ty, in 1855, was born 1801. William J. Matz was born in 1838, the latter was elected Sheriff in 1877. There were five generations of this family in this locality, near McKeansburg. Mrs. Thomas Walker, Mrs. Sarah Bartholomew, Mrs. Kate Bender, d., Mrs. Jesse Drumheller and others, of Pottsville, are of the family from Brunswick. George Matz, an ancestor, was in the Revolutionary War. LINDEMUTH Michael Lindemuth and brother, Wolfe, came from the German Palatinate to Berks County, September 22, 1752, lo- cating in Windsor Township. Colonel Lindemuth is known on his tombstone and in the Pennsylvania Archives as, John Michael, and as Michael, in the Revolutionary War records. Michael T^indemuth married Marie Eva Noecker, June ly, 1760. i64 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who (Stoever's records : — Martin Noecker's wilU, says : "To the children of my deceased daughter, Eve, wife of Michael Lindemuth, I give and bequeath," etc. (These children were the two sons of Colonel Michael Lindemuth referred to as drummer boys in the Revolutionary War.^) Michael Lindemuth was married, three times. His second wife was Catharine Gerschwein (Geschwein.) The will of Margaret, widow of Eberhardt "Geschweid," of Bern Township, as recorded says : "I give and bequeath my daugh- ter, Catharine, wife of Michael Lindemuth." There are no children mentioned in Michael Linde- muth's will, probated October 25, 1785, by his only brother, Wolfe Lindemuth, of Bern Township, the widow Anna Maria, renouncing. The will of Wolfe Lindemuth shows he had no issue. Colonel Michael Lindemuth^ died suddenly while enroute to the seat of government to collect a claim he held against it for a large sum of money ad- vanced to the commissary department for supplies for the men in his command. His mysterious death is a matter of history. Jacob Lindemuth, deceased, landlord of the Exchange and other Pottsville hotels, frequently related "how his great grandfather was found dead beside his faithful horse, who stood watch over him and that his saddle bags had been rifled of these claims by unknown persons." Michael Lindemuth died October, 1785. (Note 1 — Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia, Book 365, p. B21.) (Note 2 — Revolutionary War Records, Part 1.) (Note 3 — Revolutionary War Record, Part 1.) (Note — The figures above the surname denote the number of the generation.. The abbreviations commonly used in genealogical tables are: da., daughter; bap., baptized; g. f. grandfather; m., married; rec, rec- ords; g. g. f., great grandfather; wt, wife; spon., sponsor; g. g. g. f., great, great grandfather. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 165 Who Was Who The two sons of Michael Lindemuth, above referred to as drummer boys, lived in Bern Township; their records, however, have not been discovered in the old Bernville church but are doubtless in one of the Windsor Township churches where Michael first settled. John Jacob removed to Hamburg, the other son remained in Bern Township. John^ Jacob Lindemuth (Michael,^ wife Maria Eva Noecker), born 1766, died 1839; wife Catharine Boyer, born 1768, died 1 85 1. He was one of the drummer boys referred to in the Revolutionary War records. He settled at Ham- burg, where he followed farming, and raised a family of sixteen children : George, Henry, Daniel, Joseph, Thomas, William, other sons and a number of daughters, Mrs. Jane Davis, Lewistown, Mifflin County (no issue), Mrs. Catharine Crosland, Mrs. Cooper, Mrs. Hannah Kepner, Mrs. Sarah Jennings, Mrs. Susan Gager, of Pottsville, deceased, were descendants of a son of this man who lived near Tamaqua. William^ Lindemuth, (John^ Jacob, Michael^ wife Elizabeth Cake), issue: Susan, married Spangler; Romanus; Matilda, married I. Wolfe; Caroline, married J. Valentine ; and William. He lived at Hamburg and followed the occupation of shoemaker and locktender. William* Lindemuth, settled at Stouchsburg, Berks County; born March 22, 1820; died October 10, 1887; wife Mary Brendle, born April 10, 1824 ; died July 4, 1857 ; children : Clara, Charles L, Elizabeth, William Johan, Edward and Samuel. Charles I. Lindemuth and brothers are cigar mak- ers and work at the factory established by Reilly Zerbe, retired. Charles is an antiquarian and has a large collection of antiques at his home in that place. He and Samuel are unmarried. Charles Lindemuth is the maker of the map of the early settlers of 1723, in this volume. One of the sons married a Rieth (Reed) and has several children. She belongs to i66 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who the historical family, whose heads came over 1710, and settled at Stouchsburg. "^ Lindemuth (second son of Michael Lindemuth and wife Eve Noecker ; drummer boy in Revolutionary war) ; children: William, Samuel, Jacob and Maria. William^ Lindemuth, ( '^, Michael^), born at Bernville, 1799; wife Rachael of Scotch descent; children: Susan, William J. (formerly of Minersville, a merchant), Hen- rietta, James, Zacharia, Samuel, Mary and Jerome. Mary died in Philadelphia, aged 85 years, as did also Henrietta. They lived at 1427 North 57th Street. Rev. Jerome^ Lindemuth, (William^, 2 Linde- muth, MichaeP) a Methodist minister; born June 7, 1831, at Stouchsburg, Berks County; wife Caroline Holmes Stuart, daughter of George Stuart, of Ireland; children: Carrie S. Mitchell, Glenolden, Pa. ; Mary F. Hewes, Chester, Pa. ; Wil- liam Holmes. Rev. William^ H. Lindemuth, D. D., pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, Pottsville, Pk. ; born at Reading and reared at Lebanon, (Jerome^, William^, ^ Linde- muth, Michael!); wife Emma Thomas Karcher; children: Emma K., Caroline S., deceased ; Edmund K., George H. Jacob^ Lindemuth, a former landlord of the Exchange and other hotels of Pottsville, deceased, was born near Wom- elsdorf, Berks County. ( , John^ Jacob, Michael^.) His father settled in Northumberland County, from where the family removed to near New Castle where they kept hotel. The children of Jacob and Eleanor Lindemuth were : Elea- nor, widow of Samuel Keiter; Anna G. and Clara A., a son and daughter, deceased. Mary, wife of George Moll, of Potts- ville, daughter of Ella and Samuel Keiter, has one son. Joseph* Lindenmuth, (Daniel^ John Jacob^, Mich- ael^) ; born June 4, 1816; died April 16, 1901 ; wife Re- becca Heisler, of Lewistown (Tuyful's Loch) ; born November SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 167 Who Was Who 4, 1818; died January 22, 1878. She was the daughter of Jacob and Susanna Heisler. Joseph Lindenmuth was a teamster and owned his own teams doing hauling for contractors and working about the mines. He removed to Pottsville about 1845, where they raised a large family ; children : Sarah and Ella, deceased ; William, Charles, Sybilla and Annie. Wm. Lindenmuth, wife Rebecca Speacht ; children : Theodore, Howard, a daughter deceased, and William, Jr., who married Rachael Jenkins ; children : Edward, Louise, Anna, Eleanora, single. Charles Lindenmuth, wife Levina Jenkins ; children : Mamie, single; Warren, deceased, and Gertrude, wife of James Mullen, one child, Dorothy. Sybilla Lindenmuth, wife of Valentine Glassmire; first husband, George Rogers ; children of the latter : George, sin- gle ; Lillian, wife of Lyde Garnet. The children of Valentine Glassmire : Verna. Annie Lindenmuth, wife of Lehman Walters ; children : Harry, married to Mary Evans; children: Harry, James, Kenneth, Ellsworth and Anna, single; Lulu, married to Roy Yeager, no children. Howard (William Sr.), wife Katie Collins; children: Conrad and George. Theodore (William Sr.), wife Mary Weiss; children: Florence, May, Frances, Dora. Florence (Theodore), wife of Charles Pettit; children: Newton. The ship records also show that three other Lindemuths came to Berks County, Pa., 1749. Hans, William and, per- haps, a Jacob or Michael, but no trace of these men has been found. i68 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who THE BRAUN— BROWN FAMILY John Brown (Braun), wife Catharine, came from the Palatinate, Germany, to this country, October 20, 1752, on the ship Duke, Daniel Montpelier, Captain, (Ship Lists). He settled in Berks County, north of the Blue Mountain, in one of the fertile valleys between what is now the Summit and Auburn, Schuylkill County. He was a veterinary surgeon. He had three sons : John, John Adam and John George. His signature to a deed to this land, 1804, is recorded in the Berks County court house. The Black Horse Hotel, Wayne Township, which has been in possession of the Brown family for several generations, stands upon part of the original tract. There is no record of the date of his death. His name appears on the original list of subscribers to the St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church, South Manheim Township, (Summer Berg), as hav- ing given ten shillings to the erection of this church, 1782, and he and his wife are buried here among the many unmarked and unknown graves. The Brauns were Huguenots and left Alsace and Lor- raine after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. They were, of the Reformed faith. The father, John^ and two sons, John^ and John^ Adam were in the Revolutionary War. On his return John Adam brought with him a twelve pound cannon ball which is a relic in the Brown family today. Jacob's church records, near Pinegrove, show Johann Braun to have stood sponsor with his wife Catharine, June 24, 1804. Other records are: (Note — A Phillip Braun came to New York 1709-1710. He and his wife were sponsors, in Schoharie, for Conrad Weiser's first child and son, September 7, 1722. He settled in Berks County, 1723. Phillip Braun (Pioneer Homesteads, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 169 Who Was Who map), one of the signers for the road, 1727, came to Tulpe- hocken Township, 1723. When Conrad Weiser came (1729) he took up a tract of land adjoining Braun's.) Braun — Margaretha, baptized April 14, 1805. Parents Johann and Elizabeth. They buried a son, born January 14, 1819, aged I month, 25 days. Another child of the same par- ents was baptized December 25, 1808. Johann^ Braun is supposed to have died 1804. Johann^ Braun, born November 12, 1756, died De- cember 13, 1838. He is buried in the Dreisbach cemetery, Union County, Pennsylvania. Prof. Robert Braun, of Pottsville, of the Braun School of Music, of Ptottsville and Reading, is a descendant of Johann^ Braun ; Robert^ Braun ; (Charles* Theodore, Charles^ Johann^, Johann^.) John^ Adam Brown, born February 2, 1759; died Au- gust 3, 1837, and is buried in St. Paul's Summer Hill ceme- tery. His son, Valentine, born February 8, 1783 ; died August 26, 1857. He was the owner of the Black Horse Hotel and to him is attributed the founding of a public school in Wayne and South Manheim Townships. In 1829 a young teacher. Christian Meyer, from Stras- burg, Germany, came to the hotel and stated his vocation to the proprietor, Valentine Brown. There was then no school in that section of the county and Mr. Brown said: "I will give you board and lodging free in my house if you stay here and open a school." The young man accepted the ofifer, Mr. Brown went to see his neighbors and the result was a little log school house on Summer Hill, four miles south of Brown's, and an equal distance west from the Summit, where a small private school was opened. George Brown, brother of Valentine, donated the ground, on the crest of Summer Hill, and also donated material for the building. Christian Meyers taught school in these townships, public 170 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who and private, for forty-one years. He was the organist of the Summer Hill Church and also followed the occupation of farmer. W.* W. Brown, a prominent citizen of that part of Schuylkill County, and an elder of St. Paul's Church, married a daughter of Christian Meyers, who died October 25, 1910, leaving no issue. W.^ W. Brown, (Valentine^, John^ Adam, Johni.) FILBERT FAMILY John Samuel Philbert, born January 8, 1710; died Sep- tember 25, 1786. His name occurs on the ship lists, ship Samuel, from Rotterdam, August 30, 1737, from Wittenberg, Saxony^; wife Susanna, born March 10, 1704, died Jan- uary 4, 1771. He had five sons and three daughters: John Thomas, born February i, 1737; died November 8, 1784; married Catharine Potteiker ; Maria Caterina, married to John Heinrich Ache; Anne Elizabeth, married to John Heinrich Weber; (tombstone inscription at Host's, John Heinrich Weber, b. November 28, 1735, in Hochstadt, Germany; d. April 10, 1815; Elizabeth Weber, geborn Filbert, December 6, 1741, d. February 7, 1813. Captain in Revolutionary War.) John Phillip Filbert, born December 7, 1743, (Captain in the War of the Revolution), married to Anna Maria Meyer; died August 30, 1817. John Peter, born August 22, 1746; married Polly Ludwig ; Maria Christina, married Jost Ruth. Captain John^ Phillip Filbert, (John^ Samuel), who kept an old time tavern near Bernville, had three children: Samuel, born 1770, died 1795; John Filbert and a daughter, Catharine, married to William Machimer. John Filbert was the progenitor of the Womelsdorf branch and his son, Samuel, was the father of P. K. Filbert, D. D, S., of Pottsville. (Note 1 — Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Vol. 17, pp. 131, 133.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 171 Who Was Who Samuel^ Filbert, ancestor of the Pinegrove branch, had two children: Joseph, and Peter Filbert, born 1794, wife Elizabeth Staudt, daughter of Phillip Staudt. Peter's children were : Samuel P., Edward T., Peter A., William H., of Pine- grove; John A., of Schuylkill Haven; daughters, Leah, wife of Dr. John Kitzmiller; Sarah, wife of Richard Musser, and Rebecca, wife of F. W. Conrad, editor for many years of the "Lutheran Observer." J. H. Filbert, attorney-at-law, of Pottsville, is a son of John A., and a great great grandson of Captain Phillip Filbert. WEIDMANS, KREBS, TYSONS Major John Weidman was born in Lancaster County, 1756. He served in the Continental line in the Revolutionary War. Dr. Murray Weidman, of Reading ; Judge Mason Weid- man and Barge Weidman, of Pottsville, all deceased, were de- scendants. Jacob Krebs was born in Long Swamp, Berks County, and came to Manheim Township before 1800. He owned part of the farm upon which the Schuylkill County Almshouse now stands. The family attended church at Zion's (Red Church) and it is related that it being the nearest and about five miles distant, the family repaired thither on the Sabbath in a cart drawn by oxen. This was no uncommon occurrence. Many of the roads were nothing more than bridle paths through the forests and horse back riding was not possible to the infirm or aged. As late as i860 lumber hauling in some parts of Schuylkill County was done by oxen teams. The Krebs, of Schuylkill County are descendants of this family. The Medlars are of Huguenot stock and settled in Berks County about 1760. Daniel Medlar came to Hamburg before 1800. He is supposed to have been a son of George Medlar (Revolutionary War Record.) Dr. S. Medlar, of Orwigsburg, was an early settler. The Medlars, of McKeansburg, Drehers- 172 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who ville, Pottsville and Mahanoy City are all of this branch. James A. Medlar, Vice President of the Schuylkill Trust Com- pany, Pottsville, is a descendant. Henry Auman came to this country as a British soldier, for the British crown. He was taken prisoner by General Washington at Trenton, New Jersey, and after the Revolu- tionary War settled in Amity Township, Berks County. He ' was the great grandfather of the late Samuel and Lieutenant William Auman, of Pottsville, the latter of the United States army, retired and living in New York. Daniel Dreibelbeis came from Hammesthal, Germany, 1740, settling in Richmond Township. His sons were Daniel, Abraham, Jacob and Martin. The latter came from Moselem, Berks County, to what is now Schuylkill Haven and was its first permanent settler. One of the sons was married to Catharine "Markel," daughter of George Merkle, a leading pioneer in Richmond Township, who settled there about the above date and took out a patent for one thousand acres of land. Cornelius Tyson came from England, about 1683, and was one of the first settlers of Germantown. He belonged to the Society of Friends. His tombstone, the oldest in Ger- mantown, gives his age as sixty-three years and the date of his death as 1716. Another branch of the family name came from the Rhine Palatinate, they were German Menonites and neither line en- gaged in the early wars, their religious principles forbidding it. Cornelius and Hannah Smith Tyson's marriage is re- corded, March 30, 1751. They lived in Montgomery County, then Chester, where Joseph Tyson was born, February 16, 1751. Dr. H^enry Tyson, of Reading, was born 1815. He was a Professor in the University of Pennsylvania, Phila- delphia. Henry Tyson had a brother Cornelius, who died at the age of twenty-five years. Captain Tyson was an Arctic SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 173 Who Was Who explorer. The large Berks County family of this naine, and Cornelius Tyson, deceased, of Pottsville, are descended from Cornelius and Hannah Tyson. The Tyson homestead, near the Oley, Exeter and Amity Township lines, is still maintained by a member of the family name. Eli^ L. Heisler, (George* Jacob, Joseph^ George^, George^ Jacob Heisler.) The latter came from the Austrian border to Berks County about 1770, removing to Montgomery County. A branch of the family lived at Lewistown, Schuylkill Coun- ty. George Jacob Heisler was a paymaster in the Revolu- tionary War and carried a rifle in the battle of Stony Point. Marshall Heisler, who did good service in the Reading Com- pany Coal and Iron Police, Minersville, during the MoUie Maguire troubles, was a lineal descendant. George Jacob, father of Eli Heisler, of Pottsville, while papering and paint- ing a house in Montgomery County, after the Civil War, found behind a washboard, a record of the oath of allegi- ance taken by Melchoir Fritz, 1763, to the British crown, in London, where he took the communion in the Church of England before coming to this country. He settled in Robe- son Township, Berks County. This paper Mr. Heisler pre- sented to Ezekiah J. Fritz, of Pottsville, a lineal descendant. THE SPOHN FAMILY Henry2 Spohn, (Joseph^), born in Cumru Township, Berks County, March 10, 1720; died January 21, 1813I. His wife, Catharine , born March 12, 1736, died January 25, 1810. They had sons: Adam, b. January 25, d. January 18, 183 1 ; Phillip, a Revolutionary soldier; John, Captain in the Revolutionary War; and several daughters. Trinity Church records, Reading, show Henry Spohn and wife, Catharine, to have stood sponsors eight times at baptisms from 1768 to '93, which show the date and also the family names of friends and relatives. 174 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who John Spohn and wife, Mary , stood sponsors at the baptism of John Spohn, son of Adam (Henry^), b. November 7, 1790. This John Spohn was probably the man who settled on Broad Mountain, (Schuylkill County), and died at the age of forty-seven, in Pottsville, 1847. -His wife was Margaret Horufif, and the surviving children are : Mrs. Eliza Denne- baum and Mrs. Val. Stichter; deceased Moncure, Frank, and several others. Captain John Spohn, wf. Catharine, daughter of Conrad Bower, deceased. He was born in Cumru Township, Jan- uary 10, 1754, and married Maria Biddle. He died April 19, 1822, at Reading. His company and that of Captain Peter Decker were captured at the taking of Fort Washington, November, 1776. Phillip Spohn and wf., Mary, baptized four daughters and one son, John William, between August 17, 1771, and February 28, 1790. The sponsors for the latter were the grandparents, Henry and Catharine Spohn.^ BECHTELS, PALMERS John Bechtel, father of Hon. O. P. Bechtel, lived in Berks County, where he kept the "Half Way House," between Reading and Kutztown. He removed from there to North- umberland County, where his tract of land was known as "Warrior Run farm." In 1847 he removed to Middleport, Schuylkill County. John Bechtel was born in Bucks County, 1798. He was postmaster of Middleport during the Pierce administration. Nathan Palmer was a lineal descendant of Miles Standish. He was born in Plainfield, Connecticut, but remov- ed early to Pennsylvania. The sympathies of the Palmer family were with the British and they were not represented in the War of the Revolution. His son was Judge Strange (Note 1 — Hain's Church Kecords.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 175 Who Was Who N. Palmer, who came to Pottsville, 1829. His son, Robert Palmer, State Senator, was appointed minister to the Argen- tine Republic, 1861. His health failed and he died, 1862, on his return trip home and was buried at sea. Of his children. Strange, Charles T., (a prominent physician), Robert, Laura, Bertha, wife of Harry Stinear, and Frank N., the latter alone survives. THE KAERCHERS, KEPNERS, SHIPPENS Conrad Roth, or Roads, came from Germany and settled in Chester County. He resided in Reading, 1760, where he died. His son, John, settled in Hamburg where Franklin Roads, of Minersville, and Jacob O. Roads, the father of George and Oliver Roads, of Pottsville, were born. Other Roths or Roads, in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, were the descendants of one of three brothers who settled in Amity Township, about 1725, Jacob having a numerous progeny. Colonel Jones, of the Continental line. Revolutionary War, was a maternal ancestor of George and Oliver Roads. It was said of Colonel Jones that "one half of the prominent people of Reading, in the early days, were descended from him ; among them the Hon's Glancy and Richmond L. Jones, and in Pottsville the Morris, Roseberry, Roads, N. C. Morrison, Thompson, Mrs. George Ryon and Nathan Evans' families, and others claim descent from this man ; Jonathan Jones m. Margaret Davis. They had eleven children, five sons and six daughters. Hamburg was first called Kaerchertown. Martin Kaer- cher lived here in 1785. William, George and Daniel, sons of Martin, were taxpayers in 1793. Daniel removed to Frie- densburg, Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, where Franklin B. Kaercher, the father of Frank D., Edward E., William H., Samuel H. (deceased), D. W., and Mrs. Ida Day, was born. Martin Kergher, John and Christian Kercher 176 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who (Kaercher) (Revolutionary War Record.) The Derrs, Shomos, Yeagers, Seidels and other Pottsvillians, claim Hamburg as the seat of their nativity. The Kepners, W. C, deceased, and Sol. Kepner, of Or- wigsburg, are descended from a family that lived in the south- ern part of Schuylkill County long before it was known by that name. They belonged for several generations to that thrifty element that represents the typical Pennsylvania Ger- man citizen. Kepners, a village on the branch of the Lehigh Valley Railway, was named after the family. Bernhard Kep- ner kept a tavern on the Catawissa road, one mile north of McKeansburg, then Northampton County. He was in the Revolutionary War and is buried at McKeansburg. Attorney L. D. Haughawout, of Pottsville, claims two members of his family as having been in the Revolutionary War and others in the later wars in which the United States was involved. Henry Spannuth was in the War of the Revolution. On Christmas night, 1776, he was among those of the British emissaries captured by General Washington after crossing the Delaware. Released, he took up arms at once for the Continental cause. He settled in Lebanon County. Jacob^ Spanuth, (Henry'', EmanueP, George^, Henry^), Jacob, antiquarian, of Pottsville, is descended from Henry^, who came over, 1776, with the British forces and became an exemplary citizen in his adopted country. Daniel Focht, clerk for John Pott, lived in one of the first houses erected at the Forge, 1806, old Orchard, Greenwood basin, near the site of Pottsville. Focht's forge, near New Ringgold, was owned by this family of which the James Focht and Daniel Focht families are a branch. Edward B. Hubley, born 1792, at Reading, son of Attor- ' ney Joseph Hubley, admitted to the Bar 1820, was twice SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 177 Who Was Who elected to Congress from Berks and Schuylkill Counties, 1835 to 1839. He lived at Orwigsburg, removing to Reading, then to Philadelphia, where he died. John* P. Hobart, (Nathaniel^ P., Robert^, Enochi), came to Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, 1838. He was born in Pottstov^rn, Montgomery County, 1814, and married Anne Smith. He was a lawyer and practised in the Schuylkill County courts, coming to Pottsville when the county seat was removed from Orwigsburg, where he lived until his death. They had two sons and two daughters. Nathaniel^ Potts Hobart, a lawyer, was Auditor General of Pennsylvania, 1836, under Governor Joseph Ritner. He was in the War of i8i2-'i4. He built the mansion for a homestead on the hill at Pottstown, afterward used as a school for boys by Col. Meiggs. Here the family resided. He married Johanna Holland. Nathaniel Hobart was a grandson of Enoch Hobart, a sea captain from Philadelphia to Liverpool. There was a Peter Hobart, who came to Hingham, Mass., 1635. He had sixteen children who settled in different states. Enoch Hobart may have been one of the sons, but the connection has not been proven. Shippen, John, and wife Margaret McCall, came to Pottsville, 1830. He was a descendant of Edward Shippen, the first Colonial Mayor, of Philadelphia. A daughter of this historic family, a great belle and beauty, married General Benedict Arnold, who was a traitor to his country. The Shippens were loyalists. The children of John Shippen were : Edward, Samuel and Elizabeth, the latter being the last of her family and died May 20, 1914, in Philadelphia, where she resided the last years of her life; the family home on the site of the Philadelphia and Reading Company building, Mahan- tongo Street, Pottsville, being owned and occupied by them for fifty years, John Shippen was President of the Miners' 178 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who National Bank, of Pottsville, from March 4, 1831, succeeding Francis B. Nichols, resigned, February 25, 1831. The Miners Bank was incorporated, 1828, and he was its second president serving almost a half century. Miss Elizabeth Swift Shippen, through inheritance amassed considerable wealth, her estate being valued at more than $2,000,000. The Pottsville Hospital received $272,000 from her estate with other bequests ; the hospital having been practically founded by her in memory of her parents. Be- quests were given other local and some Philadelphia institu- tions. Thomas James Baird married the daughter of Matthew Carey, of Philadelphia. His wife, Eliza C. Baird, was a sister of Henry C. Carey, the noted political economist and writer. They came to Pottsville, 1835, where Mr. Baird acted as agent for the Carey's, who owned the controlling interest in the York Farm, Eyre and St. Clair coal tracts. Mr. Baird was a graduate of the United States Military Academy, 1814, and served in the war of 1812-14, as a Lieutenant of Artil- lery. He remained in the service until 1828 when he resigned as Captain of the 3rd Regiment United States Artillery. In 1838 he was elected Captain of the National Light Infantry, of Pottsville. Their children were Augusta, wife of Dr. A. H. Halberstadt, and Edward Carey Baird, married to Emily Thompson, daughter of Samuel C. Thompson. E. C. Baird was a Major on General Meade's staff during the War of the Rebellion serving with distinction throughout the entire period. Ashael Powers, grandfather of Rev. J. F. Powers, pastor of Trinity Episcopal church, was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War from Springfield, Vermont. Christian Burkert was born in Berks County, 1751, where he died, 1840. He was in the Revolutionary War. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 179 Who Was Who He was the grandfather of Elias P. Burkert, of Ashland, Schuylkill County. Dr. Jonathan Potts was born at Pottstown, Montgomery County, 1747. He was a surgeon general in the Revolution- ary army. His son William was the grandfather of Hon. W. Ramsey Potts, of Pottsville. William and William B. Potts are both buried at Pottstown, which was named after Jona- than Potts. James Patterson settled in Chester County, (Conestoga, Lancaster County,) 1717. His son, James Patterson, re- moved to Juniata County, and settled on the banks of the river Juniata, where he built a stone house that was used as a fort against the Indians with whom he traded. He was a Captain in the French and Indian War. His son, George Patterson, married Jane Burd, daughter of the Colonel of his father's regiment, and Sarah Shippen, a descendant of the first mayor of Philadelphia. His son, Burd Patterson, came to Pottsville, 1824, and was one of its foremost resi- dents. The family in Pottsville was a large and prominent one, but is now almost wholly extinct here. Burd S. Patter- son, of Pittsburg, is a grandson of Burd Patterson, his father was Joseph Patterson. George Patterson, brother of Burd, was married twice. His sons were : Stuart, Edward, Fred- erick and William, of the first wife, and John and Theodore, of the second. His daughters were Matilda, Mary and Dollie. Samuel Lewis, son of Griffith and Lydia Lewis, was born October 13, 1791. He was married to Rebecca Phillips, Octo- ber 18, 1820. They had five children, one of whom died in early manhood. Charles M., father of Charles M. Lewis, manager Philadelphia and Reading Telegraph Company lines, Reading ; and Edgar P. Lewis, of Pottsville, was born October 13, 1823, and died 1880. Samuel Lewis was twice married, his first wife having died November 9, 1857 (was born July 12, 1788). The second union, to Miss Miller, a public school i8o BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who teacher, took place May 26, 1859. From this marriage one son, William Allison, was born, January 8, 1867. Samuel Lewis died August 22, 1878. His wife, Rose M. Lewis, died at Rutherford, N. J., January 6, 1915, and is buried in Pottsville. Samuel Lewis, borough surveyor, and the compiler of several original borough and county maps, traced his lineage back in a clear line of descent to Evean Lewis, who was born in or near Nathlage Parish, Pembroke Shire, Wales, British Isles. He and his wife Magdelene, emi- grated to America in 1713 and settled in the great valley in Whitelaw Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, where they purchased a tract of land from Richard Thomas. They had four children, one son Griffith and three daughters. The line extended down through the above Griffith to Samuel, his son, and to Samuel's son Griffith, who in turn had a son, Samuel, the subject of this sketch, and the fifth generation up to the time of his death and the seventh in a direct line of descent of the Lewis family up to the present time. ZELLERS, RAHNS, SEITZINGERS John Henry Sellaire (Zeller), Huguenot, came to New' York, 1710, with the one thousand immigrants. His name and that of his son John is on the list of settlers at Livingstone manor. He was in Queen Anne's war, 1711^. He died 1756. John Henry Zeller came from the Schoharie, N. Y., to Chester County, Penna., (Berks), 1727. He built the block house, as a refuge from the Indians (part of which is still standing) on the mill creek, between Womelsdorf and Stouchs- burg. Zeller, John Henry, wf. Anna Maria; c, John George, John Henry, John David, Plartman (Martin,) John, Anna Maria Saltzberger, Barbara, Catharine Pontus, Anna Eliza- beth Battdorf. His son John George lived on the homestead in Marion Twp., between Wintersville and Stouchsburg. (Note 1 — Koster of companies. Part 1.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY i8i Who Was Who George M. Zeller, a direct descendant of John Henry, is the landlord of the hotel, Stouchsburg. He m. Lizzie J. Bright; they have one son. Jacob^ Rahn, b. Aug. 8, 1728, wf. Margaretta, b. Aug. 4, 1714; c. Jacob and Adam. Jacob^ Rahn (Jacob^) b. July 16, 1757, d. 1823, m. Elizabeth Schneider. They had four sons and four daughters. Jacob^ was a soldier in the War of the Revolution (Part i.) Jacob^ w^as the father of George Rahn, who came early to Orwigsburg from Kutztown, Berks County. He was one of the first associate judges of Schuyl- kill County and Sheriff, 1820-1831. His children were Rich- ard, Charles A. (Clerk of the Schuylkill courts,) Mrs. Matilda Filbert, Oscar, one da. Jacob Siegfried. Jacob's name is found upon the Revo- lutionary war roster (Part i.) Michael, Andreas, John, Henry, Joseph and Jacob all took the oath of allegiance, 1777.-^ Nicholas Seitzinger, wf. Barbara Setley, of Perry Coun- ty, Pa., had seven sons and a number of daughters. Pie was a taxable, 1759, in Bethel Township, Berks County, and in 1795 owned land in Butler Township (Mahantongo.) He was in the Revolutionary war. Children : George, m. to Catharine Kantner; Daniel m. Mary Ream; John m. Roland ; Jacob m. Elizabeth Moyer, West Brunswick Town- ship ; Samuel m. Dreibelbeis ; Nicholas m. Rowe, of Reading; Henry d. single; Catharine m. James Scott, father of Samuel Scott, wf. Mary Beyerle. Harvey^ Scott, (SamueP, James^), retired merchant of Pottsville, m. Ella Lindenmuth; c, Effie, wf. of Charles Seltzer, one da., son d. ; Laura, m., deceased ; da. Laura. The daughters of Jacob^ Seitzinger (Nicholas^) were: Mrs. Robert Palmer, Mrs. Fred. Fernsler, Mrs. Annetta Schuyler, and Mrs. Adelia Hippie. (Note 1 — List of names, Berks Historical Society.) i82 BLUE BOOK OF Who Was Who Jeremiah^ Seitzinger, County Commissioner and Court Crier, (Jacob^, Nicholas^), b. 1802 at Bull's Head, m. Amanda, da. of Joseph Morgan, of Orwigsburg ; their children were : Marcus, Aurora and Annie, wf. of G. Wesley Mortimer, d. Nicholas^ Seitzinger (Nicholas^) was an Associate Judge of Schuylkill County and lived at Tamaqua, Pa. Jacob lived on a farm at Bull's Head. He built the first brick house in Pottsville, on the site of the Merchants' Bank, opposite the Episcopal Church. His brick yard was located where the old Pennsylvania freight depot stands. He owned the lots where the Exchange Hotel is and constructed it from bricks made at his yard. The family lived in what is now the Eber build- ing. Of other notable citizens among the early settlers of Pottsville, the majority were Pennsylvanians and claimed the seat of their nativity in one of the three original counties of 1682, Chester, Bucks and Philadelphia, from which devolved Lancaster, York, Montgomery, Dauphin, Lebanon, North- ampton, Northumberland, Berks and other counties and are nearly all on record as citizens of Eastern Pennsylvania. The esoteric rights of the foregoing to Revolu- tionary and Colonial ancestry have been accepted by the writer, through personal assertion, hearsay evidence and tradition ; no attempt having been made to establish their claims, except those noted and those that are correlative with established records found elsewhere in these pages. (In the Pennsylvania Archives, War Department Records, Pension Bureau, etc.) The great amount of labor required in such a research being left to such as are personally interested in verifying them. Nor has an effort been made by the author to individual- ize all of the early families that belonged to the maternal family of Berks County and settled in the eastern and north- eastern part, now known as Schuylkill County, or of those mentioned whose descendants settled later in her environ- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 183 Who Was Who ments. The foregoing, perhaps, are but a tithe of those who sprang from the nucleus of early settlers, when the division of counties in Eastern Pennsylvania was unknown or con- fined to the original three, Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks Counties, but sufficient have been given to prove the resi- liency of their claims and their hereditary right to an ances- try, that through succeeding generations, has aided in propa- gating civilization in almost every State in the Union. Patrician or proletariat by heritage, the mission of the early settler in Pennsylvania was the same and the results speak for themselves. RETROSPECTIVE History is necessarily a work of compilation and re- search and is never fully complete. From its adolescent period up to the present time, to establish facts and their recurrence, a personal visitation and investigation, of the ground gone over, is imperative. During the years occupied in this research, the author traveled many miles, spending weeks in the principal histor- ical libraries, of the State and inspected the church and court house records in the different counties involved in the historical and genealogical annals ; many homesteads, too, were visited and individuals, personally, were interviewed upon the subjects treated upon in these pages. Of the hundreds of letters written to persons, many of which were not deemed of sufficient importance by the re- ceivers to send a response ; and from those received from others who kindly furnished what they knew, many facts relevant to the subject were gleaned. While the writer is painfully conscious of the ofttimes imperfect result of these researches, yet much original light 1 84 SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK Who Was Who has been thrown upon quoted subjects; and new and orig- inal matter has been gained 'that is of the greatest import- ance in confirming and substantiating the data given; and in rejecting other claims that were irrelevant or not authentic. With the hope that the work may be taken up and carried to a conclusion by other more facile and trenchant pens, the historical pages are laid aside to make way for the genea- logical records. < O O a P H >-" « 12; a o o O SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK Genealogical Records— Zerbeys 187 Origin Of The Zerbeys NAME TRACED TO NINTH CENTURY >HE Zerbes were originally Norsemen and natives of ancient Scandinavia, a general name given in the early cen- turies to the great tract of country north of Germany, comprising Denmark, Norway and Sweden and including Iceland and the Danish Archipelago. Their tribal name, like the Gauls, Goths, Normans, Teutons and others of the early races was "Servi" and their coat of arms a knight with the heraldic device, "To Serve," emblazoned on it. They were the retainers of the Duke of Holstein, ruler of the Princely German House of that name, which includes the royal line of Den- mark and other collateral royal branches. Holstein, on the North Sea, a duchy of North Germany, belonged to Denmark, but is now an adjunct of Prussia and known through its alliance with Schleswig as the province of Schle-swig-Holsteiny its limits being circumscribed through the frequent changes of the boundaries of Northern Europe, brought about by the Roman conquerors. From the reign of Charlemagne, in Eight Hundred A. D., who was then the most powerful monarch in all Europe and whose empire extended from the Atlantic to the Save, the i88 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Theiss, the Oder and the lower Vistula rivers, from the Baltic Sea to the Ebro and from the North Sea and the Eider to central Italy; the power of the independent dukes, of the small duchies was almost equal to that of the reigning sovereign. In some instances these nobles were wealthier than their rulers. Their castles were magnificent in their fortress-like proportions, they maintained a sovereignty over large armies of vassals and retainers and if their ruler could not compel their obedience, they made war and peace upon their own terms and rendered only a nominal service to their reigning sovereign. Of such, was the Duke of Holstein. In the ninth century a race of pirates began to inflict great suffering upon the European coasts. They sailed up the navigable rivers of the German Ocean and ravaged the countries along their shores and the North German free-hold- ers were despoiled of their homes and their possessions by the marauders. The Norsemen became, more or less, a nomadic race. The frequency with which they made war upon the southern countries and weaker principalities led them into frequent migratory expeditions and when Paris was besieged, in A. D. 885, Charles, "the Fat," bribed them to withdraw their forces instead of opening a conflict with them. In 894 A. D., when Arnulf made war upon the Norsemen and afterward entered Italy, to settle the quarrel between the rival claimants to the crown, some of the defeated Norse- men accompanied his army; among them were some of the Servi (pronounced Sarve, two syllables), who remained in that country and settled, and the name became "Zerbi." Others settled in the duchy of Hanover, where it was known as "Zarva," but the greater number, after participating in the wars that led up to the crowning of the German Kings as "Roman Emperors," in 962, some of these northern feudal Servi mijg;rated to middle Europe, uniting with the Galicians, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 189 Of the Zerbeys where they became powerful and noted for their vigor of frame, valor in war and love of freedom. About the tenth century they received a grant of land from the Emperor Leo VI, situated on the Danube River, which they proceeded to cultivate, establishing their feudal rights as freeholders, only pausing in their career as agri- culturists, to take up the sword and layi aside the plough- share, to defend their little independent kingdom in the nth century, when the Greeks invaded it and again when the Turks reduced it and in the frequent insurrections that fol- lowed until it became a free and independent State under the protection of the great Powers. The Austrian-Servian crisis, when Montenegro and Servia disagreed and when King Peter, of Servia, desired to be considered the head of all the Servians and Prince Nicholas, of Montenegro, proposed to constitute himself "Czar" of the two little States, Austria was obliged to interfere to preserve their neutrality. Recent historical events, 1914-15, show the Servians still resenting all efforts on the part of other powers to absorb their principality into a more powerful dynasty (June i, 1915.) (Note — There is a town in Austria-Hungary named "Szarvas" (Szahrvas) on the Koros, 22, miles northeast of Csongrad, population 18,917.) Before the birth of Christ the Thracian or Illyrian races inhabited all the country south of Austria-Hungary and when the nomadic tribes of Servians came from Galicia, a province of Spain at the extremity of the Iberian peninsula, and gave it their name, they were converted to Christianity. In 636 A. D. others came and the land was known as Galicia, part of it now (1914) being a province of Austria and known as Galicia-Lodomeria. After the bloody wars, 1459, between Hungary and Turkey, the Servians were freed. The land given them by Emperor Leo VI in the tenth century was erected into an independent kingdom by Pope Honorius III igo BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records in 121 7. It was not until 181 5 that the country secured its independence under the protection of Austria and Russia. The religion of the Servians is that of the Greek Catholic church. The population of Servia is four million. ZERBIS IN ITALY After the crowning of the King of Lombardy, A. D. 962, several of the feudal Servi from Holstein settled in Italy, where the name was Zerbi. A medical work in scholarly Latin and in the professional language of Italy, entitled "The Anatomy of the Human Body" was published by Gabriel Zerbi. He held the title of Medicus Theoricus and was an authority on the olfactory nerves. The following letter is self explanatory : University of Penna., Phila. Library, August 25, 1913. Mrs. Ella Zerbey Elliott, Dear Madam: — There is a copy of the work by Gabriel Zerbi, pub- lished in Verona, in the latter part of the fifteenth century, in the British Museum, London. It bears the following title: — "Liber Anathomie Cor- poris Humani Singulori, Membro ' lUuis, etc., per B. Localette Venetiis, 1502 folio." There is no reprint of the work. — Morris Jastrow, Jr., Li- brarian. K. S. L., Assistant Librarian. (The following is extracted from notes and letters of Benton H. Zerbe) : "August Zerbi went from Graz and Vienna, Austria, to Italy with the Austrian army, where he married the daughter of Chevalier Ughetti, of Verona. Taking the name of his wife he became a prominent merchant trading with vessels on the Mediterranean and high seas. His descendants are still living and use the name "Zerbi" among their surnames. The last male descendant bore the name of his grandfather, Au- gustine Zerbi Ughetti. A public square in Verona is named for the latter. (Note — January 13, 1915, the Servian legation in London addressed a letter to the press and public, urging the adoption of the spelling "Zer- blan" and "Serbia" instead of "Servian" and "Servia" which is gradu- ally being accepted.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 191 Of the Zerbeys Christian Zarva settled in Mecklenburg, a territory of North Germany, between the BaLtic, Prussian Dominions, West Hanover and Luebeck, before it was divided into the Grand Duchies of Schwerin and Strelitz. He had two sons, George and John, the latter an officer in the Hanoverian army. Georg^2 Zarva, Zerbi, (Christian) had three sons, George, Wilhelm and John Phillip. Wilhelm, is said, "to have settled in Spain, where he married the daughter of Count De Luna, of Toledo, 'the city of swords', and where he took the family name. Marquis de Aspiroz, was a colonel of ar- tillery in the Spanish army, 1875. His wife was the daughter of Count de Valle, Director General of Artillery. Marquis de Aspiroz claimed direct descent from Wilhelm Zerbi, of Mecklenburg." (Benton H. Zerbe, Genealogical Record, Part 2.) (Benton Zerbe, a foreign powder agent from this coun- try, who met many prominent heads of the military while in the pursuance of his business, met Marquis de Aspiroz with the above result, as related.) John Phillip Sevier, Zerbi, Zarva was the head of the American branches. He settled in France and came from Paris where some of his children were born, to Alsace, near Stras- burg, where it is supposed that his brother George and his father George lived, the Seviers and Serviers, as the name was spelled in France, being numerous in Alsace and Lorraine. John Phillip Sevier (Servier) after the revocation of the edict of Nantes fled with his wife and eight sons to Switzer- land and from there to London, England. Valentine Sevier, one of these eight sons, was the father of John Sevier, the great commonwealth builder. Another son, John Phillip, was the father of the three immigrants, John Phillip, Mardin, and Lorenz, 1710, who came to America in the same vessel with Conrad Weiser, 192 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records settling in New York and subsequently in Pennsylvania. The name on the ship lists was spelled according to the Swiss method, "Zarva, Savar, or Sarvar." (Note : — Alsace, a province bordering on the Rhine, belonged to Germany until 1648, when part was ceded to France. Louis XIV took Strasburg, 1681, and the city, with the remainder of the Province, was secured for France, 1697, where it remained until 1871, when it was ceded to Prussia, the surrender being made September 27, 1870.) (Strasburg, capital of Alsace-Lorraine, two miles west of the Rhine on the river 111. Before the present war it had a population of 150,000.) HISTORY OF ZERBES IN AMERICA The name Zerbe affords an interesting etymological study and is spelled in sixteen or more different ways, according to the nomenclature of the country in Europe from which the claimant hailed, or, as Dr. Egle, State Historian, says of the 30,000 immigrants, that, "their names appeared on the ship rolls according to the intelligence of the ship masters." These Swedish ship masters did not speak English and were phonetic spellers, hence the many changes from the original Sevier, Servier, of France, and the Serfas, Serfass, Sarva, Zar- var, of Switzerland and Sweden, to Serwe, Surfass, Serwes, Serwies, Zarva, Zerwe, Serb, Serbe, Serwitz, Zerb, Surface, Zerver, (the "e" having the sound of "ah"). All these varia- tions in spelling are not important, they are all from the same origin, "Servi" (Sar-ve) and are all of the same name. (Note : — When one of the Sevier, Zarva, families died they sent a mortuary notice to the representative families of that name throughout the United States, a Huguenot custom brought with them from the old world.) The Sevier (e, as in ah) and Zarvar, Zarva, being the nearest phonetically and best translations of the original name. The Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee branch adhered SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 193 Of the Zerbeys to the French name Sevier, while those of Pennsylvania and their descendants in other states adopted the Swiss spelling. The Zerbes of Berks County and the southern part of Schuyl- kill County were, until a decade or two ago, known as "Zarvas," the present generation adopting the anglicized "Zerbe," or changing the spelling of the latter according to taste. The history of the Zerbes in the United States begins with that of the three immigrants, John Phillip, Mardin and Lorenz, who sailed from Rotterdam the day before Christ- mas, 1709, for the Province of New York, in the English colonies, of North America. They came on the same vessel with John Conrad Weiser. (The history of the Zerbe colonists is involved in the preceding chapters. Part I.) John Phillip Zarva (Zerbe) joined one of the four companies of 300 men who were part of the expedition in 171 1 against Montreal under General Nichols and the de- fense of Albany against the French, only one year after his arrival in his adopted country. John Phillip Zerbe was of the village of Annesburg, on the east side of the Hudson river, New York. (State of New York, Report of the State Historian, Colonial Series, Vol. i, p 442.) (Part i.) There is no record to be found of his having come to Pennsylvania, and it is believed that he remained in New York for a time, subsequently removing with the German colonists under Samuel Waldo, 1732, to Broad Bay, Maine, and founding that branch of the Zerbes, now numerous in that state and the Canadas. (Henry Cady, Secretary, H. F. Kingsley, President, of the Genealogical and Biographical Society, of Schoharie, N. Y., writes the author thus:) "The church records of Albany County go back only to 1737. There was a Zeibert and a Ziebel but no Zerbe, in this county. I have the records of all of the old families." 194 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Moravian Historical Society, Vol. IV, sketch di the Moravian Settlement at Broad Bay, Maine, by John W. Jordan, President of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia, gives a succinct and interesting account of the perils and hardships endured by these colonists from the above date to 1769, v^rhen they scattered to North Carolina, other states and the Canadas. In 1863 when Andrew G. Curtin, the great war governor, was a candidate for a second term in the gubernatorial chair of the State of Pennsylvania, Hannibal Hamlin, Vice Presi- dent of the United States during the first term of the Abra- ham Lincoln administration, was one of the speakers at a political gathering at Harrisburg. After the meeting was over a reception was held at the capitol in honor of the distinguished guest. Charles A. Zerbe, deceased, a promi- nent citizen, of Lewistown, MifBin County, was among those presented to the speaker, who said, as he took Mr. Zerbe by the hand: — "Zerbe, that is a familiar name to me, we have many Zerbes in the State of Maine." FIRST GENERATION Martin^ Zerbe, Martin Zarva, (Sevier), Huguenot, was of the more than 1000 German and French who came to New York from Europe, June 13, 1710, leaving Rotterdam before Christmas, 1709, and settling in Livingstone Manor and the Schoharie Valley, that State. (The history of the immigrants is found upon a previous page. Part I.) Martin Zerbe joined the expedition against Canada, July 16, 171 1, in Queen Anne's war. Both he and his brother, John Phillip, were enlisted as volunteers from the village of Annesburg, New York, in Captain Hartman Windecker's company." (State of New York. Report of the State His- torian, Colonial Series, Vol. i, p. 442, Part i.) He came to the region of the Tulpehocken, Chester County, Penn- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 195 Of the Zerbeys sylvania, with the thirty-three families who settled in the Schoharie Valley, 1713, coming overland to this state, 1723, from New York. (Part I.) The University of the State of New York, Albany, 22 May, 1915. Mrs. Ella Zerbey Elliott. Dear Madam: — Your letter of the 19th to the Custodian of Public Records has been referred to the State Library which has the records referred to. The roll of the Palatine volunteers from Annsburg in the expedition against Canada, in 1711, has been printed. The records in our keeping give no additional information in regard to John Phillip and Martin Zerbe, and there is no necessity therefore of any certificate. The facts as they appear on the printed roll are sufficient. Yours very truly, PETER NELSON, Assistant Archivist. (The names of Martin, John Phillip and Lorenz Zerbe are found in the state papers, Astor Library, New York, Co- lonial Series, and in D. Rupp's 30,000 Immigrants.^) Martin Zerbe, (Zarva, Sevier) was born in Alsace, near Strasburg, France, about 1685. There is no record of where in Switzerland and subsequently the Palatinates, his father fled to with his family from Alsace. Martin was already married and had one or more children, upon landing in New York, 1710. His death occurred between 1739 and 1750. "Baptized Anna Elizabeth, daughter of Albrecht Strauss and wife Maria Margaretha Zerbe ; Sponsors, Martin Zerbe and wife Anna Elizabeth, March 25, 1739.^" Death records of Christ Lutheran church, Stouchsburg, Pa. : "July 22, 1750. Mrs. Anna Elizabeth Zerbe, wife of Mar- tin Zerbe." No trace or record of Martin Zerbe's tomb has been found. He may be buried in a private burying ground on or near the old homestead, at Host's, Jefferson Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, or his grave is doubtless among the many unidentified mounds in Christ church cemetery with that of his wife. (Note 1 — Rupp's 30,000 Immigrants says, "that of ;the names given on the ship lists, the men on landing were each over 21 years of age.) (Note 2 — Records of Rev. John Caspar Stoever from 1730 to 1779.) 196 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Martin Zerbe settled, 1723, on Fell's Manor, Chester County, now Host's Postoffice, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and known as "Schaffner's". Owing to the Indian difficul- ties the authorities were not authorized to survey lands to the early settlers and it was not until the Indian settlement for lands with the Penn heirs was ratified, i730-'32, that deeds could be obtained for them. Martin Zerbe lived upon this tract during his life time, being already an old man when the deed was vested in the name of his eldest son, George Peter Zerbe. No warrants could be obtained for this land until after the Indian purchase of 1728 and final release, October 12, 1730, when Fell's Manor was transferred from Chester to Lancaster County, erected 1729. George Peter Zerbe, eldest son of Martin Zerbe, received a Warrant Proprietary for 153 acres, January 2, 1735. Book D, Vol. 2, p. 148. Deed Book, Recorder's office, Chester County, Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. I, pp. 400-405. Colonial Records. Original deed in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In addition to this tract, 100 acres were surveyed and purchased from Caspar Wistar, agent for the Penns, and the Commonwealth, by George Peter Zerbe, warranted, November 12, 1737, returned, 92 acres 120 perches by George Ege, May 29, 1789. (Deed Book, Recorder's office, Lancaster court house.) This tract is also found as having been surveyed, January 2, 1777, to Andrew Aulenbach, but never patented. In a copy of a deed for the settlement of lands on Fell's Manor, Martin "Sharvas" (Zarva's) Creek is mentioned in the survey.^ Martin Sharva's (Zarva's) Run, (as shown on the map on another page), sometimes called the Muhlbach, (Mill Creek), survey of Fell's Manor, 1727, is the (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Series 3.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 197 Of the Zerbeys branch of the Tulpehocken emptying into that stream near what is now known as Krick's Mill Post Office, or the Cross Keys Hotel, midway between Sunday's mill and the site of John Zerbe, the miller's, early mill. Other surveys and maps designate this branch as the Mill Creek and as "Serby's Run." It is a remarkably fine stream of rapid running water, and runs through the land on which Martin Zerbe located, 1723. In addition to the two tracts of Zerbe lands recorded as above in 1735 and 1737, there was another and third tract north of Fell's Manor and west of the first tract, which was warranted December 3, 1737, and surveyed, December 16, 1765, to Peter Zerbe, Jr., son of George Peter Zerbe, in right of Frederick Arnold. The map of Pioneer Homesteads, 1723, by C. I. Linde- muth, of Stouchsburg, Berks County, in this volume, contains the greater part of Fell's Manor. (George) Peter Zerbe's land is found in the northeast corner and Peter Zerbe, Jr.'s as de- scribed. (Note: — In the early surveys there were allowed for roads, etc., six acres to every hundred acres, the area menr tioned in surveys being proportionately less owing to these measurements.) "Mardin Zarben" was among the signers to a petition to the court of-Quarter Sessions, Philadelphia, September, 1727, for a road from the Lutheran Church, in the Tulpehocken, now Zion's church, Stouchsburg, Berks County, to the Quaker Meeting House, in Oley Township (a certified copy of original petition and cut on another page. Part i.) The children of Martin and Anna Elizabeth Zerbe were : George Peter Zerbe, born 1710; died between i78o-'82; married Christina Loucks, 1732. Elizabeth Maria, born 1712; married Heinrich Boyer (Bayer), May 31, 1730. (Stoever's Records.) 198 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records John Jacob, born 1714; married Susanna 1735- John Jacob and wife stood sponsors for his brother, John Zerbe and wife Catharine Stupps' daughter Maria Caterina, April 14, 1745. (Stoever's Records.) Maria Margaretta, born 1716; married Albrecht Strauss, 1734. (Stoever's records.) John, born 1722; married Caterina Stupp, 1749. Barbara, born 1720; married George Meyer, April 4, 1738. Stood sponsor with George Graf, Jr., November 16, 1735, for child of Albrecht and Margaretta Strauss. (Stoever's records.) Elizabeth, born June 10, 1729; wife of Rieth; buried in Rieth's cemetery, Stouchsburg, Pa. There were three men of the first generation of immi- grants, 1710, Martin, John Phillip and Lorenz Zerbe. Of the male children of Martin and Lorenz, who settled in Berks County, as far as known, there were nine men of the second generation. THE MANORS, WHERE SITUATED There were four Manors surveyed in the land grants in Fulpehocken, warranted and patented from 1731 to 1735. The Manor of Plumpton, known as John Page's land, contained 5165 acres; surveyed April 27, 1733, to John Page by a warrant, October 19, 1731, and patented September 17, 1735. Part of it, about 1000 acres, was originally devised to Letitia, daughter of William Penn, and wife of William Au- brey. Fell's Manor, also known as Gulielma Maria Fell's land, adjoined the Plumpton Manor on the west, two miles beyond Myerstown, Lebanon County, beginning at the Tulpehocken Creek, at Rieth's church, Stouchsburg, and extending in a straight line, three miles in length, to Host's Post Office. Martin Zerbe, as aforesaid, settled on the tract of Fell's Manor, 1723. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 199 Of the Zerbeys The survey of Fell's Manor was made November 2, 1727. The tract contained 10,000 acres. Gulielma Maria, daughter of William Penn, Jr., and granddaughter of William Penn, was the wife of Charles Fell. In the indentures, lease and release made in London, England, October 11, 12, 1730, it was stipulated, that, whereas, "Gulielma Maria Fell, her hus- band and her children are all settled and do reside altogether in Great Britain and have no intention to go or to settle in the Province of Pennsylvania and whereas : Some good and advantageous offers made by sundry persons of the said province to buy the said lands ; the said Gulielma Maria Fell, granddaughter of Wm. Penn, and the said Charles Fell, her husband, have judged it to be for her and her children's in- terest to sell parts of said land when opportunity offers. The Fells, with Wm. Penn, of London, send greeting to John, Thomas and Richard Penn and empower Thomas Penn, as their attorney, to sell the land 'away' until the same 10,000 acres shall be all sold." Then follows how the monies should be invested for the benefit of the heirs. A draft of a tract of land situate on the branches of Tulpehocken Creek, in Chester County, surveyed for Gulielma Maria Fell (wife of Charles Fell, of London) the second day of November, Anno Domini 1727. "Beginning at a corner, marked black oak, standing on the Top of a Hill, on the south side of the Main Branch of the said Tulpehocken Creek, on the East side of a Run called Hans Moore's Run, thence north 30 degrees easterly crossing the said branch, 872 perches to a white oak, thence west by North 130 perches to a black oak, thence North, 32 degrees west, crossing a Run called MARTIN SHARVAS RUN, 200 perches to a post by a marked white oak, then south 80 degrees westerly 2140 perches to a Hickory, thence south west 286 perches to a small black oak, thence south crossing the afore- said main branch, 370 perches to a white oak, thence east by 200 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records south, 256 perches to a Hickory, thence east 470 perches to a white oak, thence north 65 degrees easterly, 320 perches to a Hickory, thence east by north 214 perches to a white oak, thence north 70 degrees easterly, 240 perches to a small white oak, thence east by south, 480 perches to a white oak, thence south 55 degrees easterly, 235 perches to the place of begin- ning; containing TEN THOUSAND ACRES." Richard Penn's Manor, on the Swatara, Bethel and Tul- pehocken Townships, 5,000 acres, surveyed in five warrants of 1,000 acres each, extending north to the Blue Mountains, September 27, 1733. The village of Rehersburg is slightly east of the centre of this Manor. Thomas Freame's land or Freame's Manor, adjoining Richard Penn's Manor, 1,000 acres, September 27, 1733. It was surveyed in 10 warrants, each for 1,000 acres, dated Lon- don, May 12, 1732. William Allen's land, adjoining the Manor of Plumpton, October 20, 1730. This tract contained 2794 acres. It ad- joined the Manor of Plumpton, on the east, and was in what is now Heidelberg, North Heidelberg and lower Heidelberg Townships.^ SECOND GENERATION— JOHN JACOB ZERBE Prominent among the Zerbes of the second generation was John2 Jacob (Martin^), b. 1714; m. Susanna , 1735. Their children were: 1735, John, wf. Catharine; 1736, December 25, bap. Jan. 2, '37, Anna Christina. Sponsors Georee Peter Zerbe and wf. (Little Tulpehocken church records ) 1738, April 20, bap. April 30, Michael. 1741, June 24, bap. July 6, Valentine. 1743, Peter. George Peter Zerbe is mentioned as having stood sponsor 1737, May 5, with his wife, for John Jacob, son of Albrecht Strauss and wf. Maria Margaretta. (Note 1— Colonial Records, Penna. Archives, Vol. 1, pp. 400-405.) ■3 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 201 Of the Zerbeys Jacob Zerbe bought a tract of land in Bethel Township from John Heberling, January 2, 1753. Jacob and Susanna sold it, March 13, 1764, to Michael and Valentine, their sons. Michael Zerbe and wf. Anna Mary, and Valentine and wf. Barbara, November 14, 1768, sold it to John Zerbe, their eldest brother, and wf. Catharine. The will of Jacob Zerbe, probated March 19, 1782, was written August 15, 1776, and mentions John Zerbe as his eldest son, to whom he bequeathed one shilling as his birthright. John^ Zerbe (John Jacob^, Martin^) became a prosperous man and kept this shilling until his death. Jacob Zerbe et al. also sold tract of land to Michael Zerbe, September 14, 1768.^ John^ Zerbe was the first son and child of John^ Jacob (Martini). He died before November 8, 1776, in Upper Tul- pehocken Township, leaving widow, Catharine, and four chil- dren under age, Margaret over 14, Barbara, John and Daniel under 14 years. March 15, 1785, these children of John, who bought the land from Michael and Valentine, deeded this land to Christian Zerbe. They were : John Zerbe, single; Daniel, single; Barbara, spinster; Jacob and Elizabeth Souder, of West Penn's, Borough Township, Cumberland County, and George and Margaret Reber, of Tulpehocken Twp. (Berks Co. C. H.) John^ Jacob Zerbe and wf. Susanna stood sponsors for their granddaughter, child of John^ Zerbe and wf. Catharine, April 8, 1745 ; bap. April 14. He was a taxable in Bethel Township, 1754^. Jacob Zerbe was executor to John and Catharine, 1782, (Will Book, Vol. 4, p. 277.) Jacob Zerbe died about March I, his will being probated March 19, 1782. Leonard Zerbe (John^ the m., Lorenz^) was a witness, Nicholas Gaucker, sole executor.* (Note 1— B. 3, Vol. 1, p. 337.) (Note 2 — John Zerbe et al.. Bethel Township, Grantor, September 28, 1791, to Christian "Zerby," tract of land. (D. B. 12, pp. 275, 277. Chris- tian Zerby, Grantee, April 18, 1807, Jacob Wagoner. Bill of Sale.) (Note 3— Will Book, A. pp. 40-3, p. 23.) 202 BLUE BOOK OP Genealogical Records Valentine^ Zerbe, (John^ Jacob, Martin^), b. June 24, bap. July 6, 1741, he with his brother, Michael, bought a tract of land in Bethel Township, Berks County, from their parents, March 13, 1764. He went to Bedford County with his brother, John, 1780, where he settled. The children of John Jacob Zerbe were: John Michael, b. 1738; John Val- entine, 1741 ; John Peter, b. 1743, wf. Elizabeth ; and Jacob, Jr., who married Annie Spiess, of Rehersburg. Among the cate- chumens confirmed May, 1761, at the Little Tulpehocken church were Michael and Valentine Zerbe ; the above Jona- than, son of Valentine, b. about 1763, m. Margaret Weiser, May I, 1795^ Peter^ Zerbe, (John^ Jacob, Martin^), b. 1743, d. Feb. 19, 1796, wf. Elizabeth. Michael^ Zerbe, (John^ Jacob, Martin^), b. April 20; bap» April 30, 1738; m. Elizabeth Weil. (Rehersburg c. rec.) Children : B. 1765, December 5, John; B. 1767, July, Michael; B. 1768, January 9, Anna Maria; B. 1772, December 25, Margarena. Jacob Zerbe et al., grantor to MichaeP Zerbe, September 14, 1768, land in Bethel Township. When Bethel Township was divided Frederick and MichaeF Zerbe were taxpayers in the Dauphin County Division, 1786. Michael^ and his brother, Valentine^ were those of that name and date im- plicated in land transactions in Lancaster County, (see rec- ords.) Michael^ deeded to John, eldest son of Michael^. (Berks County Deed Book, 3-5, p. 337.) (John2 Jacob, Martini) Bethel Township, January 25, 1840, tract of land. Deed Book 16, p. 100.) (MichaeH Zerbe, see elsewhere.) Revolutionary War Record Part 1, (Zerbes in the Revolution.) Michaels Zerbe Account of Captain Weaver's company, from Bethel Tovifnship) (Note 1 — Christ church records.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 203 Of the Zerbeys MichaeP Zerbe removed to Cumberland County. (Abstract of Jacob Zerbe's will, (Genealogical Society, Philadelphia), probated in Berks County, January 23, 1825, says : "Jacob owned land partly in Bethel Township and part- ly in Tulpehocken.") SECOND GENERATION— JOHN ZERBE John^ Zerbe (Martin^), b. 1722. He was the son of Mar- tin and Elizabeth Zerbe. He m. Caterina Stupp, June 4, 1743 (Stoever's), and lived in Tulpehocken Township. He was a signer for Christ Church, 1743, and was a taxable in Berks, County, 1754, the first tax list taken in that county, and signed the oath of allegiance. They had the following chil- dren: (Rev. John Caspar Stoever Eec.) B. 1745, April 8; bap. April 14, Maria Caterina. Sponsors, Jacob Zerbe and wife. B. 1748, March 23; bap. April 3, Johanres. Sponsors, John Oberle and Catharine Heck. B. 1760, December 25;bap. February 3, 18a±, Christian. Sponsors, Christian Gruber and wife. B. 1751, October 3; bap. October 21, Anna Elizabeth. B. 1756, February 10; bap. March 7, Anna Christina. Sponsors, Mar- tin Stupp, wf. Christina. B. 1759, February 4; bap. February 10, Caterina Elizabeth. Sponsors, John George Rieth and wife. B. 1761, May 6; bap. May 24, Maria Margaretha. Sponsors, Albrecht Strauss and wife. Martin Stupp was of the thirty-three families who came to the Tul- pehocken, Chester County, 1723. The map in this edition shows his land as located on both sides of a branch of the Northkill. His wf. was Su- sanna Catharine Schultz. Children, Frederic and Abraham and eight daughters. Of the latter only two are mentioned by name in his will, probated March 19, 1755. (Abstract of Wills, Penna. Historical Society, Philadelphia.) Catharine Zerbe and Anna Kunigunda Gruber. The chil- dren to have equal shares. Conrad Weiser was a witness. A daughter, Margaretta, married Dietrich Snyder, of Bethel Township. (Note — Dietrich Snyder was the g. g. f. of Senator Charles A. Snyder, of Pottsville. He belonged to the militia from Bethel Township in the Revolutionary War, but this company was not called out for active ser- vice. He was a court martialman.) 304 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records HEINRICH BOYER Heinrich Boyer (Bayer) was with the fifty families that came from Schoharie, N. Y., 1727. They followed to Penn- sylvania to cast their lots with the original thirty-three fami- lies who settled in the Tulpehocken, Chester County, 1723. He took up a tract of land adjoining Martin Zerbe's and Albrecht Strauss' lands, in North Heidelberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, May 31, 1730. Heinrich Boyer married Elizabeth Maria, daughter of Martin Zerbe.^ Heinrich Boyer, b. 1689, d. 1757. His second wife was Salome Sneifes. He came from the Tulpehocken to the vicinity of New Ringgold, then Northampton County, in 1749, where he built a block house that was a refuge for the settlers dur- ing the Indian troubles, in their flights to the Forts, Franklin and Lebanon, and in their final stampede to the other side of the Blue Mountain, and here Elizabeth Maria Zerbe died. The remains of a tunnel or ground cellar, in which they se- creted themselves, could be seen until within the last few years, when it was filled up by the owner, Nathan Gerber. Heinrich Boyer's children were : Anna Maria, George, Assmus, Andreas and Henry. A copy of the bill of sale of Henry Boyer's personal property, held "in the Tulpehocken" (now New Ringgold), April 13-14, 1757, (Vol. n. No. 2, Pub. Schuylkill Co. His. Soc, pp. 159-167) shows his Zerbe kinsmen and George, Leonard and Michael Rieth and others from the Tulpehocken to have been present and among the purchasers. The Boyers in Southern Schviylkill County are descendants of Heinrich Boyer. ALBRECHT AND JOHN PHILLIP STRAUSS Maria Margaretha (Martin Zerbe), second daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Zerbe, b. in the Tulpehocken, 1716; m. Albrecht Strauss, 1734. They had eleven children. (Note 1 — John Caspar Stoever's Records.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 205 Of the Zerbeys Albrecht and John Phillip Strauss, of Wurtemberg, Ger- many, landed at Philadelphia, September 26, 1732. They took the oath of allegiance to the British Government. Albrecht, b. 1712; d. before May 7, 1787. John Phillip, b. September i3> 1713. d. before May 28, 1792. They came to Berks County and settled in Tulpehocken Township. Albrecht Strauss took out a warrant for land from Thomas Penn, October 7, 1736, "where he had already been settled two years." There were 150 acres in the tract, through which ran Zerbe's (Sharva's) cretk, emptying into the Tulpehocken river at Krick's Mill's post office. His land adjoined that of Mardin Zarva (settled there in 1723, land warranted January 2, 1735,) whose daugh- ter, Anna Margaretha, he married in 1734. Children: Maria Barbara, b. November 16, 1735; m., June 2, 1754. to John Kloss; Jacob, b. May 5, 1737; m. Elizabeth Brecht, August 21, 1759; Maria Elizabeth, b. May 5,' 1737; m. John Daniel Madern, May 4, 1760; Anna Elizabeth, b. March 25, 1739; John Caspar, b. August 5, 1741; Maria Eva Rosina, b. November 6, 1742; m. Christopher Schaber, November 9, 1762; Maria Catharine, b. March 6, 1745; m. John Long, November 9, 1762; John Phillip, b. January 4, 1748; m. Savilla, da. of Benedict and Salome Kepner. Twins, Maria Christina, b. July 26, 1751, m. Benjamin Kebner, May 24, 1774; Maria Susanna, b. July 26, 1751; John Samuel, b. May 13, 1756, m. Catharine Umbenhauer. (Note — John Samuel and Phillip, sons of Albrecht Strauss and Maria Margaretha Zerbe, and Phillip and Caspar Strauss, their cousins, were actively engaged in the War of the Revolution.) John Phillip Strauss, m. Anna Margaret Reimer. They had nine children. Their third child, Maria Christina, m. Christian Zerbe, son of John^ Zerbe (Martin^) m. to Catha- rine Stupp^. Their seventh child, John Jacob, b. May 5, 1757, m. Barbara Zerbe, da. of John^ Zerbe, (Martin'') June 14, 1785. He died October 22, 1822. His wife died before he (Note 1 — There are four records of Christian Zerbe in the Revolution- ary War, (Christian Serfa.s, Zerbe, Serfass), Penna. Archives, Vol. 4, pp. GfA, 357, Vol. 8, pp. 203, 264.) (Note — A monument was erected at Strausstown, Berks County, sev- eral years ago, to Maria Margaretha Zerbe, wife of Albrecht Strauss, one of the founders of the Strauss family, at one of the Strauss reunions which occur once in two years, and when it was dedicated with appro- priate ceremonies. The Strausses are numerous in that vicinity and of this branch number over a thousand in the U. S.) 2o5 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records did. Their children were : Catharine, Barbara, m. Adam Radebach; Daniel, Magdelena m. Peter Smith; Sarah, Adam, and Susanna. The Krammes family of Schuylkill County are descend- ants of Albrecht and Maria Margaretha Zerbe Strauss, also B. Morris Strauss, of Reading, and Strauss' of Schuylkill Haven. (Note — John George Zerbe attended the sale of Albrecht Strauss, after his death, held June 9, 1787. The record says, "the personal property was all bought in by relatives," the name of the above appears on the list of purchasers.) There were two Christian Zerbes of the third generation. Christian^, b. December 25, 1750; (John^ Zerbe, m. to Catha- rine Stupp, Martin^), m. June 3, 1773, at Christ Church, to Christina Strauss, b. February 20, 1749. (Stoever's Records.) Their children were: (Rehersburg Church Records.) 1774, March 20, John George. 1776, February 15, John. 1777, January 16, Mary Catharine. 1780, January 31, Susanna. 1782, February 7, Jacob; m. Ferris, July 13, 1809. 1783, December 31, Maria Christina. 1787, October 29, Mary Salome. 1789, May 25, Elizabeth. 1789, May 25, Henry, m. Susanna Meckel, May 17, 1808. 1791, Samuel. 1792, April 2, Anna Maria. They removed to White Deer Township, Northumberland County, (now Union.) Christian^ Zerbe died in Union County, 1818, where his will is on record in which he mentions the above sons and daughters. Christian Zerbe, non-resident, paid tax in Heidelberg Township, 1787. George Zerbe, b. Union County, March 18, 1808; d., January 6, 1893, was of this line and doubtless a son of John George^ (Chi-istian^, John^, Martin^), b. March 20, 1774. George Zerbe is buried in Grant City, Iowa. His children SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 207 Of the Zerbeys were : William, who has three sons : Daniel, Wichita, Kan. ; John W., York, Pa. ; Dr. George T., Nashville, Tenn. ; d., November i, 1865, aged 25 years; John, d., twice married, two children d. Da., Mrs. Charles Roehl, Nashville, Tenn., has three sons and two daughters and nine grandchildren. Da. of George, Mrs. Susan Greenawalt, four children, one son, three daughters. The brothers and sisters of this George Zerbe, b. in Union County, were : Joseph, who had one son and two daughters. Rebecca, Mrs. Thomas Riem ; Hettie, Mrs. Wm. Hyles ; Eliz- abeth, Mrs. Robert Wrick; Mrs. Susan Moore, Atlanta, 111.; Nancy, Mrs. Wm. Noll, Union Co., Pa. GEORGE PETER ZERBE— EARLY SETTLER The early settlers were engaged in raising hemp, flax and tobacco, in addition to food stuffs. They ran saw, grist, cotton-batting and fulling mills for carding; distilleries, tan- neries, paper, oil and powder mills. They raised fruit trees and cultivated vineyards, ran cider and wine presses and the Tulpehocken and its tributary streams furnished the motive power for small mills and forges where gun metal, spikes and the primitive tools for agricultural pursuits were made. The Zerbes were mainly fruit culturists, vine dressers and millers, their farms today being among the garden spots of Berks County. George Peter Zerbe, (Martin^), eldest son of Martin and Elizabeth Zerbe, was one of the one hundred and sixty-five signers for the building of Christ Church, Stouchsburg, Ma- rion Twp., Berks Co., Pa. The record of Pastor Tobias Wag- ner, the first minister, gives a list of the male members only, from 1743 to 1746. Including the women, averaging four per- sons to a family, it would indicate that the church had a mem- bership of at least five hundred. On the building of the pres- ent handsome edifice, the foundation stones of the old log 2o8 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records building were permitted to remain in the broad avenue, their outline giving the dimensions of the old historical church, which is of great interest to visitors. George Zerbe was on the tax lists of Berks County, 1754, (their first publication). During the depredations of the In- dians, 1754 — 1756, cattle stealing by the red men was common in the Tulpehocken and bands of the settlers patroled the sparse settlements to prevent this thievery. George Peter Zerbe or George "Sarby," as he is known on the company rolls, Jacob Bender, Michael Rieth, Peter Walborn, Herman Sundock (Sontag), Christopher Stutzman, John Goodman and Adam Markle, all from the Tulpehocken, joined the Philadel- phia company, Capt. Edward Jones, private Independent troop of horse,' 1756, which passed through Lancaster County on its way to Harrisburg with the hope that they might intercept the red men and regain their cattle. They went to John Har- ris' Fort, where Harrisburg now stands and rode along the Susquehanna to Fort Shamokin, where the company joined the Augusta regiment and became part of the Third Battalion that guarded the fort and intervening country during its build- ing.i George^ Peter Zerbe, (Martin^), first son and child of Martin and Elizabeth Zerbe; born, 1710; died, i78o-'82; married Christina, daughter of Abraham Loucks, 1736. No record having been discovered of George Peter Zerbe and his wife's burial place, it is believed they are interred in a private burying ground or that their graves are among the many unmarked in Christ church cemetery. Upon this land, lo- cated at Host's Post Office, four miles north of Womelsdorf, Berks County, George Peter Zerbe lived from 1723 till his death, about 1782. (Note 1 — (Part 1.) (Penna. Archives, 6th Series, Vol. 1, p. 50.) (Indian Forts, Vol. 1.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 209 Of the Zerbeys GEORGE PETER ZERBE— HOMESTEAD OF Here, at the present time, in the midst of a beautiful grove of mighty oaks, stands an old colonial mansion, built 1802, by Christopher Leiss, who purchased the land from George Ege, who bought it from the heirs of George Peter Zerbe, October 22, 1783, to wit: Elizabeth, married to Conrad Minnich ; Anna Maria, married to Leonard Rieth, (Reed), both of Brunswick Township ; Valentine, John, Peter, George and Michael. The four former conveyed their interest in the land to the three latter and Peter, Jr., sold the land to George Ege. Recorder's ofhce, Berks County court house. Deed Book 8, Vol. I, pp. 103-4. The original deed refers to Caspar Wistar of the one part and George Peter Zerbe of the other, of Tul- pehocken Township, Lancaster County, May 5, 1742, and says — "this was settled with Thomas Penn." Zerbe's Creek is mentioned and the number of acres as being 153 and 228 "in his actual possession." The heirs spell their name "Zerbe" in the signatures. Deeds for settlement of lands in Tulpe- hocken, January 2, 1735, Chester County, recorded, Book D 2, Vol. 2, p. 148, at Philadelphia, Recorder of Deeds. (Penna. Archives, Vol. i, pp. 400-405. Map of Fell's Manor, Series 3, Vol. 24, p. 521.) The children of George Peter Zerbe and Christina Loucks were: Peter Zerbe, Jr. b. 1738; m. Elizabeth . Elizabeth Zerbe, b. 1740, d. 1796; m. Conrad Minnich. Valentine Zerbe, b. 1743, m. Salome Ney. Michael Zerbe, b. 1744, d. 1806, m. Anna Maria Donmier, June 4, 1776. Johannes Zerbe, bap. 1745, m. Maria Margaret Aungst, April 2, 1771; second wl, widow, Elizabeth Kronberger, January 29, 1805. Anna Maria Zerbe, b. April 23, 1747, d. May 24, 1827, m. Leonard Eieth, December 20, 1768. Maria Zerbe, b. 1749, bap. 1750, d. November 13, 1751. George Zerbe, b. April 24, 1750, d. Jan. 19, 1814, m. Barbara Spon- chuchen, June 23, 1778. (Christ Church records.) (Note — If one child died, its name was frequently given to another. This duplication adds to the difficulty of adjusting the baptismal records.) 210 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records The account of the vendue of Heinrich Boyer, on another page, April 13, 1757, (near McKeansburg), shows George Peter Zerbe to have bought some trivial articles at this sale of his brother-in-law's. This visit was probably not his first to what is now Schuylkill County. His first cousin, John Zerbe the miller, had taken up a thousand acres of land on this side of the Blue Mountain, 1754, and Peter Minnich and son, Conrad, (George Peter's future son-in-law), had settled in Brunswick Township, 1752, on the site of the Seven Stars Hotel. George Kohl, of Cumru Township, son-in-law of John Zerbe, of Cumru, also attended the sale. It was consid- ered a mark of respect on the part of the kinsmen to attend and purchase something. Between Zarva's Creek and the house is a remarkably fine large spring, over which was built a large spring house, Gothic architecture, with mansard roof (cut on another page). Over and aside of this spring stood the log house erected by Martin Zerbe, 1723, in which George Peter Zerbe lived until he built another home upon the site on which Christopher Leiss afterward built the stone house, still standing. To make way for the stone spring house one half of the old log house was removed, the other half, built in 1723, still remains. The owner of the place, at present, is Miss Hattie Shaflfner, daughter of Mrs. Jacob Shaffner, Womelsdorf; and Mrs. Hammeker, a sister of Mrs. Shaffner, owns the tract above, that also belonged to the Zerbe estate. Christopher Leiss, died July 26, 1826. He left one son, John, and five daughters^. (Will Book 5, p. 508, Berks County court house.) Abraham Louck, Heidelberg, January 28, 1771 — August 15, 1772, (Vol. n, p. 115), who sold his real estate to his sons, George and Abraham, devises all his personal estate to four (Note 1— Abstract of Wills of Berks County, Vol. 1 1752-1798, p. 167. Collection of Genealogical Societies of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania His- torical Society, Philadelphia.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 211 Of the Zerbeys daughters, in four equal shares ; one quarter to Christina, married to George Peter Zerbe (Martin) and one quarter to be divided in two equal shares, to Elizabeth, married to Peter Zerbe, the remaining two quarters to the granddaughters and his daughter Elizabeth ; and the land to the two sons. THIRD GENERATION Peter3 Zerbe, Jr., (George^ Peter, Martin^), b. 1738; wife, Elizabeth. At the death of his father, George Peter, he bought the rights of the other heirs in his father's plantation, in Tul- pehocken Township, Recorder's office, October 22, 1783, (B. 8, Vol. I, p. 103.) He also bought land from Valentine Bender, Grantor, Peter Zerbe, Grantee, December 2, 1797, (B. 16, p. 104.) Casper Wister, Penn's agent, appears in this transaction as Grantor to Peter Zerbe, October 22, 1783, sel- ling to the said Peter the water rights of "branch of the Tul- pehocken," (Sarva's Run), B. 8, p. loi. Peter Zerbe, Jr., had one daughter, Elizabeth, bap. July 22, 1771, (Christ Church.) Sponsors, his brother, Johannes and wife, Maria Margaret Aungst. Peter Zerbe Jr., lived in Tulpehocken Township until his death. (Map of Pioneer Homesteads.) He was in the Revolutionary War, Continental Line (Record, Part i.) Eliz- abeth Zerbe, daughter of Peter, married Captain David Baker, who was in the War of the Revolution. Peter Zerbe, in his will, probated October 2, 1797, bequeathed 100 pounds to his wife, and fifty pounds to each of his daughter Eliza- beth's children when twenty-one years old.'^ Elizabeth^ Zerbe, (George^ Peter, Martin^), b. 1740, con- firmed at the age of 19 years 6 months, (Christ Church), m. Conrad Minnich about 1768; d. 1796. (For additional record see history of Conrad Minnich, in the Muenchs, this volume.) Valentine^ Zerbe (George^ Peter, Martin^), b. 1748, lived and died in Tulpehocken Township; wf., Salome, daughter of Valentine Ney. Valentine Zerbe is mentioned as executor of (Note 1— Abstract of Wills, Berks County C. H.) 212 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records his father-in-law's will, July 19, 1790. (Abstract of Wills, Gen. Society, Phila.) He is on the tax list as land owner, 1798. Their children were: 1768, March 27, Mary Magdalena. Michael (Valentine's brother) and wf. Anna Maria Zerbe, sponsors. 1770, March 14, Jonathan. 1775, March 6, Hannah Elizabeth. Sponsors, Maria Elizabeth Zerbe and George "Neu" (Ney.) 1776, May 2, Andreas. (Rehersburg Church records.) To Andreas Zerbe and wf. was born a son, William James, 1837. (Christ Church records.) Jonathan, son of Valentine Zerbe, m. Margaret Weiser, May 1, 1795. (Christ Church records.) SERGEANT MICHAEL ZERBE Michael Zerbe. There were two Michaels of the third generation and two of the fourth. Those of the fourth gen- eration were the sons of the third generation of Michaels, who were first cousins. Michael Zerbe, (George^ Peter, Martin^), b. 1744, d. 1806, m. Anna Maria Donmier, June 4, 1776. Children bap. : 1777, July 5, Michael. Sponsors, John George and Barbara Zerbe, (Michael's brother.) 1779, March 12, Salome. 1781, February 6, Anna Marie. 1782, August 28, Elizabeth. Sponsors, Benjamin and Elizabeth Zerbe, (his cousin.) 1791, September 29, Barbara. 1794, September 20, Eva. 1796, February 24, Johannes. Sponsors, Michael and Anna Maria Zerbe, parents, stood for the last three children. 1800, February 7, Anna Margarette. (Christ Church records, Stouchsburg.) MichaeF Zerbe, d. 1806. His will was admitted to probate June 2, 1806. Tulpehocken Township, Jacob Shafer, admin- istrator. (Abstract of Wills, Genealogical Society, Phila., Vol. 2, 1798 — 1825.) MichaeF Zerbe, Second Sergeant, Capt. George Miller's company, from Bethel and Tulpehocken Townships, Decem- ber 13, 1777 On duty at South Amboy, N. J. (Zerbes in the Revolution, Part i.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 213 Of the Zerbeys Michael^ Zerbe, (MichaeP), b. July 5, 1777, d. November 14, 1844; wf., Elizabeth Shaffer, b. February 21, 1780, d. May 4, 1840; m. May 24, 1799. (Jacob Zerbe's Family Bible.) (Jacob, son of Michael* Zerbe.) Children : 1801, December 3, Johannes. 1802, September 24, John Jacob. 1811, Jonathan. (Christ Church Records, Stouchsburg.) 1813, Magdelena. 1814, Lydia. (Jacob Zerbe's Family Bible, Womelsdorf.) 1817, December 30, Michael. 1819, August 31, E. . Michael^ Zerbe buried in Christ Church cemetery ; also wf. Elizabeth. Elizabeth Zerbe, da. of Michael* and Elizabeth Zerbe ; b. January 14, 1806; d. October 22, 1864; wf. of Mathias Deck. Israel Zerbe, son of Mathias Deck and Elizabeth Zerbe, b. February 12, 1834; d. July 5, 1855. (Tombstones Christ Church cemetery.) Dr. Thomas T. Zerbe, of Schaefferstown, Lebanon County, says : "Many of the Zerbes on this side of the Blue Mountain are afflicted with asthma. It is hereditary and there is a family tradition that we inherit it from an ancestor (Michael^), who contracted it from exposure while in the Revolutionary army." Michael* Zerbe settled one mile north of what is now Mt. Aetna, Berks County, where Jonathan Zerbe was born. Mich- ael is on the Tax Lists, 1810, Tulpehocken Township. Jonathan^ Zerbe, (Michael*, Michael^, George^, Martin^.) b. 181 1, d. 1876; m. Martha A. Meyer, d. 1896. Their chil- dren were: Charles M., b. 1841. Agnes, b. 1843. Thomas Taylor, b. 1846. Jane, b. 1850. B. Frank, b. 1853. 214 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Jonathan^ Zerbe was a practicing physician at Mt. Aetna and his two sons, Thomas Taylor and B. Frank Zerbe, of Schaefferstown, Lebanon County, have succeeded him and are prominent in the medical profession. Charles M. Zerbe is a well known attorney of Lebanon, Pa. Charles M. Zerbe, eldest son of Dr. Jonathan Zerbe, m. Rebecca Yearsley, of Philadelphia, 1888. They have no issue. Dr. Thomas^ Zerbe, (Jonathan^), b. 1846, m. Emma E. Taylor, a descendant of the Boones of Exeter Township, Berks County, b. 1854. Their children are: Florence T., b. 1882; Mabel E., b. 1884; Wm. Taylor, b. 1889; Marie M., b. 1890; Mabel E., m. Geo. E. Eeiter, d. Children: George Zerbe, b. 1905; Muriel Marie, b. 1907; W. Emily, b. 1911. Dr. B. Frank^ Zerbe (Jonathan^), b. 1853, m. Ida Susan Lanser, b. 1856. Son, Charles Lanser, b. 1885. Jane^ M. Zerbe, b. 1850, d. 191 1, (Jonathan^) ; m. Jacob Hickernell, d. Children: Fred. Zerbe, b. 1874; Charles T., Attorney, Lebanon, Pa., b. 1878; Frank J., b. 1880; Cyrus D., b. 1882; Jennie A., b. 1886; Annie M., b. 1888; Norma A., b. 1893. Children of Fred. Zerbe Hickernell: Hattie, Frank, Wil- liam, Martha, Harold, Elsie, George, John. Children of Frank J. Hickernell: Russel, Esther, Hilda. Children of Cyrus D. Hickernell: Minerva, Eugene, Grace, Ethel, Norma. Agnes^ Zerbe, b 1843, d. 1869, m. Dr. George Mays, d. ; left no issue. Michael^ Zerbe, (Michael^), b. December 30, 1817; m. Elizabeth Lillian Stambaugh. Children : Jonathan, Reading, Pa.; William, Myerstown; Prosper, Newmanstown; Alex- ander, d. ; Mrs. Hartman, d., Richland ; Mrs. Leininger, Mey- erstown; Da., Emmeline, bap. November 14, 1848. John^ Jacob Zerbe, (Michael^), b. September 24, 1802; d. 1836, m. Sarah Scholl, February 18, 1834; b. March 30, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 215 Of the Zerbeys 1802; d. March 14, 1882; c, Melinda, b. November 22, 1835, (grandparents, Michael and Elizabeth Zerbe, sponsors) ; d. September 12, 1851. Franklin, b. 1822, d. 1870, m. Elizabeth Heffelfinger, October 31, 1846, b. July 29, 1828, living at the age of 85 years (1913) at her home in Womelsdorf. Their children were: Silas, Reading, b. September 9, 1847; Sarah C, b. April 29, 1851, m. Simon Moyer, d., October 11, 1857; left daughter, Sarah. Franklin Zerbe was the town clerk of Womelsdorf, 1866. He was a school teacher, justice of the peace, and a remarkable penman. He is bviried in Union cemetery, Womelsdorf, Pa. (Jacob and Franklin Zerbe Fam- ily Bibles, and Christ Church records.) (Note — An interesting historical building in Womels- dorf is the stone tavern, built 1762, by Jacob Seltzer and still known as the Seltzer House. Here Washington stopped over night, November 13, 1793. Womelsdorf was then called Middletown.) Johannes^ (George^ Pteter, Martini),son of George Peter and Christina Loucks Zerbe ; bap. 1745 ; m. Maria Margaret Aungst, April 2, 1771. Their children were: Johannes, bap. February 3, 1772; George Peter and Anna Christina Zerbe, sponsors; John George, bap. May 4, 1773; m. Susanna Mil- ler, December i, 1799; Peter, bap. May 12, 1781. John Zerbe came over the Blue Mountains about 1780 and settled in Pinegrove Township, the locality afterward included in Manheim. The census of 1790 gives him as having seven children. He is supposed to have returned to Berks County and his children migrated West from here after his death, as none of his branch are located in Schuylkill County. His wife died about 1803 and he re-married (Trinity Lutheran Church records, Reading). John Zerbe, of Manheim, Berks County, January 29, 1805, m. Elizabeth Kronberger, widow, of Bern Township. Anna^ Maria Zerbe (George^ Peter, Martin^), b. April 25, 1748, (Christ Church records), d. May 24, 1827, (Jacobs 2i6 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Church records) ; m. at Reading, December 20, 1768, (Trinity Lutheran Church records) . For additional history see Rieths or Reeds, on another page. Of the children of George Peter Zerbe, his sons, Peter, Jr., John, Michael and John George, were in the Revolutionary War ; Valentine being the only one of whom no record is found in the archives. Two sons-in-law, Capt. Conrad Minnich and Wagonmaster, Leonard Rieth, were also engaged in the struggle.^ John Zerbe's record, one of the three John Zerbes, re- corded in the Adjutant General's office. War Dept., Washing- ton, D. C, Capt. Weaver's company, Berks County, from April 5, 1779. JOHN GEORGE ZERBE John George^ Zerbe, (George- Peter, Martin^), b. April 24, 1750, d. January 19, 1814, aged 63 years, 8 months and 25 days. Buried in St. John's Lutheran and Reformed cemetery, Friedensburg, Schuylkill County, Pa. ; married Barbara, da. of John Bernhard Sponchuchen, June 23, 1778, (Christ Church Records, Stouchsburg, Pa.) The text upon his tombstone reads : "Gott kann mir das leben wieder geben," 2d Timothy, 4th Chap. Barbara Sponchuchen, b. March 9, 1758, d. Jan- uary 25, 1817, buried in the Reformed cemetery, Orwigs- burg, beside her son, Henry Zerbe (first husband of Han- nah Miller Schwalm.) Barbara Sponchuchen, wife of (John) George Zerbe, after his death lived with her daughter, Mrs. Catharine Griefif, between Orwigsburg and Schuylkill Haven, until her death, three years later, aged 59 years, i month, 12 days. (Note — Deed book, 12-22, Berks Co. C. H. Deed granted John Klinger and wf. Mary, May 11, 1771, for 100 acres of land adjoining Deppen and Stephen Lengel, Heidelberg Township. The heirs of John Klinger (see Phillip Zerbe, of Pinegrove Township), mentioned as : John, Peter, Adam, Bar- (Note 1— Part 1, Rev. Records.) LATEJAC05 K5MBRUNG .Q* N.7ZT. J 36 ^ tj -^N.7ZT0 - \N.7ZL SO PER <0 JO 3i S. 72 tV. 24-3 OTHER LANDS of SAID DE'C. \H£NRYDEa 1755; Samuel Filbert, September 24, 1755; Michael Stout, April I, 1761, Berks County.) John Zerbe the m., was a taxpayer, 1754, and tax collector in Heidelberg Township, Berks County, 1758. BLUE MOUNTAIN LANDS No record can be found of when John' Zerbe, the m., took out the first warrant for the tract of land "over the blue hills," now Schuylkill County, but mention is made of his land and the several lands of his son, "John Jr.", in the land surveyed by order of Secy. Richard Peters, April 10, 1754, to Benjamin Zerbe, of Bethel Township, Dauphin County, who was the grantor, to George Adam Zerbe (son of John the miller), August 9, 1788; this tract, hereinafter men- tioned, adjoining that of John the m., Sr. and John Jr. The land contained 658 acres and with that of father and son and others of his sons, approximated over one thousand acres in Pinegrove Township, on the waters of Swatara Creek and in the "Blue Mountain Hollow," now Schuylkill County. John "Zerben" Sr., Heidelberg Township, Berks Coun- ty, miller, makes application, September 11, 1765, No. 770, Berks Co. Deed Book, "for 300 acres of land in Pinegrove Township; surrounded by land of John Zerbe Sr., and oth- f-p-il US3MAU/Ji or 1 ^ T o Ci HOh/nf/o ai avo^ u N| *^ o ^ ^ •ij Uj ^ Q. k >j ^ k >j 1 /h/9 li niANil3giSV3 < a. o u o a: o rf. K E- c 63 SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 273 Of the Zerbeys ers, for 60 pounds, paid by (his son), Daniel Zerben, of said Township, who gets one-half of the above mentioned tract of 300 acres. Benjamin Zerbe, Pinegrove Township, March 15, 1785, John Zerbe, Sr., miller, of Heidelberg Township, gives to the above for 200 pounds in gold and silver, 658 acres paid in installments now satisfied, land north to John Zerbe, Sr., then south to John, Jr., tract of 658 acres. Berks County, Deed Book II, p. 20., Recorder's office. The warrant was issued for its survey by Secretary Peters to John Zerbe, Sr. The draft and survey of the George Adam Zerbe tract appears in the Surveyor General's office, Philadelphia, (says the deed), but it may be seen in the office of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg. It says, "upon the payment of 25 pounds addi- tional in gold and silver, the claim was satisfied and he be- came the owner, August 9, 1788. (Note — There were three John Zerbes, taxables, 1754. They were of the second and third generation. There were also three John Zerbes in the Revolutionary War, 1776 — '83, but the latter were of the third generation. The taxables were: John the m., John (m. Stupp), and the third John may have been John, son of Benjamin, son of Lorentz, or John, son of John Jacob. John Zerbe, Jr., Tulpehocken, gave toValentine Gebhardt, May 4, 1779, a mortgage for eight hundred pounds on two tracts of land "across the Blue Mountains," containing 150 and 40 acres of land each. This was marked "satisfied." Daniel Zerbe, Pinegrove Township, gave a mortgage for 470 pounds, August 5, 1786, on 444 acres of land, two saw mills and one grist mill to Christian Uhler, of Lebanon, marked "satisfied." There was altogether 1000 acres of land in these tracts this side of the Blue Mountain, and John Zerbe, the m., of Heidelberg Township, sold it to Daniel, Benjamin, John, Jr., 274 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Jonathan, George Adam, Leonard, Christian, Christopher and John George Zerbe, the latter purchasing part of Benjamin's tract, 1788. (Note— The name John, meaning "by the Grace of God," was affixed to, as well as used as a direct name. There were in some families as many as five sons having the name John as a prefix and also a straight John. John Jacob or "Han Yawcob," etc. The name Maria (Mary) was used in the same sense with the girls but usually as a middle name.) TULPEHOCKEN CONFUSION John Zerbe, the m., signed rules in the Tulpehocken con- fusion for the establishment of a school, 1744. The boarding school at Nazareth, Moravian, was founded. May 28, 1745, with 18 pupils, and discontinued 1785. Elizabeth Zerbe, da. of John the m., and Ann Catharine, da. of Michael Rieth, of Tulpehocken and Heidelberg Townships, were boarding pu- pils. During their school days two little Indian girls, Beata and Sarah, were baptized at Nazareth, July 27, 1746; they died of smallpox. The girls were taught spinning in this school in addition to their studies. (Vol. I, Transactions of Moravians, Reichel, p. 65.) Albrecht Klotz, from Tulpehocken, native of Hohenloe, Lower Palatinate, m. Ann Margaret, da. of Michael Rieth, b. in the Schoharie. He kept the Inn, known as the "Rose," at Nazareth. It was a refuge during the Indian massacre when sixty terrified men, women and children came to it and the Moravian "Euphrata" Inn for shelter, November 25, 1755, and 200 were killed in the vicinity and 100 in the adjacent neighborhood. — (Indian Forts, Vol. i, p. 272.) The North Heidelberg church, Moravian, was built in the Summer of 1744 and was dedicated November 4 with twenty-two members, among them John Zerbe, the miller, and wife Elizabeth. It was a Moravian church from that date to 1760 when the Moravians retired. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 275 Of the Zerbeys The Moravian Seminary and College for girls and women at Bethlehem was founded 1742. (Montgomery.) The Moravians during their settlement in Oley Township erected two dwellings on land donated to them by John De Turck, (g. g. f. of Samuel De Turck, Friedensburg) , one of which was for several years a flourishing boarding school. There were April, 1753, eight of the Brethren and seven Moravian Sisters here, but John Brucker, who was their pastor, reported the church poorly attended and advised those that desired to be brought up in the church to transfer their membership to the North Heidelberg church. John Zerbe, the m., gave power of attorney, October 11, 1785, to Leonard, his son, and having dispossessed himself of most of his property in favor of his heirs, retired to Bethel Township, Dauphin, now Lebanon County, to live with his eldest son, Benjamin. The above recorded. Deed Book 9, p. 185, says, "Will at Large." (Berks Co. C. H.) He signed him- self as John Zerbe "Der Alt." Bethel Township, Dauphin County. January 5, 1791, he sold 50 acres of land in Heidelberg Township (presumably the homestead), to John George and Barbara Fohrer, his daughter. There is no record of when or where he died, but tradition says he is buried in North Heidelberg cemetery and that he died at the house at the old mill. Other records place the date as about 1796. The Foh- rers sold the place and removed to Pinegrove Township. Captain Michael Fohrer, captain of one of the Ihree com- panies in the Revolutionary War, from Berks (Schuylkill) County, was a brother of George Fohrer, married to Barbara Zerbe. The estate of John Zerbe, "der Alt," was not fully set- tled until 1806, when April 8, his grandchildren, Jacob, Cath- arine, David, Samuel and Joseph, children of John Zerbe, Jr., petitioned that they might have a share in his estate George Kohl was appointed guardian. 276 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records (Note — George Kohl was married to a daughter of John Zerbe, Jr., and lived in Cumru Township, operating the mill of John, of Cumru, after his retirement and death. SECOND AND THIRD GENERATIONS There were three Benjamins of successive generations: Benjamin^ (Lorentz^,) b. about 1711. (Note — Among the folklore of the country a tradition in the Zerbe tamily credits this old Benjamin as having been seven feet tall with corresponding muscular strength.) John^ Zerbe (Benjamin^ Lorentz^,) b. 1732, m. Anna Barbara Weickard, 1753; d. November 28, 1758, Tulpehocken. This John was witness for the will of Jacob Weickard, May I3> 1753- Letters of administration were granted the widow, Anna Barbara. Benjamins Zerbe (Johns the m., Lorentzl,) b. 1739; wf., Elizabeth. (Little Tulpehocken Church record.) Children: Hermanns, b. March 24, 1765; m. Maria Rieth, May 12, 1799. Benjamin* Zerbe, (BenjaminS, John3 the m., Lorentzl, )b. May 7, 1763; d. April 17, 1819; m. Anna Margaret Wirtz, b. September 17, 1781. Their children were: 1793, April 17, Elizabeth; 1795, October 3, Susan Marga- reth; 1800, August 15, Daniel; 1806, May 11, Elizabeth; 1815, Benjamin; 1816, Jacob. (Baptisms, Christ Church.) The children of Hermanus Zerbe and his wf. Maria Reith were: 1804, June 11, Heinrich; 1802, December 1, Samuel; 1806, February 20, Elizabeth. John Jacob and Eva Reith were sponsors. (Baptisms, Christ Church.) Benjamin' Zerbe settled in that part of Bethel Township, Berks County, that was afterward included in Dauphin Coun- ty on its erection, now Lebanon County. He is on record, 1754, as having land surveyed to him in Pinegrove Town- ship by order of Secretary Richard Peters. (See John the m.) The majority of Zerbes in Dauphin and Lebanon Coun- ties are the descendants of this man. John Zerbe, (the miller), grantor, March 26, 1788, to Benjamin Zerbe, Tulpehocken Township (B. 10, p. 332) ; John Zerbe, Sr., Pinegrove Township, grantor, June 11, 1788. (B. II, p. 20.) TOMBSTONE OF MARIA MARGARETHA ZERBEY ILES, WIFE OF MISSIONARY TO ANTIGUA, WEST INDIES. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 277 Of the Zerbeys Michael Kuntz, grantor, to Benjamin Zerbe, Pinegrove Township, (B. 12, p. 246.) Part of this tract of 1000 acres in Pinegrove Township was taken up by John George* Zerbe (George^ Peter.) Benjamin Zerbe was a taxpayer in Pinegrove Township, 1772. — (Revohitionary War Record.) SECOND GENERATION There were two Pteters of the second generation. Peter^ Zerbe (Lorentz^), b. 1724; wf. Anna Elizabeth Emerich ; bap., da. Anna Elizabeth, March 16, 1748. Magar and Elizabeth Emerich, sponsors. — (Stoever's records,) and George^ Peter (Martini) THIRD GENERATION Peter* Zerbe (John^ the m., Lorentz^), b. 1730, m. Anna Elizabeth, da. of Abraham Loucks, December 20, 1747. Abraham Loucks, in will proven August 15, 1772, (Vol. 2, p. 115, Abstract of Wills, Berks County, Genealogical Society, Philadelphia,) mentions his daughter Elizabeth, married to Peter* Zerbe, (John^ the m., Lorentz^), and her daughter Elizabeth, also his daughter Christina, married to George^ Peter Zerbe (Martin^). George Peter also had a son Peter. DR. SAMUEL ISLES, MISSIONARY TO ANTIGUA, DANISH WEST INDIES The Moravian Church in America owes its existence to Count Zinzendorf, nobleman of Saxony, who in 1722, began to gather together the persecuted Huguenots and espoused their cause. He established a colony on his estate and sent out many missionaries and small colonies to distant parts of the world. Zinzendorf, the great head of "the Universal Church," was present at the coronation of Christian VI, of Denmark. Some of his domestics became acquainted with a negro who 278 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records told them of the miseries endured by the negro slaves in St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, and Zinzendorf determin- ed to send teachers to them. Leonard and Tobias Leupold left London, 1731, for St. Thomas. Dr. Samuel Isles followed 1748, spending eight years of active service at Nisky, on that island. In 1756 he went to Antigua, D. W. I. On his arrival he waited on the Governor and showed him the Act passed 1749, by the Danish govern- ment, favoring the work of the Moravian Brethren. The planters patronized him giving him their permission to preach on their plantations. The following year he baptized a negro woman and proposals were made him for building a place of worship. In 1761 a piece of ground, in the town of St. Johns, was bought for a mission and Samuel Isles with his two as- sistants, John Bennet and Wm. Lister, continued to preach and work among the negroes. Contagious fevers prevailed in the Danish West Indies that were peculiarly fatal to Europeans ; it was from one of these fevers that Samuel Isles' first wife died, in 1760, leaving a daughter four years old. Thirty-six negroes were baptized in the small native church and 7,400 from 1756 to 1792 by suc- cessive missionaries. Count Zinzendorf was amazed at the work accomplished and the Government acknowledged the benefit of it. (Sketches of Moravian Missions, 1731— 1817, by Rev. John Holmes.) Of the 194 persons employed in the last one hundred years on this Island, forty-six have died of the native fever. (Retrospect of Moravian Missions in Antigua, London Publication, p. 6.) John Brucker came to Pennsylvania, 1742. From 1743 to 1745 he was a missionary on St. Thomas, Danish West Indies. In 1746 he became pastor of the Moravian churches in the Tulpehocken. From 1754 to 1764 he was the first resident missionary on St. Juan, D. W. I. In 1761 he accom- panied Samuel Isles, for a short respite from their work, to Pennsylvania where Samuel Isles married Maria Margaret SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 279 Of the Zerbeys Zerbe, daughter of Lorentz Zerbe and sister of John Zerbe, the miller, Moravian, who helped build the North Heidelberg, Moravian, church, where John Brucker at times preached and assisted Brother Neubert and his wife Elizabeth, in the par- sonage. John Brucker returned and went to St. Crois, where he died, November 8, 1765. Samuel Isles was accompanied by his wife to Antigua, leaving his daughter in charge of the Moravian sisterhood, to be educated at the school, Bethlehem, Pa. She died at the age of 57, unmarried. Samuel Isles died in Antigua of fever, in 1765, and was buried there. (Transactions of the Moravians, Vol. 4, p. 268; Vol. 6, p. 184; Vol. 5, p. 189.) From tombstones in old Moravian cemetery, Bethlehem : Maria Elizabeth Isles, b. 1756; d. 1813. She was born in the Island of Antigua, D. W. I. her father, Samuel Isles, be- ing the pioneer missionary on that island, who died there. Row IX, unmarried women. Section C. Maria Margaret Zerbe (da. of Lorentz Zerbe), b. 1729, d. 1807, from the Tulehocken, Pa., was thrice married. First husband, Samuel Isles, missionary to Antigua, D. W. I. ; m. November 29, 1761, who died there, 1765. Second husband, Paul Schneider, m. 1767, died same year. Third husband, J. Chr. Auerbach, m. 1769, d. 1792. Row V for women, section A, Old Moravian cemetery, Bethlehem, Pa. LEONARD ZERBE Leonard^ Zerbe, (John^ the m., Lorentz^,) b. July 12; bap. September 28, 1745; d. August 20, 1824; wf. Barbara Wenrich, b. July, 1744; d. December 29, 1819; c, John, b. August 12, 1772; bap. March 3, 1773; d. January 9, 1859. (Christ Church records); Christina, b. January 7, 1781 ; bap. December 24; d. September 9, 1854. (Little Tulpehocken church records); Leonard^, bap. June 4, 1783; d. September 38o BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records i6, 1854; John was baptized same date. John Jacob, b. Octo- ber 25, 1786, (Christ church.) John* (Leonard^) stood spon- sor for Leonhard's'* son; John S., b. 1817; bap. April 9, d. September 9, 1854. (Revolutionary War Record.) Leonard! Zerbe lived in Bernville, where he has numerous descend- ants. Leonard-*, (Leonards), b. June 4, 1783; d. September 16, 1854; m. Susanna Scharff, March 19, 1805, (Christ Church); b. July 8, 1788; d. March 6, 1858. Their children were: John S., b. 1817; Margaret, b. March 30, 1805; wf. Benjamin Marks; Eliza, b. October 4, 1814; wf. of Henry Martin. His will was probated November 8, 1854. (B. 8, p. 37, 57, 157, Berks County C. H.) In the office of the Department of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, is a draught of the original survey of 172 acres 76 perches of land in the Township of Tulpehocken, Berks County, to Leonards Zerbe, date of warrant August 1, 1793; returned January 20, 1819, by same. Jacob Spangler, Surveyor General. Israel^ Zerbe, b. October 24, 1840, still living, (John^ Scharf Zerbe, m. to Lydia Kantner; Leonard* Zerbe, w. Su- sanna Scharf, Leonard^, w. Barbara Wenrich ; John^ the mil- ler, Lorentz^), m. Priscilla Barr; c, Adam, wf. Sallie Stoup ; Annie, m., one child. Israel Zerbe lives on a fine farm, his son Adam resides on the same place. The business of mar- ket gardening of the former being carried on by the son with Reading as the market place. Situated near Cross Keys P. O, VALENTINE ZERBE There were three Valentines of the third generation and one of the fourth. Valentine^ (John^- the m., Lorentz^.) He went early to Lancaster County, (B. R. 46, p. 52, that county, records), Valentine Zerbe, Grantor to John Zerbe (his son), July 10, 1793, and July 27, 1793. Real and personal estate. Will proved July 22, 1795. Their children were Jonathan, Mich- ael, Peter, Mary Hillman and Elizabeth Meanser. Jonathan* Zerbe died about May 6, 1790, in Leacock Township; wf. Christina. "His estate to go to his brother Michael's wife on their death. Adam Miller, executor." — (W. B. Lancaster C. H.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 281 Of the Zerbeys (Note) — There are many Zerbes in Leacock and Cocalico Townships, some of whose ancestors had settled early beyond the line that (1752) divided Berks from Lancaster. They had taken land there before Berks was erected and remained. Peter Zerbe, doubtless the Peter, son of Valentine, had 80 acres of land surveyed, July 2, 1790; he warranted it, March 14, 1817. — (Records, Lancaster County C. H.) CHRISTIAN ZERBE Christian^ Zerbe, (John^ the m., Lorentz^), b. November 16, 1750; d. August 6, 1809; wf., Sophia Elizabeth, Eva Maria Liecken; m. August 26, 1774; b. December 17, 1752; d. Au- gust II, 1818. (Little Tulpehocken cemetery tombstone.) Their children were : Christian, Jacob and John. The will of Christian Zerbe was probated February 27, 1809, with his sons, Jacob and Christian as executors. (Will Book, Vol. 5, p. 244. Berks County C. H.) (See map of Pioneer Home- steads for land.) Christian Zerbe lived in Tulpehocken Town- ship during his lifetime. Christian4 Zerbe, Jr., (Christians), b. 1776; m. Catharine Deado; their children were: Elias, b. June 8, 1814; Levi, b. October 18, 1815; Eneas, b. October 24, 1822. EliasS Zerbe, (Christian^, Jr., Christians, John2 the m., Lorentzl); m. Rebecca, (da. of John Zerbe and granddaughter of Christian, Sr.) Their children were: Sarah C, b. August 11, 1839; Annie E., b. October 12, 1841; James E., b. April 11, 1844, Lebanon; John A., b. June 9, 1847, single; d. August, 1913, buried at Rehersburg; Sue E., b. May 17, 1852; Clara H., b. March 27, 1856. This family lived at Rehersburg, Berks County, but removed to Ford County, Kansas, with their six children and their families. Elias Zerbe and wife are buried in Kansas. Several of the children returned to Lebanon, Pa. Sarah C. Zerbe, m. Charles F. Sippel; da. Annie, b. January 17, 1866; Samuel Topley, 2d h.; Annie Sippel m. Wm. J. Fitzgerald; children: Wm. Russell, Charles Eustace. Annie E. Zerbe, m. Wilson H. Strickler, no children. James E. Zerbe m. Evaline Schriver; no children. Sue E. Zerbe, m. Harry B. Karch; children: Zerbe E., b. April 1, 1884; Mary R., b. January, 1887; Irene, b. August, 1888. Clara H. Zerbe m. Samuel R. Gingrich, d.; children: James W., b. July 3, 1866; John, b. April, 1888. Annie R., b. December 15, 1889; Eva C, b. January 21, 1892. 282 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records James E. Zerbe, Lebanon, says: His grandfather. Christian* is buried at Shiremanstown, Cumberland County, where the family had removed. His wife, Catharine*, a born Zerbe, and son Levio, father of BentonS H. Zerbe are buried at Harrisburg. (Dr. D. W. C. Laverty, Middle town. Pa., and Anna Priscilla Erving, Newburgh, N. Y., are indirect descendants of Christian* Zerbe.) REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORD Christian Serf ass. Vol. 4, p. 664; Vol 8, p. 203. Same from Northamp- ton County, Vol. 8, 493. Christian Zerbe., Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co., Berks County, Vol. 6, p. 322. Both Christians were in the Revolutionary War, Part 1, the latter is the head of this line. Enio Zerbe, (Christian*, Christians Jr., John the m., Lorentzl); b. October 24, 1822; m. Lizzie, da. of Wm. H. Bradford. Their children were: Mary E., b. January 14, 1845; Lydia A., b. April 11, 1846; William A., b. August 11, 1851; James V., b. March 25, 1853; Mina A., b. April 9, 1855; Ida E., b. October 27, 1857; Edward M., b. March 10, 1860; Robert H., b. May 13, 1862; Ellen W., b. May 13, 1864; Estelle M., b. January 23, 1866. Mary m. George Free; c: George, b. November 5, 1866; Mary E., Robert. Lydia m. George Drawbauch; c: Elmer, b. 1870; Cora, b. 1872; Myr- tle, b. 1874; William W., b. 1876; George B., b. 1878; Ralph A., b. 1880; Edna M., b. 1882; John B., b. 1884; Beuhla, b. 1887; Hazel, b. 1889. William Zerbe m. Annie Gruber; c: William, Raymond, Sophia, Edna, Harry. James V. Zerbe m. Jennie Taylor; c: Ralph, b. February 14, 1879; Wilson B., b. September 22, 1880; Leon E., b. January 7, 1895; Cecil L., b. April 1, 1899; Esther E., b. August 21, 1901; Dorothy, b. June 10, 1904; Emily R., b. 1908; Lawrence, b. October 27, 1911. Mina A. m. W. W. Winne; c; Mabel, b. 1876; Arthur, b. 1879. Ida R. m. John Miller, son Donald; Edward, d. December 24, 1874. Robert, m. Priscilla; son Robert. Levis Zerbe, (Christian*, Christians, Johna the m., Lorentzl); b. Oc- tober, 1816; m. Mary Reber, Lebanon. Their children were: Benton H.; Annie P.; William K.; Lina; Marion. Annie m. John Irving; da. Dolly. Wilkins not heard from since close of the Civil War. Lina m. Alfred Morey, d. Marion m. BENTON H. ZERBE Benton^ H. Zerbe, (Levi^, Christian', Christian^, John^ the m., Lorentzl), b. in Lebanon, 1840, where he received his early education in the public schools. His father destined him for the legal profession but he disliked the close appli- cation to study and when but little more than fourteen years SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 283 Of the Zerbeys of age he ran away from home and shipped from New York on a sailing vessel as shipmaster's apprentice, for the East Indies. He was shipwrecked several times and was once, with several companions, cast on a desert island in the South Seas, where they were compelled to remain for several months until they were, at length, picked up by a passing vessel. Shipping again and re-shipping on different vessels, in the trading lines, he sailed all over the world, meeting with the most thrilling experiences, with the aborigines, in distant parts, and encountering the severest hardships in the Simoons and tropical storms of the equatorial and South Sea regions and being given up, many times, as dead by his friends. After about seven years of this rigorous life, he settled in New Orleans, to which port he had last sailed, to and fro, in a fruit and cotton trading vessel, from Jamaica. Engag- ing in a shipping branch of the above line, he was prospering, when the Civil War broke out in 1861. He was conscripted into the Confederate army and belonged to the famous "Louisiana Tigers." Benton Zerbe's sympathies, however, were with the North and he permitted himself to be taken prisoner, by U. S. troops, at Gettysburg. He was imprisoned at Fort Mifflin, on the Delaware, where he took the oath of allegiance. He at once entered actively, with others, in the raising of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment of Cavalry, recruited for the U. S. army and was made a Captain of one of the companies, with which he served until the close of the war. The men of this regiment were known as the "New Jersey Butterflies," owing to their blue capes, lined with bright yellow. The service they performed in the War of the Rebellion is a matter of history. 284 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records With the close of the Civil War, 1865, Benton Zerbe be- came foreign sales agent for the Armstrong and Whitney Firearms and War Supplies Company, of New York, and sailed at once for Europe. Already an accomplished linguist, through foreign travel, in coming in contact with the military heads of the different European governments, in pursuance of the business with which he was connected, it became second nature with him to study up the nomenclature of the countries he visited and thus pursue and trace up the records and history of his fam- ily name. Benton H. Zerbe married Miss Jeanette Scott, of South Shields, England, 1868. Two children were born them, Harold and Ethel. The former is an electrical engineer in the English Navy. When last heard from both were un- married. Mr. Zerbe resided at New Castle, on the Tyne, England, where he died in 1899. (The author is indebted to James E. Zarbe, of Lebanon, uncle of Benton Zerbe, for the use of his brief and terse letters from abroad, from which facts have been gleaned of the history of the Zerbe family, in Europe, and carefully compiled.) JOHN ZERBE'S LAW SUIT John* Zerbe, the second miller, (Christian-^ John^ the m., Lorentzi), was a unique character. He lived at the old mill of John Zerbe the m., but built the stone mill a half mile down the creek now owned and operated by Jacob D. Sunday (Sontag). There was a small mill at this point prior to this date. A record in the Berks County D. B. says: "Jacob Zerbe and wife Catharine, together deeded the mill to John Zerbe, the miller, wf. Vilibina Gruber." The location of Christian Zerbe's land is shown upon the map of the Homesteads, (1723), upon another page. This land was di- vided between his sons, Jacob, Christian and John. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 285 Of the Zerbeys Jacob Zerbe, (Christian, John the m., Lorentz), lived on a tract of land adjoining Albrecht Strauss', between John Zerbe, the miller's, and that of his cousin, George Peter Zerbe's, at Hosts. John* Zerbe, second miller, got into an altercation with a neighbor as to who owned a certain field, the dividing line between their plantations and a law suit followed which was bitterly fought in the Berks County courts, and lasted fifty years and even now no title is given to the land which has been sold and resold for the taxes and in which litigation the different owners of the mill were drawn. John Zerbe is said to have lost thirteen thousand dollars through this suit and died a comparatively poor man as the result. Jacob Wilhelm and three sons sold the mill to J. D. Sunday, who enjoys a prosperous business as the result of his energetic methods of conducting it. George Schaffner, son of Daniel Schaffner, who bought the property at Hosts from the George Peter Zerbe heirs, built the Cross Keys Hotel, 1844. His father the same year built an oil mill near where "Sharva's Run" empties into the Tulpehocken, between the old and new mills. John* Zerbe, (Christian), the second miller of North Hei- delberg Township, b. June 24, 1783, d. December 21, 1857. Wife, Susanna Philipina Gruber, da. of Albrecht and Su- sanna Knobb Gruber, b. September 22, 1790, d. December 24, 1869. Both are buried in the Little Tulpehocken church cem- etery, one and a half miles west of Bernville. They had six- teen children, seven sons and six daughters, three died in in- fancy. Their children were : Andrew Zerbe, born July 23, 1807; d. April 18, 1805; wf., Susanna Ulrich, b. November 4, 1787; da. of Valentine Ulrich and Rosina Bergcr, of Pinegrove Township. A second record gives Andrew as married to Salome Staudt, b. 1809; d. 1887. He may have had two wives, or there may have been another Andrew. A sister, Salome Susanna Staudt, m. John SchaefFer. (They were the maternal grandparents of M. A. Gruber.) William James (Andrew), b. 1837. 286 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Zerbe, Rebecca— b. November 26, 1810; m. EliasS Zerbe, son of Christian4, Jr. Zerbe, Henry— b. June 13, 1814; d. February 18, 1854; m. Maria Bittle. Zerbe, Sarah— b. March 31, 1816; d. October 8, 1881; m. Daniel Keller. Zerbe, John— b. July 24, 1819; d. October 8, 1881 ;m. Elizabeth Lengle. Zerbe, Daniel — m. Catharine Spangler. Zerbe, Mary — m. Augusta Yeager. Zerbe, Eachael — m. Isaac Noecker. Zerbe, Sophia— m. John Biddle, Friedensburg, Schuylkill County. Children: Isaac, Lewis, Washington, Jacob, Sarah; most of whom are settled in the Long Run Valley, Schuylkill County, Pa. Mrs. Sophia Bid- die, who lived with her children at Friedensburg, d., 1912, aged 82 years. Zerbe, Nathan— First wf., Mary SchoU; second wf., Polly Achenbach. Children: Leando, John, Mary, Sarah, Elmer, Edward, Morris and Nathan, (Christ Church). Some of these reside at Lebanon and Reading, others live in the West. Zerbe, Isaac — m. Caroline Livengood. Children: Agnes, Samuel, Pamilla, Isaac, Alice. Isaac Zerbe was a shoemaker by trade. He lived at Mt. Aetna, Berks County, where he acted as school teacher and organist at the Rehersburg church. He removed with his family early to the West. His children were: Henry Zerbe, d., a General in the Civil War, Herring, Ohio, resided with his niece, Mrs. Sarah Silverling, 891 Belmont Ave., West Philadelphia; Abraham, Red Run, Pa.; Isaac and John, Stevens, Pa.; William, Bowmansville, Lancaster Co.; Samuel, Swartsville, Pa. Zerbe, Julia — m. John Anthony; children: Amelia, Rebecca. Zerbe, Percival — First wife, Caroline Schriver; second, Anna Blatt. Children: Nathaniel, Henry, John. The children of Sarah and Daniel Keller were: William, Maria, Levi, Daniel, Henry, John, Savilla, Amelia. Nathaniel^ Zerbe, wf. Annie, a born Zerbe, (HenryS wf. Elmira Lengle; PercivaH, John the second miller. Christian, John2 the m., Lorentzl.), Rebecca Zerbe, daughter of John^, married Daniel Trout- man, and still lives in the house built by her father, where both he and his father, John* died, and where she cared for them both during their last illness and from which house they were buried. HenryS Zerbe, assisted by his son Francis, is the organist of the Berville Reformed and Lutheran church. Thomas'^ J. Zerbe, (William^, Daniel^, John* the second miller, Christian^, John^ the m., Lorentz^). Justice of the Peace and school teacher. His father, William E., was a sol- dier in the Civil War. The Berks County court records show Jacob Zerbe and wife, grantors, to John Zerbe, May i, 1820, Heidelberg, (B. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 287 Of the Zerbeys 1-50, 553.) Christian Zerbe, grantor, to Jacob, grantee, May I, 1820, Power of Attorney. (Vol. i, 33, 307.) This refers to the transfer of the land of John the miller, through Christian and Jacob, his sons, to his grandson, John the second miller. (Many of John'' Zerbe's (b. June 24, 1783,) descendants live in Reading and others went West.) Danielo Zerbe, (John!); wf., Kate Spangler; children: Mary, Ephraim and Jaine.5. Mary m. , lives in Strausstown, Berks County. Ephraim died at Mt. Pleasant. Son, Harry, lives at Scranton, piano tuner, has adult children. James Zerbe, b. April 19, 1837, d. January, 1915; wf., Ellen E. Miller, d., b. 1840; c: Reilly, Harry. James Zerbe lived for years in Stouchsburg, Berks County, where he founded the cigar manufacturing business and was successful in it, but subsequently retired and removed to Palmyra. Reilly Zerbe, b. January ii, i860, (James", Daniel^, John*, Christian^, John', Lorentz^) ; \vi., Mary A. Killmer; m. Decem- ber 25, 1880. Daughter Ella G. m. Joseph A. Gernert, hotel- keeper at Millersburg, Dauphin County. No children. Reilly Zerbe, originator of the large cigar manufactory, Stouchsburg, Berks County, employing about seventy hands. He conducted a prosperous business, but has retired to pri- vate life. He owns a beautiful home, a pressed brick man- sion with all the modern improvements, on the main street of the town, of which he is one of the progressive citizens. He is the secretary of Christ Lutheran Church. Harry7 Zerbe (JamesB); b. November, 1875; m. Annie Bentz, 1895; baker; lives in Scranton; c: Elsie, Mary, Joyce, James. NATHAN ZERBE, RAILROADER, GORDON, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA. Nathan" Zerbe, (Nathan^), b. February 18, 1848; m. February 26, 1869, Wilhelmina Dunmoyer, of Lebanon County, d. Second wf., Sarah Maurer, of Gordon. Children of first wife: Sarah, wife of Samuel Yarnall, Gordon, two children; Katie, wf. of Lester Resch, no issue, Lynwood, N. J. Children of second wife : Gertrude, m. John Saeger, Ash- land, one son. Three sons : Harry, Albert and Clyde, mar- 288 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records ried and Luther at home, all of Gordon, Schuylkill County. Nathan Zerbe has been in the employ of the Reading Rail- way Company for forty-seven consecutive years as railroader, is hale and hearty and bids fair to reach the age of seventy, in the harness, when he will be retired as a pensioner. He owns a comfortable home and is highly respected in the com- munity. JOHN ZERBE, OF CUMRU TOWNSHIP John^ Zerbe, (John^' the m., Lorentz^), b. bet. 1735" and '38; wf., Catharine. He died during 1805, his will being pro- bated April 8, 1805. (There are no death records in the An- gelica church before 1850.) John Zerbe and wf. Catharine and brother Jonathan and sister Susanna, single, came to Cumru Township about 1760 and took up land about eight miles from Reading, on the Lancaster road, several miles from the Lancaster County line, on Allegheny Creek, near the line now dividing Cumru and Brecknock Townships. (It will be noted that there are three millers named, John Zerbe, of the second, third and fourth generations.) John and Jonathan Zerbe bought land in Cumru Town- ship, March 4, 1764 (Deed Book 7, p. 4, Berks County). April I, 1777, Jonathan Zerbe deeded 50 acres of land to John Zerbe; March 18, 1777, John and Jonathan Zerbe sold the land, 210 acres and allowances, to George Plankenbiller, (Deed B. 7, p. 5). Georgei Kohl, m. Eva, da. of John Zerbe; he kept the Angelica hotel and here John Zerbe and wife died. John^ Zerbe, a miller, built the old mill, part of which is still stand- ing near the addition built by George^ Kohl. The children of John and Catharine Zerbe were: Eva, wf. of George Kohl; Jacob, John, David, Elizabeth, Anna Maria, b. January 12, 1783; Susanna Christina, b. March 25, 1776. The heirs are mentioned in his will. (Abstract of Berks County Wills, Vol. 2, 1798-1825, Gen. Soc, Phila.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 389 Of the Zerbeys Letters testamentary were granted Jacob, his eldest son, and the wife Catharine, to whom he bequeathed "one hundred pounds first money and seven pounds, 10 S. yearly. His children shall account for what they have received and share alike. If his son John is alive or not, his share shall go to his children. His wife had an estate of her own." (B. 4, p. 277, Berks County court house. Vol. 3, p. 170.) (This John Zerbe witnessed the will of Anthony Schei- mer, of Cumru, June 29, 1768. — Penna. Historical Society, Abstract of Wills, Philadelphia.) Elizabeth Zerbe (John^), m. Adam, son of George Gram- ling, March 27, 1780. (Marriages of Rev. John Walderschmidt, Penna. Archives, 6th series, Vol. 6, p. 255.) They had three children : Jacob, John and Sarah Gramling, and were over 14 years of age when letters of administration were granted to their grandfather, John Zerbe. Johns Zerbe, Revolutionary War Record, Part 1. He was one of the three John Zerbes from Berks County, whose record is found in the office of the War Department, Washington, D. C, (Part 1.) Zerbe, Jonathan, May 22, 1792, 311 acres, warranted, returned October 12, 1812, Caspar Reeser, patentee. Township not mentioned, probably Cumru. Zerbe, Leonard, August 1, 1793, 150 acres, returned 172, February 12, 1795, Leonard Zerbe. THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION JONATHAN ZERBE Jonathan Zerbe left for Pinegrove Township about 1777, where he settled but retained his membership with the An- gelica church, in the records of which he is noted as having communed in 1799 and 1804, with John and Catharine and October 16, 1803. In 1805 Catharine is on record as alone, John, St., dying early in that year. When John Zerbe came, about 1760, Allegheny church, near the dividing line of Cumru and Brecknock Townships, was already built, a small log 290 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records house, erected in 1750. Among the archives is a solid pewter communion service that was brought from Germany by the first settlers, that is highly prized by the present communi- cants, owing to its association with the old log church. An- other church was erected in the '6o's and Johannes Zerbe, "miller," appears on the church list as being a leading con- tributor. Jonathan Zerbe is also noted in 1775 as a contribu- tor, and George Kohl and wife, Margaret, are on the list and are also recorded as baptizing children, among them George Kohl, who took out a deed to the land and mill, March 9, 1824. (B. 9, 212; B. 16, 138). Johirl Zerbe, Jr., (JohnS, John2 the m., Lorentzi); b. 1765; wf. Barbara, da. of Peter Schweitzer, b. October 20, 1765; d. February 1, 1830. Children: 1781, May 17, Jacob, d. November 16, 1862; 1790, November 30, Catharine; 1792, July 12, David; (Sponsors, John and Catharine, grandparents); 1793, October 11, Samuel, m. da. of Jacob Leiby; 1794, John; 1796, January 27, Joseph; (Rev. Illing's and Allegheny Church records.) John"* Zerbe died about December 25, 1796; his will was probated January 30, 1797, and states that the widow, Bar- bara, da. of Peter Schweitzer, of Brecknock Township, re- nounced and that her brother Peter and David Zerbe were the administrators (D. B. 5, p. 114), and that he left five chil- dren under 14 years of age at the above date and five over. Joseph Zerbe m. Reeser. Joseph Zerbe and wife died before December 18, 1821, when leiiters of administration were given Jacob Zerbe, his brothers, and John Reeser. Bar- bara Schweitzer, Avidow of John'* Zerbe, married Adam, son of George Gramling, a widower, and former husband of Elizabeth Zerbe, her sister-in-law. Samuel and Josephs Zerbe (John* Zerbe), are found on record in the Penna. Archives, 6th series. Vol. 9, pp. 408-505-603, as soldiers from Cumru Township, Berks County, in the War of 1812 — '14, and are on the pension list. Jacob! Zerbe, (JohnS, JohnS the m., Lorentzi), b. 1775; wf., Elizabeth, da. of Jacob Leiby. Children: 1799, September 8, Maria, sponsors, Eva Zerbe, Jacob Heinberger; 1800, July 17, , sponsors, Anna Maria Zerbe, Jacob Heinberger; 1801, November 13, Elizabeth. The above Jacob was confirmed 1791 (Allegheny church record). SCHUYLKILL COUNTY agi Of the Zerbeys Among the returns and assessments of Woodbury Township, Huntingdon County, Pa., for 1788 and 1789, oc- curs the name of Jacob "Sarver," father and son, (Brumbach Genealogy). Also in the same volume the marriage is noted of Jesse C. Brumbaugh to Clara "Serby," b. April 17, 1865. DAVID ZERBE David! Zerbe, (JohnS, John2 the m., Lorentzl); b. ITeT; wf., Barbara. Children: 1790, October 20, Daniel, sponsor.s, John and Catharine; 1792, March 14, Hannah; 1793, October 24, John; 1795, November 2, Anna Maria; 1799, July 16, Barbara; 1801, June 28, Samuel, sponsors, John and Catha- rine, grandparents; 1802, December 30, Peter; 1809, August 10, Susan, (Allegheny c. records). David'* Zerbe, the above, stood sponsor, February 6, 1788, at Trinity Lutheran church, Reading. (Records). David'' Zerbe lived and died in Cumru Township. He was the treasurer of the Allegheny church, 1789, and held other offices of trust in that congregation at various times up to his death. John^ Zerbe, (David*), b. October 24, 1793, had sons William and Lazarus, who settled at Williamstown, Pa. A son of one of the above, John A. Zerbe, lives at Altoona, Pa. David^ Zerbe, (John*, John^ John^ the m., Lorentz^), b. July 12, 1792; bap., August 19, at Allegheny church, Breck- nock Township ; his grandparents, John and Catharine, stood sponsors. Parents, John and Barbara. David, m. Elizabeth Koller, of Tulpehocken Township, May 15, 1817, (Christ church records). Children: William, 1818, October 25; Maria, 1820, August 27; Magdalena, 1821, November 14; Barbara, 1823, October 25; Lavina, 1825, December 18; Solomon, 1827, July 11; Leah, 1828, October 22; Lazarus, 1830, June 10; Elizabeth, 1831, August 9; Priscilla, 1832, October 23; Michael, 1834, May 4; Eva, 1836, March 23; Sarah Eliza, 1837, August 20; (Hetzel's Lutheran church, Washington Township, Schuylkill County, Pa.) The addresses of the above are: Magdalena, Urbana, 111.; Mrs. E. C. Miller, Gettysburg, Ohio; Mrs. Eva Steiger, Beansville, Ohio; Mrs. Louisa Haines, Urbana, Ohio; Mrs. Lavina Covill, Texaseana, Texas; Michael J., Centre, Ohio; Mrs. Sarah Butcher, Piqua, Ohio; Mrs. Elizabeth Farris, Dunkirk, Indiana. 292 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records David^ Zerbe settled in Pinegrove Township, 1817, where his children were born, removing, with others of his family, to Ohio, 1839. REV. JOHN W. ZERBE William** Zerbe, (David^, John'*, John'*, John^ the m., Lorentzi) ; b. 1818; m. Mary Butcher, October 15, 1841 ; b. February 22, 1821, in Lancaster County. Wm. Zerbe was born in Pinegrove Township, removing to Ohio, 1839, ^^'^ removing again to Howard County, Indiana, 1865. Their children were : Charles C, b. November, 1848; d. March 16, 1893; m. Louisa Lindley, b. August 3, 1853; children: John W., b. February 26, 1873; Laura, wf. of Hensler, b. December 11, 1874; Clara Rogers, b. March 20, 1879; d.; Nora King, b. February 22, 1882; Maude Kendall, b. April, 1886; Ros- coc, b. 1891. Rev. John W. Zerbe is an ordained minister of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of Indiana. He was stationed at Williamsburg, Ind., (1913); wf., Amelia May Paulus, b. December 9, 1876; children: Paul, b. Febru- ary 1st, 1899; Fannie, b. December 3, 1901; Donald, b. November 8, 1905; John, b. January 28, 1908; Mary, b. April 21, 1910. Jacobs Zerbe, (John4, JohnS, JohnS the m., Lorentzl); b. May 17, 1789; d. November 16, 1862; wf., Susanna; c: 1810, March 4, Catharine; 1812, January 21, Sarah; 1814, January 28, John; 1816, July 20, Susanna; 1818, September 14, Magdalena; 1821, March 26, Jacob; 1823, September 29, Joseph; 1826, November 3, Isaac, who died at Bowmansville, Lancaster County, six miles from the Allegheny church; 1830, February 20, Samuel; 1833, March 19, William. Jacobs Zerbe, (Jacobs, John!, John3, John2 the m., Lorentzl); b. 1821, March 26; wf., Cassie, or Catharine; c: 1845, April 20, Maria Anna; 1846, September 3, Susanna; 1849, September 2, Sarah; 1853, May 7, Samuel and Mary, Eliza Ann (triplets); 1854, March 3, Emma Elizabeth; 1856, May 27, Amanda; 1858, May 28, John; 1860, October 9, Louisa, m. Remp. (Allegheny church records.) Jacob^ Zerbe, (Christian^, John- the m., Lorentz^) ; b. May 22, 1775 ; d. April 26, 1831 ; first wife, Catharine Zim- merman ; m. 1796; children: Phillip, b. 1797; Salome, b. Au- gust 3, 1803; Catharine, b. February 15, 1805. Second wife, Catharine Rudebach, b. August, 1781 ; d. August, i860; mar- ried December, 1805. Jacob Zerbe lived upon a tract of land on the hill five miles from Womelsdorf toward Hosts P. O., SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 293 Of the Zerbeys the tract or part of it belonging to his father, Christian (see map). (Berks County Deed Book 4-9, p. 553), gives Jacob and wife Catharine, as grantors, to John, grantee, Heidelberg Township, of fifty acres of this land. This John was his brother, son of Christian and Elizabeth Liecken Zerbe. The children of Jacob Zerbe and Catharine Rudebach were : 1806, June 27, John Adam; 1807, Justine; 1811, January 5, Augustus, d. February 9, 1858, m. Elizabeth ; 1813, Eliza, ra. John Hagenbach, 1 son, 1 daughter; 1817, December 26, Mary, m. J. L. Smith, da. Elizabeth, b. October 4, 1841; second husband, J. Dupncr das. Emma, Lucy, m. Jacob Mack; 1822, January 7, Franklin. The sponsors for the above were Christian Zerbe and wife Catharine Deado; and Christian Zerbe and wf. Eva, grandparents and nncle, respectively, of the children. (Christ church records). Annie Zerbe, daughter of Jared, son of Phillip, and wife of Nathaniel Zerbe, says, her grandfather was Phillip and great grandfather Jacob, son of Christian. (Little Tulpehock- en church records, and Rehersburg church records, family bibles and descendants.) Augustus^ Zerbe, (Jacob*, Christian", John- the m., Lor- entz^) ; wf. Elizabeth. Children : 1843, April 19, Henrietta Emmaline; 1846, April 11, Eegina, (Christ church records). They had other children: Mrs. Daniel Stambough, (Em- maline), Myerstown, Pa.; Isaac, d.; Harrison, d., b. February 22, 1839; Maria, b. August 15, 1837; Mrs. Rebecca Sheets, d.; Harriet Pfiefer, My- erstown, Pa. The parents of Augustus were: Jacob Zerbe and Catharine Rudebach. Maria* Rieth, (Jacob^, John^ Nicholas, Leonard^ Rieth) ; wf. of Jacob Scheetz, son of Jacob Edward Scheetz; wf. Braun. Jacob Scheetz's son, John E. Scheetz, m. Rebecca, da. of Augustus Zerbe. Mrs. Katharine S. Scheetz, Des Moines, la., a daughter of John E. and Rebecca Scheetz. Harry Zerbe, Bernville, a well-to-do horse dealer, was a son of Augustus Zerbe. (Note — The will of Jacob Zerbe was admitted to probate, 1832. B. 7, p. 31, Berks County court house.) 394 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records LAND OF GEORGE ADAM ZERBE (B. II, p. I02, Record of Deeds, Berks County): Benja- min Zerbe, Grantor, to George Adam Zerbe, November 19, 1788, tract of land in Pinegrove Township, returned June 3, 181 5. The 200 acres upon survey were surrounded by lands of Wm. Witman, Barr Wheeler, Conrad Lengle, Peter Zim- merman. The deed says: "There is upon the above tract a good two-story log house, a log barn and 50 acres of upland cleared, and four acres of meadow, a saw mill and an orchard planted and some of the trees are grown to considerable size. The family of George Adam Zerbe live at present in said house. Patent Book H, Vol. 12, p. 562, office of Internal Afifairs, Harrisburg, also gives this warrant granted as April 25, 1815, and that $16.80 was paid for the return. C. W., of Penna., John Cochran, Sec. There is a fine draft of the place in the Patent Book. A second warrant, September 5, 1794, surveyed October 8, to Jacob Zoll, 217 acres 95 perches, Brunswick Township, George Adam Zerbe, grantor; returned April 24, 1815. (George Adam Zerbe is on the tax list of Pinegrove Township, 1787.) John Adam and Michael, sons of George Adam Zerbe removed to Port Carbon about 1838; John lived and died in Pinegrove, May 26, 1870. John Adam was a wood sawyer and was boss sawyer in a mill at "Tarr's Well." George Adam Zerbe took out a warrant December 2, 1784, lor 300 acres of land, in Pinegrove Township, returned December 6, 1784, Berks County court house. John Adam, (George Adam) warranted 40 acres of land, Pinegrove Township, March 3, 1825, returned March 4, 1830. John, his brother, 100 acres, April 30, 1825, patented Octo- ber II, 1825. (Schuylkill County court house.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 295 Of the Zerbeys George^ Adam Zerbe, (John^ the m., Lorentz^), b. De- cember 13, 1753; d. August 5, 1828; wf. Elizabeth, d.a. of Assumus Boyer; m., 1779, at the Red church below Orwigs- burg. They had six sons and three daughters. Husband and wife are buried in the first laid out cemetery in Pinegrove. Their children were : Jacob, b. April 10, 1780; Phillip, b. January 18, 1784; John, b. August 7, 1786; Michael, b. March 21, 1791; John Adam, b. March 1, 1794; George A., b. January 24, 1797; Madeline, m. Clemons. Catharine, b. Feb- ruary 17, 1782, m. Peter Zimmerman, son of Peter Zimmerman; Eliza- beth, b. May 9, 1800, m. Bretz, and lived at Pinegrove; Michael, m. Mary Bretz. A sister and two brothers married a brother and two sisters. All were born in Pinegrove Township. (Family bible of George Adam Zerbe, in possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Henrietta Berda- nier, d., aged eighty-six years, of Prackville, Schuylkill County.) Peter Zimmerman and wife, Catharine Zerbe, m. 1800; bap.; chil- dren: Johann George, July 25, 1801; Salome, bap. June 24, 1804; Catha- rine, bap. March 27, 1807; (Jacob's church records). Jacob Zerbe, m. Catharine, da. of Peter Zimmerman, 1802; a sister and brother married a brother and sister. Jacob Zerbe and wife Catharine, bap. Salomiue, b. August 3, bap. August 28, 1803. Sponsors, Peter Zimmerman and wife Catharine; Catharine, bap. April 14, 1804. (Jacob's church records.) Michael Zerbe, wf., Mary Bretz ; c. : Michael, Samuel and Eli. Michael lived and died at Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, where he followed the occupation of carpenter, con- tractor and boating. He is buried in the Lutheran cemetery. John* Adam Zerbe, (George^ Adam) ; wf., Marie Chris- tina Bretz. C. : one da., d. ; Plenrietta, b. 1828, d. 1915, m. An- thony Berdanier, master mechanic, Reading Company, Frack- ville ; they had seven children, three sons and four daughters. Elizabeth, da. of John Adam, m. Frank Berdanier. Two sis- ters m. brothers. Frank Berdanier lived in Mt. Carmel, where he died, and is buried in Port Carbon, as is also his wife, Elizabeth, b. 1830, d., aged 81. One son went to Cen- tral America and has not been heard from in twenty years. (Note — John Adam and Michael Zerbe owned a canal boat known as the "Two Brothers," when the canal ran from Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, to Philadelphia, and were 296 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records engaged in the transportation of coal until the shipping point was transferred farther south.) Jonathan Jackson, son of John Adam, m. Elizabeth Zimmerman. He settled at Schuylkill Haven and had six children, one son, Charles, and several daughters. Catharine, da. of John Adam, m. Wm. Krebs, d., and lived at Port Carbon. She had three sons and four daugh- ters, and died June 29, 191 5, aged 81 years. Charles A. Zerbe, son of John Adam, b. 1842, in Port Carbon, where his father removed from Pinegrove, where the above children were born. Charles was married three times. First wife, Mary A. Purcell, by whom he had two children, Elizabeth, of Allento'wn, and William J. Zerbe, b. 1867, former president of the Lieberman Brewing Co., of Allentown; wf. Emma Banner, one da., Elizabeth. Second wife, Emma Kinney ; third wife, Mary A. Holder. Charles A. Zerbey was in the Civil War. He enlisted in the 96th regiment, Penna. Vol., but was discharged for disability, when he again enlisted in Co. L, 12th N. Y. Cav., and as Sergeant served for the remainder of the war. He settled in Wilmington, Del. He was railway engineer in Denver, Col., and acted in the same capacity on the Lehigh Valley Railway, Pa., before accepting a position as master mechanic and stationary engineer for the McCuUough Iron Company, Wilmington, Del., where he remained twenty-six years, be- ing at present with the Wilmington electric hose and rub- ber company. July 2, 1796, George^ and John* Adam Zerbe, were communicants at St. John's Lutheran church, Friedens- burg. The building of this church began 1796. A log house was erected there first for the worship of the Lutheran and Reformed people. It was dedicated 1797. The first pastors were itinerants, Emanual Schultz, Hartzell, Shoemaker, and George Minnich (Protocol). SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 297 Of the Zerbeys Mary A. Schall, d., da. of Benjamin and Christina Pott (Dreibelbis), said, "her mother told her that the early sett- lers from the Long Run Valley and in the vicinity of Potts- ville and Schuylkill Haven attended this church on horseback, as there were no roads then." Daniel^ Zerbe, (Samuel^, Michael^, George* Adam, John^ the m., Lorentz^), a conductor on the miners' train of the Tamaqua branch of the Reading Railway, has held several different positions with that company. Jonathan Jackson Zerbe, son of John Adam, was a sol- dier in the Civil War, Co. H, 173rd Regt. Pa. Vols. The tombstone of John Adam Zerbe, in the Lutheran cemetery. Port Carbon, beside that of his wife, gives the date of his birth, March i, 1794; d. May 30, 1873, and says on it: "In war of 1812," Captain Hughes' company. Michaels Zerbe, of Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, wf. Mary Bretz. Children: Michael, wf., Polly Bankus, Locust Valley, da. Polly. Samuel L. Zerbe, wf., Lucy Sarva, East Bear Ridge, father, Peter Paul Sarva. Eli Zerbe m. Elizabeth Chester, no children. Samuel Zerbe; children: Emma, wf. of Henry Resch, Reading; Rose, wf. of Milton Fillmore, Phila.; Peter, twice married; first wf., Mary Lord; second, Kate Featherman; second wf., no c. Children of first wf.: Jacob, Howard, William, Peter, Lizzie, m. Wagner; Lena, m. Robert Ketner, Phila.; son, Howard, in charge of the Reading City water works, was government chemist in Panama. Daniel Zerbe, railroader, of Port Carbon, Schuylkill County; wf., Annie M. Jones; eight children, all at home. DanielT Zerbe, (SamuelB). Elmira, d., da. of Samuels, m. Albert Krebs; no children. Daniel F. Resch, aged thirty-four years, P. & R. railway brakeman, son of Henry Resch and Anna Zerbe, was killed at Reading, October 2, 1914, leaving beside his parents the following brothers and sisters: Archibald, Allentown; Elmira, Henry and Laura, all of Reading, and Mrs. Milton Filmore, of Phila. He lived at 522 N. Tenth St. GEORGE ZERBE George* Zerbe, (John^ the m., Lorentz^), b. September 3, 1754; d. October 11, 1824; wf., Christina Wenrich; b. Oc- tober 27, 1757; d. November 18, 1821 ; is buried at Christ Church (Stouchsburg). Married, June 5, 1781, his wife is buried at Little Tulpehocken cemetery. Their children were: Susanna Catharine, bap. December 10, 1781, Adam 398 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Leiss and Susanna Wenrich, sponsors. Phillip, wf. Su- sanna ; Daniel and George Jr. The latter lived near the North Heidelberg church and was a shoemaker by trade. His brother Daniel lived with him. (Others named below.) George^ Zerbe was located four miles north of Womels- dorf, Tulpehocken Township. George Zerben, Revolutionary War record, Capt. Phillip Filbert's Co., private. — Penna. Archives, 2nd Series, Vol. 6, pp. 32I-'22. Wenrich. — There were three original Wenrichs: Mathiaa, Balthaser and Francis. The children of Mathias and Christina Wenrich were: John Balthaser, b. May 18, 1726; John, b. July 8, 1727; Mathias, b. May 1, 1729; Esther, b. July 25, 1731; John Thomas, b. September 8, 1734; Conrad, b. February 1, 1737; Mary Magdalena, b. March 8, 1740. (Little Tulpehocken church records.) The will of John Wenrich (son of Mathias), June 27, 1793, says: "George Zerbe shall have the small place where he lives." (Abstract of Wills, Berks County, Penna. Historical Society Library.) (From Miscellaneous Docket 2, p. 109, the release is recorded.) George Zerbe, Jr., one of the sons of Christina Zerbe, daughter of John Wenrich and wf. of George Zerbe, late of Tulpehocken Township, Berks Co., deceased. Christina, wf. of John Gibson. Elizabeth Zerbe, intermarried with Johni Zerbe, (JohnS George, George2 Peter, Martini), of Manheira Township, Blue Mountains. John Zerbe; Phillip Zerbe. Sybilla Zerbe, wf. of Daniel Class; Daniel Zerbe. They released to the executors of John Wenrich, Phillip Strauss and Paul Groff. TYRONE AND ALTOONA, PA., ZERBES Zerbe, John; son, Jonathan, millwright; on completion oE his trade, in Reading, Pa., married Catharine Sheafer. Chil- dren : William, Jonathan, Phillip, John, Jacob, Daniel, Mich- ael and Elizabeth ; b. in Westmoreland County, where he set- tled. Three of his sons married sisters; Eve, Catharine and Barbara, daughters of Frederick Sheafer, of Berks County, who had two sons and eight daughters. Jonathan Zerbe was the grandfather of Mrs. Samuel Holl, d., Greensburg, Pa., whose husband lives at N. Industry, O. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 299 Of the Zerbeys Zerbe, John (Jonathan) was one of the pioneer mer- chants, afterward one of the first office men of the Pennsyl- vania railway, located at Tyrone, Pa. He died 1878. (Note — JohnS Jonathans, were sons of John^ Zerbe, Jr., of Cumru Twp., Berks County, d. 1796.) Zerbe, Prof. Farran, was of the faculty of the Philadel- phia High School, and president of the Numismatic Associa- tion of Pennsylvania. He lived at Tyrone, Altoona and Philadelphia. (Note — Prof. Farran Zerbe, of Phila., was in charge of the coin exhibit at the Panama Exposition, San Francisco, Cal., 1916.) Zerbe, John — A daughter, Mrs. Mary A. Storm, Tyrone. This line are Catholics, Jonathan^ having been raised in the McManus family (Catholics), of Reading, Pa. (Note — Members of the abov; line were written to for information regarding their descent, but failed to respond.) READING, PENNA. ZERBES The majority of the Zerbes who reside in the city of Reading, are direct descendants of John the second miller, who lived where Krick's Mills P. 0., Berks County, is now located. Many of this line lived around Rehersburg and are buried in the cemetery near that place. John and Barbara Zerbe are buried in the Lutheran cemetery, between Rehersburg and Millersburg. They had four children: Percival, William, Reuben and Miranda. Percival Zerbe (John), b. 1834; wf. Sarah Clemens, both buried at Millersburg, Berks County; c: William, Miranda and Reuben, the two former deceased and buried in the Charles Evans cemetery. William met with an accident from the effects of which he died, aged 54 years. His son is Claude G. Zerbe, 536 Weiser Street; wf. Linda, one son, John. Claude Zerbe is in the ice business. Morris W. Scharff, b. June 15, 1857; wf. Amanda L., da. of Phillip and Maria Zerbe Piefifer; m., 1878; live in Stouchs- burg. He is an elder of Christ Church and a direct descend- 300 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records ant of Conrad and Antonius Scharf, who came to Host's with the thirty-three families, 1723. The Scharfs were inter- married with the early Zerbes. Henry W. Zerbe, b. February 21, 1846, in Tulpehocken Township; m. Sarah Ann, da. of John and Maria Wertman, b. Forrer, b. April 30, 1847. His second wf., Amelia E. Zerbe. Children of Henry, first wf., Mary Matilda, b. October 3, 1877; Francis Howard, b. May 5, 1S90, bap. July 6; Bernville, mail carrier, rural delivery, from Bernville to Cross Keys. Calvin Zerbe, Robesonia, (grandfather, Benneville, brother of Jared Zerbe and Mrs. Mary Feeg) ; wf., Kate Leiss. Mary Leiss, a sister, is married to an Adam Zerbe, of Tulpe- hocken. Zerbe, Daniel, 631 Gordon Street, Reading. A son lives in Pbttsville, Pa., manager of the Peoples Investment Com- pany. John^ Zerbe, wf., Martha Keller, da. of John and Cathe- rine Gruber Keller, was of the John* the second miller line, Heidelberg Township; (John*, Christian^, John" the m., Lorentz^), b. June 20, 1799; is buried in Little Tulpehocken church cemetery. Wf. Martha, d., in Penn Township, 1871. Their children were : Elias, b. August 4, 1822, d. March 25, 1906; Rebecca, m. John Wag- ner, both d.; Catharine, m. Jeremiah Oaks, both d.; Wm. K., b. Novem- ber 12, 1837, lives in Reading, single; Sarah, m. Jonathan Frymoyer, d., she lives in Reading; Jonathan, m. Clara Moll, d.; a daughter, Henrietta, d. November 27, 1829. Klias (John) came to Reading, 1870, d. March 25, 1906; wf., Mary Ann Moyer, daughter of George and Catharine Gerber Moyer, both d., buried in Charles Evans cemetery. Children: two daughters, deceased; Levi M., b. December 3, 1853; James M., b. September 27, 1855; Harrison, b. January 9, 1859; George McClellan, b. January 25, 1864. Levi M., son of Elias Zerbe, m. Amelia A. Werner, May 15, 1875; three children; live at Reading. Urias Zerbe, son of John, b. February 16, 1834, d. January 6, 1907; m. Lavina Snyder; c: William A., John, James, Irwin, Frank, Missouri, Maria, Amanda. Urias and wife are buried in Charles Evans cemetery. William A., son of Urias, m. Missouri DeLong, October 8, 1887; has seven children. William Zerbe, Sr., and William, Jr., are both members of the Schuyl- kill Fire Company No. 12. The latter is in the milk business. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 301 Of the Zerbeys Henry B. Rowe came to Reading, 1847. He married Eliz- abeth Zerbe, b. 18.^4, March 24. They had two sons, William and Joseph. William, deceased, was Mayor of Reading. Joseph Z. Rowe m. Sarah Leyenburger, of Newark, N. J. ; they had seven children. (Note — It is believed that all of the Zerbc name in Read- ing can find their ancestry in the records, in these pages, if not individually specified.) UNCLASSIFIED ZERBES In searching the records of the Zerbes in the West and South, but one has been found whose ancestry cannot be traced to the early generations of Pennsylvania and Virginia, although there are hundreds of the family name in Tennes- see, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Missouri. Zerbe, F H., Secretary of the Erie County, Ohio, Agri- cultural Society, Sandusky, O., son of Andrew Zerbe, b. 1836, in the Duchy of Nassau. Zerbe, John, b. 1847. President of the Penna. & Ohio Coal and Iron Company. Brother, b. 1849, prominent family of Cleveland, O. Zerbe, John K., b. November 1, 1838, in Pinegrove Township, Schuyl- kill County, Pa., of Sulphur Springs, 0. A sister m. John Minnieh. Zerbee, Frank, brother Jonathan, Bellefontaine, 0. The former, master mechanic for the "Big Four" Railway companies. Zerbe, Emanuel, Steelton, Pa., brother Cyrus and a daughter of Cyrus, Mrs. E. M. Stoner, Middletown, Pa. Zerby, A. B., of 7525 Ardmore St., Swissvale, East Pittsburg, Pa., is a grandson of Cyrus Zerbe, d., of Lykens, Pa. Mr. Zerby is connected with the Westinghouse Department of Publicity representing the Westing- house interests in the United States and Canada. Zerbe, Jerome B., coal dealer and politician; Dayton, Ohio. Zerbe, Harry, railroader, Schuylkill Haven, Pa. Serwe, William and son, hotelTteeper, Fon du Lac, Wisconsin. Serfas, Lewis, farmer. Sawyer, Kewaunee Co., Wis. Zerbe, John, East Germantown, Ind.; das., Mrs. Eliza Winters, Rich- mond, Ind., and Mrs. Mary Ensley, Muncie, Ind. Zerbe, H. T., Toledo, Ohio. Zerbe, John, lived at Christ Church, Stouchsburg, Berks County, about 1870. He had a son John and a number of daughters and was a school teacher. They went West. Zerbe, Jonathan and William, brothers; live at Meyerstown and Sheridan. Zerbe, William C, Fredericksburg, Pa., cigar dealer. 302 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Zerbe, Isaac, m. Emma Stambaugh, Meyerstown, Berks County. Zerbe, Harrison, Avon, Pa. Zerby, Mrs. Agnes Stewart, widow of Prof. James G. Zerby, of Clearfield County, Pa., keeps a private school for girls in Germantown, Philadelphia. Husband, former school teacher and insurance agent. Zerbe, E. F., grocer, Phillipsburg, (see Lycoming and Clearfield Zer- bes.) E. E. Zerby, of Steelton, Pa., a railroader on the Penn- sylvania Railway, and secretary of the Odd Fellows' Lodge at that place, is married and has several children. The fol- lowing is his line: (EmanueF W., Henry^, SamueP, John^ John^, John^ the m., Lorentz^) Samuel" Zerbe, of Cumru Township, was in the War of 1812, and John^ Zerbe, of the same line, was in the War of the Revolution. John^ Zerbe, b. 1794, (John*, John^, John- the m., Lor- entzi), located in Blair County, Pa., from Berks County. He added an "e" to his name, spelling it "Zerbee." He died 1880. Zerbee, Frank J., master mechanic, "Big Four" Railway, Bellefontaine, O., is of this branch, and J. Zerbee, Chestnut Springs, Cambria County, Pa. ; Augustus C, Roanoke, Va. ; Mrs. Celestine McMuUen, Altoona; Mrs. Wm. Garstang, In- dianapolis, Ind., whose husband is superintendent of motive power and machinery of the "Big Four." Their son, Dr. Regi- nald Garstang, prominent in medical circles in Indianapolis, was killed from the eflfects of a blow received over the left eye while turning the crank of his automobile. The force of the impact resulted in hemorrhagic meningitis, from which he died. He was a surgeon in the Spanish American War, and a captain in the isgth Indiana Regiment, mobilized at Jack- sonville, Fla. He left a widow and two children. Zerbee, F. J.'^, (John'^, John^, John^ John', John^ the m., Lorentzi). John^ married McGuire; his direct ancestor, John^ was in the War of the Revolution. John^ has no record in the archives as having been in the War of 1812 (at the SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 303 Of the Zerbeys age of 18), but his brothers, Samuel and Joseph, are so re- corded. John'' Zerbe, his father djiiig when the children were small, he was raised in the McManus (Seyfert and McManus, iron masters) family, of Reading, who were iRoman Catholics, and he became a Catholic. JACOB ZERBES, FIRST GENERATION Jacob Serber, Sr., and Jacob Serber, Jr., as they are known on the ship lists, sailed from Rotterdam, August 27, 1733, Ship Elizabeth. They are given on another list (Co- lonial Archives) as Jacob "Soerver," aged 56; wf., Fronegh, (Euphrosina), 54; Jacob, Jr., or John Jacob 26; Barbara, 23, and Rudolph, 21 years of age. Jacob Server, Sr., b. 1677, is supposed to have been one of the eight sons of John Sevier, of Alsace, France. The mingling together of the families, the repetition of the family names among their children and their acting as sponsors for the children of each other at bap- tisms leads to this conclusion. (Note — Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol. 17, Ship Lists.) LOCATION OF LAND OF EARLY SETTLERS (See map elsewhere in this issue.) John Servy warrant, April 22, 1736. Albrecht Strouze warrant, October 7, 1736. 1737 he took up a tract about 1% miles north of Bernville, in Penn Township, and here the old Strouze homestead is located. Martin Schell warrant, June 6, 1737. Mathias Wagner warrant, April 22, 1736. He soon sold this tract to Jacob Server, aforementioned. Simon Schermann warrant, April 25, 1737. John Knoll warrant, October 14, 1736. Jacob Hubler warrant, August 10, 1737. John Eiegel warrant, February 27, 1735. Wolfgang Miller warrant, October 31, 1735. The survey, 1737, shows a creek known as "Serby's branch." John Dorum lived on it at an early date, not warranted. Jacob Dun- dore owner about 1745. Albert Klotz warrant, April 1, 1737, adjoins Jacob Serban. 304 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Jacob Server began to occupy the Mathias Wagner warrant of April 22, 1736, during the Fall of 1736; has been much cut up and no original homestead remains on it. John D. Sunday owns the northern end, about two-thirds, of it. HOST'S CHURCH In 1754 John Riegel gave two acres and George Kantner gave two acres. These four acres were given to Meyer and Valentine Unruh as trustees and were the first landed prop- erty of the congregation. Krick's Mill P. 0., since removed. Original homestead on the Mathias Wagner warrant of January 12, 1737. Original homestead on the Martin Stuep warrant of April 20, 1737. Here Christian Gruber later lived. Marriages — April 29, 1735, John Mattheis Wagner and Elisabeth Stuep, Tulpehocken; December 28, 1741, Martin Stuep and Anna Susanna Wallbort, Tulpehocken; June 4, 1744, John Zerbe and Catharine Stuep; January 26, 1742, Christian Gruber and Anna Kneningunde Stuep, Tul- pehocken April 15, 1745, John Prederich Stuep and Anna Barbara Karcher, Tulpehocken. These five were children of Martin Stuep, who arrived in 1723. Survey dated January 18, 1738. Surveyed on June 13, 1737, to Martin Stuep. Patented on July 8, 1761, to Christian Gruber. Original homesteads of George Goodman; John Conder, later his son, Geo. Kantner; Hans George Tabler; John Heverling; Jacob Wilhelm; Valentine Unruh; Andreas Aulenbach; Little Tulpehocken Church. The author is indebted to John H. Sunday, of the office of the U. S. Treasury Department, Washington, D. C, for the description of the original warrants. He is a son of John D. Sunday, who lives on and owns part of the original John Zerbe, the miller (Lorentzl) tract. THE JACOB ZERBES Jacob Soerver, Jr., m. Anna Elizabeth Spiese, da. of Ulrich Spiese, Atolhoe, October 8„ 1754, (Stoever's Records), and went early to Westmoreland County. Their sons were Josiah, Isaac, Hiram, Jacob, Samuel and John, and several daughters. John^ Zerbe, ( Jacob^, Jacob^) ; wf ., ; children : John, Jonathan, Jacob, b. 1801 ; Mary, Elizabeth and Margaret. John came to Stark County, Ohio, 1810, from Westmoreland SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 305 Of the Zerbeys County, Pa. ; Margaret Zerbe, da. of Jonathan, married -feexvis- Kountze, parents of the Kountze Bros., bankers, who run a chain of banks from New York to Omaha, Neb. They buih a church in memory of their parents at Osnaburg, five miles from Canton, Ohio. John Zerbe died in Winchester, Tenn., May I, 1887. Jacobl Zerbe, (JohnS, Jacobs, Jacobl), b. 1801, Westmoreland County, Pa. Sons, Samuel, b. April 13, 1839, d. August 31, 1909; Hiram, d., widow, Catharine C. Zerbe, 139 E. Lake Street, Canton, Ohio; Jacob, d., widow, Mary E., 1307 W. 7th Street; John and Josiah; four daughters deceased, and Matilda, Leonard and Bmmeline Ringle, all of Canton, Ohio. Samuel Zerbe (Jacob4); wf., Salina; sons, Howard A., Richard A., Harry L., Webster J., Canton, 0.; Irwin A., Alliance, 0.; daughters, Mrs. Henry Mock, Mrs. Edward Worner, Sarah Zerbe, Canton, Ohio. Jacob" Soerver, who removed to Westmoreland County, continued to spell his name as above, which anglicized became "Sarvar." His sons, John and Jonathan, came to Canton, Ohio. John^ (John*, John^, Jacob^, Jacob^), was superintend- ent of the Canton, O., High School. Jonathan'', brother of John*, was the father-in-law of Lewis Kountz, of Osnaburg, O., and the g. g. i. of Howard Zerbe, of Canton, O. (Note — Sarvarsville, Westmoreland County, Pa., was named for Jacob Sarvar, where there are many of that name.) There was a John Jacob Zerbe, b. in Berks County, bap. August 14, 1793. There is little known of this man. He is supposed to be the Jacob Zerbe who settled in Montgomery County, took up land and of whom and his descendants fre- quent mention is made in the transfer of lands in the Mont- gomery County court house records. This Jacob took the oath of allegiance. Jean Jacques Serieux, who came from Alsace, France, at the age of twenty-nine years, on the ship Patience, from Rotterdam, 1753, afterward known as John Jacob Zerbe, settled in New Jersey, where he lived for several years when he took up a tract of land about five miles from Womelsdorf. He is supposed to have been the Jacob who lived above the Schaflfner tract, above where the school house now stands 3o6 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records and on the site of which or near it is a tavern, part of which tract was originally owned by George Peter Zerbe and later by the Schaffners. (Note — Joel Zerbe, a descendant, (jf Ohio, says: "His great grandfather Jacob came from Alsace, France, to New Jersey and afterward settled near Womelsdorf, where he died.") Jacob^ Zerbe, (Jean Jacques Sevier), had several sons (tradition says), one of whom was Jacob", who lived on the above described tract of land and who had a son Phillip-^. (This Jacob immigrated with his son Daniel to Kansas.) Phillip'' Zerbe, (Jacob'-', Jacob^) ; b. February 14, 1793 ; d. July 17, 1872; wf., Rosina Lamb, b. April 3, 1797, d. April 21, 1864. They baptized twelve children from 1816 to 1836. (Christ church records, Stouchsburg, Berks Co.) : December 4, 1816, Benneville; July 29, 1818, Wilhelm; January 16, 1820, Ephraim; 1821, Joel; July 13, 1822, Edward; January 23, 1825, Pris- cilla; 1827, Anna Maria; December 26, 1828, Elizabeth; January 27, 1831, Anna Margaretta; 1832, Benjamin; 1836, Jared. They are variously accredited with having had others. One authority says sixteen, another twenty-one; but no baptismal record of this addi- tional number has been found. He may have had two twins. There was a Phillip married Barbara Witman. Zerbe, Daniel. Wf., Catharine Adee; settled in Kansas; c: Elvina, wf. of John Gettler, three children: William, m. Zoriah Kaulfman, five children; Reuben, m. Louisa Bohn, two children. Daniel is said to have been a brother of Phillip and son of Jacob, but his birth is not on record, Zerbe, Rebecca, wf. of Richard Anderson, two children; is probably a sister of this man, or she may have been Rebecca Elizabeth, b. De- cember 26, 1828. Zerbe, Benneville; wf., Elizabeth Wenrich; children: Ellen, Matilda, Henry. Zerbe, Wilhelm; wf., Rebecca Witman. Zerbe, Ephraim; went to Indiana, d., unmarried. Joel Zerbe, b. in Womelsdorf ; bap. Christ church ; re- moved to Pinegrove, Pa., and from thence to Delaware, Ohio, 1S56. He married Annie LeVan, of Phila., Avhose grandfather was an officer in the War of the Revolution. She died, De- cember 25, 1901, in Cleveland, O. Joel Zerbe died Tiffin, O., 1899. They are survived by five sons. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 307 Of the Zerbeys Zerbe, Edward; wf., Caroline Lutz; c: Henry, wf. Amelia; two da's.; Monroe, wf., Elmira Gehret; four children, son Edward. Zerbe, Priscilla; b. January 23, 1825, (perhaps one of twins.) Zerbe, Anna Maria. Mary, wf. of Joseph Feeg, of Robeaonia. They had ten children, one of them, William Feeg, operator in an underwear factory, has a family. Zerbe, Elizabeth. Zerbe, Anna Margaretha. Zerbe, Benjamin. First wife, Anna Slough; second, Tacy Slough; removed to Delaware, Ohio; c: Thomas C, Emma, Edward L., and Clifford. Zerbe, Jared. First wf., Rebecca Rothermel; Mary Heydt, second wf.; c: George and others; Annie, wf. of Nathaniel Zerbe; they have two daughters; Lizzie, wf. of Jacob Krill, who has seven children, one da., sin- gle. Zerbe, Matilda. The name of this woman was probably Priscilla Ma- tilda, the date of her birth being synonymous with that of the former; b. January 23, 1825; d. August 11, 1884; wf. of David Himmelberger; c: Sarah, wf. of Jacob Rothermel; Adam, wf., Mary Troutman, and nine other children of Sarah and Jacob Rothermel. Zerbe, Henry; wf., Sarah Wertman; c: Calvin, wf., Kate Leiss, lives at Eobesonia; Calvin, Mary, wife of George Zerbe, son of Jared; c: Miles, Minnie, Sarah, Elvin, Lester, Laura. Zerbe, Ellen; wf. of John Wertman; c: William, John, Mary, Matilda, Annie. William, wf., Ada Sprecher; c: Ruth, Henry, John, wf., Alice Fout. Zerbe, Matilda; wf. of Henry Weaver. CHILDREN OF JOEL ZERBE Joel* Zerbe, (Phillip,^ Jacob-, Jacob^) ; b., 1821; d., 1899; wf., ;\nnie Le Van. Their children were : Zerbe, Alvin S. ; married, no children ; lives at Cleveland, O. Teacher of languages, Central Theological Seminary, Day- ton, O. ; of the faculty of Heidelberg University, Tiffin, O., and for some years of the faculty of Ursinus College, near Phila. Zerbe, John S. ; wf., Elizabeth Bailey ; their children were ; Margaret M., Arthur J., Laura A., Edgar L., Grace P., Plor- tense, Oakland, Cal. John S. Zerbe, formerly of 115 Broadway, New York, of the firm of J. S. Zerbe & Son, mechanical and electrical engi- neers and patent experts, now of Oakland, Cal., where they are engaged in a similar business. The above named son, Arthur, married Stella M. Smith. He is experimenting with his own aeroplane and has made several aerial flights, of which 3o8 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records and his methods the "Scientific American" has several times made favorable mention. Zerbe, Edgar L. ; wf., Emma Boland, represents the New York Book Co., 147 Fourth Ave., New York City. Zerbe, Frances E. ; wf. . Marion, O. ; .son Alvin, m. ; two children ; Fremont, Ohio. Zerbe, Richard L. ; wf., Letitia Bailey ; four children ; Cin- cinnati, O. John S. Zerbe is the author of a series of books for boys, known as the "How To Do It" books, embracing every prin- ciple employed in the handling of tools and the laying out of the work in carpentry, electricity and mechanics. Mr. Zerbe has had a wide range of experience in these lines and treats his subjects from a practical standpoint and with profuse illus- trations. PHILLIP ZERBE A SINGER James Zerbe, of Palmyra, d., seventy-six years of age, a grandson of John Zerbe, who married Susanna Gruber, re- lates that when a boy of twelve years of age he went with the other members of his grandfather's and father Daniel's family to Host's church on an Easter Sunday. The church, now Reformed, was then worshipped in by both the Lutheran and Reformed congregations alternately. Phillip Zerbe was a great singer and had for years occupied the position of pre- centor and started the hymns and chorals for the Lutherans. He was at this time long past sixty, but still loved to sing. A choir had, however, been formed in the church and Phillip no longer led the singing On this occasion the church was packed to the doors and the choir had several new tunes in readiness for the "Fest Tag." The organ started and the choir piped up and essayed twice to sing the new tune, but broke down, the organ squeaked and then all was silent. Old Phillip Zerbe, who occupied a pew with the old men in the front of the church, arose and after a little hesitation o o BS H Q O O M Hi H n ►J o K O i-j b O E-i SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 309 Of the Zerbeys took his old note book, with its square and oblong four notes then in use instead of the present octave of round and stem- med ones, and extracting his tuning fork from his black satin vest pocket took the pitch and in his high quavering nasal voice sang the new tune through to the end of the hymn with such assistance as the frightened members of the choir and congregation could give him. This feat for a man of nearly seventy years was the talk of the countryside for weeks. DESCENDANTS OF PHILLIP ZERBE, OF HETZEL'S, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, BERKS (NOW SCHUYLKILL COUNTY) Phillip^ Zerbe came to this side of the Blue Mountain, Pinegrove Township, Berks County, about 1760. His early history is largely conjectural, but he is supposed to have been a son of Lorentz Zerbe and born in Heidelberg Town- ship about 1717, or perhaps earlier. The first record we have of him is when he and his brother, John Zerbe the miller, peti- tioned for a new county to be erected from Lancaster County, 1738. (Penna. Archives.) Phillip "Serwin" surveyed (40) forty acres of land in Heidelberg Township, October 2, 1751 ; returned September 18, 1772, (Berks County court house). This was the same Phillip that petitioned for a new county. There is no record of his first marriage which must have occurred about 1738. Daniel Rupp's history of Berks County gives him as an early member of Christ's Church (Stouchsburg). He is said to have had twelve children with his first wife, but of these only four have been located : Phillip^ of Hetzel's ; Jonathan, Ben- jamin and John, b. 1750, who married Barbara Witman, November 2, 1773. (Christ Church records). Phillip^ Zerbe is also noted on the same records as having married Su- sanna February 26, 1782, his second wife. 310 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records (Note — Phillip Zerbe on list of taxables, Berks County, 1754.) Of these four sons, Phillip^ and Jonathan^ settled in Pinegrove Township. John^ is supposed to have remained in Rehersburg, Berks County, and Benjamin^ is probably the man of that name who went West. (Note — Mrs. Lucetta Bretz, eighty-three years of age, remembers that her grandfather, Phillip^, had a brother Ben- jamin, who went West.) There were four Zerbes north of the Blue Mountain, from 1754 to 1760; John the miller had taken up a tract of a thousand acres of land, which he sold to his sons, Benjamin, Daniel and John Jr. ; and Phillip, his brother, and Jonathan, his son, of Cumru, both came later than the former. John the miller never lived here, nor is it positively known if John Jr. ever did. Jonathan, of Cumru, was the progenitor of the Centre County line. (Note — The Phillip and Daniel Zerbe, first cousins, who went overland from Berks County, about 1785, and settled near Shamokin Dam, (Delmatia), Northumberland County, were sons of Daniel and Benjamin Zerbe, of the Blue Moun- tain Hollow, Pine Grove Township.) March 9, 1749, Adam Klinger, deeded to Phillip Zerbe by original warrant (Deed Book, 12-22) a tract of land. John Klinger died 1768 and Adam asked for a partition. There were two tracts, one of one hundred acres and the other of forty acres, both in Heidelberg Township. George Forrer bought sixty-five acres of this land at the appraisement. It is not clear how many acres were in the Zerbe tract. It says in the deed, "being part of a larger tract of 89% acres and allowances as granted to the said Phillip "Zerby." Phillip Zerbe settled in the "Blue Mountain Hollow," about four miles east of Pinegrove, 1760, on a tract of land now owned by Benjamin Loy. This land adjoins that after- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 311 Of the Zerbeys ward purchased from the state to erect upon it Hetzel's church. He died 1790. His son, Phillip^, bought the property, December 16, 1790, for the sum of fifty-five pounds in gold. (Translated from "Der Readinger Zeitung" of September 1, 1790: NOTICE — Pursuant to an order of Sale from the Orphans' Court of Berks County, there will be offered at public vendue on Saturday, the 18th of September, at the public house of Gottfried Eoehrer, Tulpe- hocken Township, Berks County, a certain plantation and tract of land situated in Pine Grove Township, in said county, containing 80 acres, together with the usual allowances; lately the property of Philip Zerbe, deceased. For more particular information inquire of SUSANNA ZERBE, Administratrix. ADAM KALBACH, Administrator. August 16, 1790. DESCENDANTS OF PHILLIP^ ZERBE Phillips Zerbe, (Phillip^) who bought and lived on the old homestead adjoining Hetzel's church, was born October 23, 1765, d. October 13, 1831. He married Christina Boyer, da. of Assumas Boyer, Jr., and wf. Nagle. Christina was a granddaughter of Heinrich Boyer and Elizabeth Marie Zerbe (Martin^) Boyer, of Tulpehocken. Phillip^ Zerbe and John Lingle were granted a warrant for a tract of land from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, May 8, 1798, called "Good Intent," for twelve shillings and six pence, to be held in trust for the Lutheran congregation and upon which tract was built Hetzel's church. PhiUip lived upon the place until his death, 1831. Christina survived him about ten years, living with her daughter Christina, wf. of John Zerbe, who lived on the old Assumas Boyer homestead, about four miles northeast of Pinegrove. The children of Phillip^ and Christina Zerbe were : Phillips Zerbe; wf. Elizabeth . They owned a farm near the old homestead of his father and grandfather. John, b. April 17, 1795; d. April 15, 1863; wf., Magdalena . Both buried at Denver, Indiana. Philopena, b. May 5, 1796; d. April 8, 1870; buried at Hetzel's church. She was unmarried and lived with her sister, Christina Zerbe. 312 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Catharine, married Adam Stahl, of Suedburg, who was the father of John and George Stahl of the same place. Daniel, b. December 1, 1799; d. February 17, 1874; first wf., Catharine Swartz; second wf., Catharine Bretzions, widow. He lived on a farm four miles northeast of Pinegrove at the upper end of the Union Canal dam. He was a sawyer and at his saw mill prepared lumber for the build- ing of boats for the Schuylkill Canal and furnished ties for the first railroad built to Pine Grove. Christina, b. July 10, 1801; d. January 25, 1885; married John Zerbe, a native of Westmoreland County, and a son of Emanuel and Barbara Zerbe, of Eehrersburg, Berks County. They lived four miles northeast of Pine Grove, on the old Assumas Boyer's homestead, and had one daugh- ter, Lucetta, who married George Bretz. Their children were: Mary, Ed- ward and Lucetta. Phillip* Zerbe, wf. Elizabeth, owned and lived on a farm near the old homestead of Phillip^ and Phillip^. Children: Jonathan, b. in Washington Township, Schuylkill Coun- ty, December 31, 1819, and died at his home in Cedar County, Iowa, February 25, 1903. He was married to Catharine Em- erich, June 15, 1846, and on the day of their marriage they set out for Ohio. A Mechanicsville, Cedar County, news- paper man, says: "He came to Iowa in the Spring of 1865 and resided in that county since." He had thirteen children, four boys, Henry, Jacob, Jonathan and Solomon, and nine girls, all of whom are living. He had ninety-six grandchil- dren and forty-one great grandchildren, making a total of one hundred and fifty direct descendants. He was eighty- three years of age. John, (PhillipS); b. Jan. 11, 1821; d. Dec. 23, 1884; married Maria Hon- necker; lived about three miles east of Pine Grove. He was a veteran of the Civil War. He was noted as the best shot at the old shooting matches. He had children: Caroline, 1845; Mary Ann, 1850; Emanuel, 1852; Rebecca, 1857; Elizabeth, 1859; John, 1861; George, 1863; Reuben and William (twins), 1874. Jacob, b. February 1, 1823; m. Catharine Klick. They had one son, William, b. March 25, 1849. Sudden death, June 24, 1861. Joseph, b. September 12, 1825; d. July 17, 1895; m. Katharine Loose; they lived on a farm three miles east of Pine Grove; was a plasterer by trade; had children, Lewis, Percival, 1854; Joseph Jr., 1855, and Frank. Leah, b. October 31, 1828; d. February 13, 1912; m. Daniel Herring; no children. Bonneville, b. September 19, 1830; d. March 7, 1877; m. Amanda Royer; had one daughter, Emma. Kate, m. Sherman. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 313 Of the Zerbeys Reuben; b. July 27, 1837; m. Amanda Krick; he lives one mile east of Pine Grove; is a plasterer by trade. His children are: Harry, an en- gineer, of Allentown, and Mrs. Wash Zimmerman; Mrs. Harry ShoUen- berger, and Mrs. William Schwartz, all of Pine Grove. Levi, b. November 11, 1842; unmarried. CHILDREN OF PHILLIPS (PHILLIPi) John Zerbe (Phillip^, Phillip^), b. April 17, 1795; d. April 15, 1863; wf., Magdalena. Both died at Denver, Indiana, and are buried there. They lived on a farm three miles east of Pine Grove, but moved to Indiana before the Civil War. Their children are : Jonathan, b. February 17, 1817; moved to Indiana with his parents and removed to Mechanicsville, Iowa. Had no children. John, b. October 20, 1820; went West with his parents settling in Cedar County, Iowa, where they had the following children: Andrew J., Bigelow, Kan.; Carolina, Mason, Lewis and Mrs. Emanuel Roberts, all of South Omaha, Nebraska. Rosina, b. December 12, 1823; m. Jacob Zerbe, son of Peter and Elizabeth, a born Zerbe, of Newtown, Schuylkill County; moved to Ar- gos, Indiana. Children: Mrs. Eliza Rogers, Jacob Zerbe, of Argos, and George, Emanuel, Rosa Ann, Mrs. Susan Kerns and Peter Zerbe, all set- tled in Indiana. Katrina, b. May 17, 1825; m. Hertzog; moved West; children: Mary, John, George, Michael, Jackson, Frank. Walter S. Hertzog, of Glen- dale, Los Angeles County, Cal., is a descendant. Samuel, b. April 30, 1827; wf. Wolf; moved to Mechanicsville, Cedar County, Iowa; children: Samuel A., St. Cloud, Minn.; John G., Mrs. Charles Esternacht, Mrs. Dr. Russell and Mrs. Sarah Macker, all of Me- chanicsville, Iowa. Michael, b. November 8, 1828; unmarried; lives at Mechanicsville, la. Frank, son of a second marriage; lives in the West. The children of George W. Zerbe (Jacob and Rosina), of Argos, Ind., were: Bessie, Ruby, Bernice. He is an oculist and jeweler. The children of Mrs. Eliza, wf. of Eli Rogers, were: Rev. Frank T. Rogers, Harry, Clayton, Artella, Harley and Tessie. DESCENDANTS OF DANIEL^ ZERBE, (PHILLIP^ PHILLIPi) Daniel* Zerbe, Jr.; b. August i, 1824; d. January 9, 1882; was a great grandson of Phillips Zerbe, of Hetzel's ; first wf., Maria Esther Gebert. They had four children: William L., b. 1845 ; Ellen, 1848, married Frank Lutz ; Mary Ann, 1850, married William Klopp; one d. in infancy. Second wf.. Bar- 314 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records bara Krick, children : Henry, Alice, Daniel O., Lewis, Clara and Ida. Daniel Zerbe, Jr., lived near his father's place at the Union Canal dam, where he kept a hotel, three miles northeast of Pine Grove, where he entertained many Potts- ville fishing parties to the "Big Dam." Levi, b. February 20, 1826; d. young. Jared, b. April 20, 1828; wf., Lehman; lived north of Pine Grove. They had eighteen children. Louisa, b. December 19, 1830; m. Benneville Hummel. They were the parents of Hon. Edward Hummel, member of the Legislature, of Pine Grove. Edward, b. June 2, 1832; lived a bachelor for eighty years oh the old homestead of his father's. Peter, b. March 7, 1847; an only son of second marriage; d. when about 32 years old. WILLIAM L. ZERBE, OF PINE GROVE William® Lafayette Zerbe, (DanieH Jr., DanieF, Phillip^, Phillip^) ; b. December i8, 1845. He was raised by his grand- father, Daniel Zerbe, St., at the "Big Dam." He married Me- lissa Hehn, of near Friedensburg and settled in Pine Grove, 1874. He was a shoemaker by trade and entered the shoe business, in which he was engaged twenty-five years and be- came prosperous. He died July 15, 1905, leaving one son, Wil- liam E. Zerbe. William^ E. Zerbe, (William L.) ; b. February 15, 1868; wf., Lillian May Shelly. He learned the trade of cabinet maker and carpenter, but for twenty-one years has been en- gaged in the furniture and undertaking business. About nine years ago he added a retail lumber business to his other ven- tures and has been successful in all of the branches conducted under his management. He is a member of St. John's Luth- eran church, the Masonic, Odd Fellows and P. O. S. of A. lodges, and owns considerable property in Pine Grove, his home town. Mr. Zerbe, who is a self educated man and versatile genius, for a time pursued the study of music in his odd moments, he played upon all instruments and made a study of the theory of music, transposing the scores for some SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 315 Of the Zerbeys years for the Pine Grove band, of which he was a member. He was an ardent collector of old coins and his knowledge of the eras and values of these coins made of him a numis- matist of no small reputation. He also studied up the Zerbe ancestry of the branch to which he belongs, and rendered valuable assistance to the author in the compilation of his line and its connection with others of the same name. The children of William and Lillian Zerbe are: Charles W., b. January 31, 1889; wf., Emma Lehmy. They have one son, Harry. Charles is engaged in the lumber business with his father. James M., b. September 7, 1891 ; wf. Ollie Hoy; one son, Walter; Annie M., b. March 16, 1902, at home; John S., b. March 16, 1902; d. May 14, 1913. James is associated with his father in the undertaking business. JONATHAN ZERBE (PHILLIPi) Jonathan^ Zerbe, (Phillip^) ; wf., Magdalena Deppen. They lived on their own farm, about four miles northeast of Pine Grove, now owned by the Jacob Ulmer estate, of Potts- ville. Pa. He later removed to Tremont, when that town had only several houses and kept a hotel. He also owned large tracts of coal lands in the West End. He was b. November 16, 1769, and was buried at Hetzel's church, November 22, 1846. Rev. John Gring, of Lebanon, preached his funeral sermon, (Gring's records). They had the following children: Jonathans, b. March 12, 1795; d. May 21, 1849; wf., Rosina Gebert. He lived near his father's place and is buried at Clouser's church, east of Llewellyn. Children: Katrina, b. May 10, 1827; Solomon, b. April 20, 1835; lived in the Hegins Valley. One of his sons lives in Tremont. John^ D., (Jonathan^), b. March 17, 1798; d. March 9, 1890, aged 91 years, ii months, 22 days; wf., Barbara Schroppe. They lived at Water Tank, one mile west of Silverton, between Tremont and Llewellyn. (This man made many early visits on horseback to the Centre County Zerbes.) 3i6 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records He is buried at Clouser's Church. Their chilren were : John Jr., lived at same place, b. 1822, railroader; his widow and son Frank live on the homestead. Other children were: Israel and William, d.; Mrs. Mary Gehres, d., of Port Carbon; Mrs. Sarah Bernhardt, -Mrs. Sarah Ruch, Mrs. Lena Walker, Phila., and Mrs. Charles Gable, eighty-eight years of age, who lives with her son Henry, in Begins Township, on the main road, near Valley View. She was married, 1847, and had nine children: Sarah, wf. of Noah Geist, Weis- hample; Charles, Ashland; William, d., Phila.; Ellen, wf. of Frank Yoder; Daniel and Henry, Hegins; Katharine, wf. of Elias Buffington, Ashland; Emma, wf. of Marcus Herb, Mt. Carmel, and Mary, wf. of Charles Miller, of Valley View, Hegins Township. (Note — Mrs. Gable contributed an interesting reminiscence on another page, and Mrs. Miller furnished information. Mrs. Gable has 39 grand- children, 36 great grandchildren, and one great, great grandchild living.) Elizabeth^ (Jonathan^) ; b. 1794; d. October 27, 1849. She married Peter Zerbe, of Rehersburg. They settled in Newtown, Zerbe P. O., 1828. Michaels, (Jonathan2); first wf., Magdalena Bucher; second, Polly Tobias. Their children were: George, Michael and Frank, who settled in Michigan. He had six children with his first wife and one with the second. His da., Mary, married John Zerbe, of Newtown; b., December 10, 1825; d., July 14, 1851; Katrina, b. May 5, 1828; John, b. August 24, 1830. George Zerbe, (Michael); b. October 5, 1834; wf., Catharine Dewald, Pinegrove. Miss Jennie Zerbe, a recent professional nurse, employed by the King's Daughters of Pottsville, Pa., is a granddaughter of George Zerbe. Michael Zerbe lived on his father, Jonathan's^, place, (Ulmer's farm), up to the time of his death, which occurred on a winter night when on coming home from Tremont he lost his bearings and stuck in a snow drift, one hundred yards from his own home and was frozen to death. Samuels, (Jonathan2, Phillipl); b. September 6, 1805; d. September 11, 1872; wf., Susanna Lengle. He was a blacksmith and lived two miles east of Pinegrove. Children: William, b. about 1830; m. Eliza Kinsell; lived near his father's place; children: William, Kate, Susan, Harriet, Samuel, George, Elias. Jacob, b. January 7, 1832; m. Rebecca Wenrich; lived near his fath- er's place; children: Franklin, Mrs. Elias Kinsell, Mrs. Ed. Bretz, Mrs. Wm. Kinsell, Isaac, Jacob, and Amos Zerbe, principal of the Tremont schools. John, b. May 11, 1836; he had two daughters and two sons. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 317 Of the Zerbeys Isaac, b. about 1845; m. Louisa Umbenhower; lives at East Hanover, Lebanon County, Pa. One of his sons is Harry Zerbe, of Cressona, Pa., hotelkeeper. Anna, b. December 16, 1842; m. George Zuby. Solomon Zerbe, (son of Jonathan); b. July 12, 1813; d. of smallpox, January 11, 1847; m. Lucinda Boyer; they had one son, George, b. about 1845, who now lives in Lebanon County. Salome, (Jonathans), wf. of George Daubert, who were the grand- paernts of Charles Daubert, living two miles northeast of Pine Grove. Amos^ Walter Zerbe, (Jacob*, SamueP, Jonathan^ Phil- lip^) ; b. August II, 1878; wf., Lillian Spancake, b. May 5, 1879; m., December 31, 1905; son, Jacob Stuart, b. December 3, 1909. Mr. Zerbe is a school teacher by profession and first taught at Blackwood, Schuylkill Co., from where he went to East Greenville, Montgomery Co., where he was supervising principal of schools. He occupied the same position in Reilly Township, Schuylkill County, and is at present princi- pal of the Tremont High School. H^e has been successful in his vocation and is looked upon as one of the leading educa- tors of the county. J. E. Zerbe, of AUentown, formerly of Summit Hill, Schuylkill County, removed to Bloomingdale, near the for- mer place where he bought the White Bear Hotel and a hun- dred acre farm adjoining it, was a great grandson of Jonathan Zerbe. (The Zerbes of Ohio, most of their ancestors came from Pinegrove Township, Pa., hold their annual reunion at Piqua, Ohio, August I.) PETER ZERBE, OF NEWTOWN, ZERBE P. O. Peter Zerbe, the head of the Newtown Zerbes, came to that place in 1828, from Rehersburg, Berks County. He was married to Elizabeth^ Zerbe, (Jonathan", Phillip^), about 1814, at Hetzel's ; several children were born at Rehersburg and were : Jacob, Joseph, John, Peter, Martin and Henry. Jacob, b. May 26, 1817; wf., Rosina, da. of John Zerbe. They moved to Walnut, Indiana. Children: Elizabeth, Jacob Jr., Peter, George, Emanuel, Rosina and Susan. Peter, son 3i8 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records of Jacob and grandson of Peter, of Newtown, and wife visited this section, 1914. He is sixty-one years of age, having left Newtown with his parents when thirteen years of age. He and his father's family are prospering in Indiana and other Western States. Joseph, b. July 11, 1819; d. June 2, 1872; unmarried; lived at Newtown. John, b. October 9, 1822; wf., Maria, da. of Michael Zerbe; lived at Newtown. One son, Eoseberry Zerbe, b. 1850, d. 1873. Peter, b. November 20, 1820; wf. Green; lived at Newtown; had two sons and several daughters; sons Aaron and Joseph of that place. Martin, b. October 21, 1824; he lived at Blackwood, but for many years kept the leading hotel at Newtown. He has several children living at that place, Martin, Frank and Elizabeth; one dead. Henry, b. January 6, 1827 ; was killed at a lumber landing, August 20, 1862. His wife was Margaret Kerschner. Henry and Martin together built the hotel. An iron plate, inscribed 1810, which was brought from Rehersburg, was imbedded in the wall. He had one son, Henry. Henry Zerbe (Henry, Peter) ; wf., Sarah. They had thirteen children born to them, several deceased; Charles, Newtown ; Henry Jr., Donaldson ; Monroe, Pinegrove ; Lloyd, and Franklin, Newtown ; Dora, wf. of Wm. Long ; Sarah, wt. of Wm. Gauntlett, both of Pottsville; Annie, wf. of Ralph Klinger, Wiconisco, and Mary, at home; Mrs. Sarah Zerbe, wf. of Henry, d. March 20, 191 5. Henry Zerbe, or "Harry," as he is better known, is a prominent citizen of Newtown. He was postmaster for a number of years, school director and occupied many posi- tions of trust in his home town. He is now engaged in the grocery business, owns some property and is altogether an all around man of afifairs. The town was first called Swatara, its proper name, but a little gathering of houses farther down the creek was known by the same name, then it was named Newtown. One day a U. S. post office representative from the general department called on Postmaster Zerbe and in- quired as to the early history of the place. He said, "there SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 319 Of the Zerbeys are several Newtowns in the state, there is always a confusion. We will name the town Zerbe, after Peter Zerbe, the first settler." Harry Jr., one of Harry Zerbe's sons, is engaged in the hotel business at Donaldson. A newspaper item says, "Henry Zerbe is improving the water line to his hotel." Henry^ has a brother Oliver, who lives at Nicetown ; his son is a Presbyterian clergyman at Rochester, N. Y. Peter Zerbe, head of the Zerbe P. O. families (Newtown), son of Peter Zerbe, of Rehersburg, b. May 12, 1781. Peter^ Zerbe, (Peter*, Johannas^ and Margaretta, George^ Peter, Martin^), b. 1801. It will be noted that the Norwegian Township Zerbes are not of the John the miller (Lorentz^) line, although they intermarried several times, making their children, as in the case of Peter who married Elizabeth, a born Zerbe, the issue of the two branches. ZERBE RECORt)S, JACOB'S CHURCH John Zerbe, b. September 27, 1781 ; d. July 17, 1853; is on record at Jacob's church (1780) as having communed there 1799. A John Zerbe was confirmed there 1810. August 18, 1799, Daniel- Zerbe and wf., Anna Maria, bap. a daughter, Maria Catharine ; sponsors, Leonard Ried and wf., Anna Maria Zerbe. February 20, 1803, George Zerbe and wf., Catharine, bap. a da., Anna Catharine; August 28, 1803, Jacob and Catharine Zerbe bap. a daughter, Salome; and another daughter, Cath- rine, April 14. 1805. John Zerbe and wf., Elizabeth, doubtless the former, stood sponsors for Margaret Bressler at baptism. REMINISCENCES OF OLD SETTLER John Zerbe, b. October 9, 1822, at Rehrersburg, Berks County, lived and died in Newtown, Zerbe P. O., Schuylkill County, January 22, 1905, aged 82 years. He was married to 320 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Mary, daughter of Michael and Magdalena Zerbe, of Pine Grove Township. The following is a brief abstract of a his- tory of his life as written by himself in his later years and duly signed and witnessed. "My father, Peter Zerbe, of Newtown, after whom Zerbe P. O. is named, took up a tract of land in Schuylkill County, and in i826-'27, during the summer, with his two eldest sons, Jacob and Peter Jr., came over to make improvements on the place. On September 28th, 1828, we removed from Rehersburg, Berks County, to our new home. I was then six years old and remember well the two four-horse teams that brought us and our belongings to Schuylkill County. The teams belonged to my father's brother, Jacob, and to his cousin, John Zerbe. "We started at sunrise and reached Pine Grove at noon, where they fed the horses and we had dinner. Three miles further we reached Umbenhauer's tavern, the only house in seven miles, when we came to my grandfather, Michael Zerbe's house (my mother's father), where our par- ents left me and my smaller brothers, Martin and Henry, while they journeyed on. (This place is now Ellis Minnig's Hotel, Tremont). The next morning my grandmother's maid, Luda Lengel, brought us three little boys four miles east into Norwegian Township, and during that trip we saw only one small shanty, this was a half mile from our place. My father had a house ready for us, but we put in a hard winter. We had no near neighbors, we saw no people for weeks and even months. We were without school, lodge or church, and shoes and proper clothing were hard to obtain and our house was insufficient to protect us from the severe weather. My father worked hard, at making shingles, in Painter's Swamp, to support his family and while working here dislocated his shoulder and was laid up for weeks through the accident. "He could not work and as soon as he was able he went SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 321 Of the Zerbeys to Berks County for assistance. His relatives came and brought flour, potatoes and other necessaries ; meat we did not need as my brothers could always get rabbits, venison and other game, but my mother told our friends she was afraid we would have to move back to Berks County in the Spring. "My father got better and when the weather opened, my father's cousin, John Zerbe, came again and brought him a plow, two horses, harness and some feed for them, and sup- plies for us. That summer we got on our feet and it went better. We cleared fifteen acres and planted it all in oats, corn, wheat and rye and potatoes we had in plenty. We worked hard but prospered, as all honest men can do that have the will. "In a distance of thirteen miles, east, west, north and south, of Llewellyn, to the gap of the Second Mountain and ten miles north and south and two miles east of Pencal Ridge, there were living among the earliest inhabitants, Peter Starr, Michael Zerbe, the Clousers, Flibs, Zimmermans, Hafers, Bretzs, Confairs, Longs, Geberts, J. Zerbe, Housemans, Ad- ams, Werners and Stitsels. These were all settled on the road that leads to Pine Grove, from Llewellyn. Our nearest neighbor was Mrs. John Adams, great grandmother of John Sterner, who now lives on the place, and Umbenhauer's tav- ern was farther on. These were all the inhabitants when we came here in 1828. — John Zerbe." (Seal) TALE OF A CATAMOUNT Mrs. Ellen Zerbe, wf. of Charles Gable, d., eighty-three years old, and grandmother of Oscar Geist, of Gordon, relates the following among many other interesting tales: "We lived in the Blue Mountain Hollow, in Pinegrove Township. My father was Jonathan Zerbe, who reached the age of 97 years and had eight children (referred to elsewhere). 332 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records "Wild animals were plentiful in the country around where we lived, and the children were not allowed to roam about in the woods. One night, when my father was away from home, after we had gone to bed we heard the most blood- curdling screams outside, like a woman crying for help and other frightful yells. The boys were for going out and seeing what the noise was about, but were not allowed to, and the smaller children covered their heads with the bed quilts and coverlets. "In the morning we found the remains of a large deer, his horns in his effort to escape a catamount and perhaps a pack of wolves, had caught in between the bars of our rail fence, he could not get away and he was thus devoured, only parts of his frame and carcass remaining. The cries of a catamount very much resemble those of a woman or child in distress. My father saved the horns and nailed them up in our barn." (Mrs. Ellen Gable, the above, fell upon the icy porch at the home of her son, Henry Gable, Hegins, February 7, 1915, and fractured her hip. She is 88 years old at this writing.) INDIAN STORY OF JOHN ZERBE John Zerbe, son of Phillip^ by his first wife, came to Pinegrove Township early and took a tract of land and clear- ed it. This land was afterward taken up by his stepbrother, Jonathan Zerbe (Phillip^) and part of it now belongs to the Jacob Ulmer estate, Pottsville, and is known as Ulmer's farm. A thrilling experience is related of this man with the Indians. After building his log house and planting his field in corn, the Indians from the Swatara Valley, who visited him frequently to beg, borrow and steal, came and made some demands upon him, which he refused. This angered them and they determined to have revenge. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 323 Of the Zerbeys One night he heard a cow bell in the corn field which signified that one of his cows was in the corn. Suspecting that all was not right he took a pail ostensibly to go to the spring for water, the path to which lay through the corn field. He carried his old flintlock musket behind his back and when nearing the sound of the cow bell, threw down the pail, took aim and fired, killing instantly a full blooded Indian. He went to the spring but there were no other Indians in sight. He scooped out a grave in the cornfield and buried the red man near where he fell. That grave can still be seen on the Ulmer farm and also a mound of chips near the spring where the Indians congregated and sat whittling their bows and arrows. One day John Zerbe and a man named Nagle, father-in- law of Assumas Boyer, went out to hunt. On their return John Zerbe found his wife and children murdered. The mas- sacre was too horrible to relate. One of the girls was terri- bly mutilated but still living and sufifering dreadfully. The half-crazed father seeing she could not live, himself put an end to her misery by completing the work of the Indians and dispatching her. Overcome with grief, remorse and sorrow at the death of his loved ones, he abandoned everything and returned to Rehersburg, Berks County. Jonathan Zerbe afterward settled upon the same tract of land. CENTRE COUNTY ZERBES There are two different branches of Zerbes in Centre County. One descended from Martin^ Zerbe and the other from Lorentz^, brothers, (1710). Phillip Zerbe, of the latter line, came to Centre County about 1800. He was born in the Blue Mountain Hollow, Pinegrove Township, Berks County, and married Barbara, 334 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records da. of John Lingle, of the same locality. He is supposed to have been a son of Jonathan Zerbe, of Cumru Township, brother of John, of Cumru, a miller, who settled on this side of the mountain at an early date. Shortly after their mar- riage they made a long- and tedious journey by wagon to Centre County and located upon a farm between Milheim and Coburn, Penn Township, afterward removing to another tract of land in Gregg Township. He was a linen weaver by trade but supported his family by farming. He was a Demo- crat in politics as were most of his line. Phillip* Zerbe, b. about 1778, (Jonathans, JohnS the m., Lorentzl); d. in Gregg Township. Phillip and Barbara Zerbe had the following children: John, b. September 27, 1804; was blind for some years prior to his death, which occurred in Snow Shoe, Centre County. (Note — For the Philip and Jonathan Zerbes, of Blue Mountain Hol- low, see Phillipl Zerbe, of Hetzel's Church, Pinegrove Township.) Johann Phillip, b. March 27, 1806; d. at Pinegrove, while receiving treatment at Pottsville for threatened blindness. David, b. November 10, 1807; was blind for thirty -five years; d. in Gregg Township. (Note — Mrs. Bretz, of Pinegrove, who was a Zerbe, and is eighty years of age, recollected well when David Zerbe, accompanied by a half grown boy, came from Centre County to visit his cousins in Pinegrove, and Mrs. Rebecca Troutman, seventy years of age, of Krick's Mills P. 0., Berks County, da. of John (John Christian), remembers, too, when the Pinegrove cousins brought David, a blind man, to visit her father, John Zerbe.) Jacob, b. November 10, 1807; d. near the Loop, Potter Township, af- ter having been blind for twenty-five years. Adam, b. August 19, 1811. Weaver by trade, operated a saw mill for many years in Gregg Township. Removed in 1847 to Penn Township, Pine Creek, where he purchased eighty acres of land and lived until his death at nearly seventy years. He is interred in Paradise cemetery. Member of Evangelical church. Michael, b. May 7, 1814; d. in Stephenson Co., 111. Henry, b. October 23, 1815; d. in same county and state. Catharine, b. October 27, 1817; d., 1896; m. Abram Hoover, d. Andrew, b. March 1, 1821; living in Gregg Township. Phillip Zerbe was twice married; his second wf. was Hannah, da. of Adam and Hannah Elizabeth (Minnich) Sunday. He had nine children with the iirst wife and eight with the second, viz: Elizabeth, b. May 16, 1822; m. Charles Ripka; d. in Gregg Township. Mary, b. April 26, 1824; m. Harry Garver; d. in Potter Township. Susanna and Sarah, twins; b. August 26, 1826; Susanna m. George Wirt; d. in Penn Township; Sarah m. Peter Auman; d. in Gregg Township. Joseph, b. November 4, 1830; d. in Gregg Township. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 325 Of the Zerbeys William ia a resident of Gregg Township. Hannah m. Peter Confer, of Millheim, Centre County. Amelia, d. at the age of twenty-one years. Adam Zerbe, (Phillip), was twice married; first wf., Susanna Swavely, by whom he had the following children: Henry, of Haines Township; Adam P.; Reuben, d., Penn Township; Julia A., m. Daniel Geary, d. in Penn Township. Second wf., Mrs. Catharine Confer, (Heckman.) Adam3 P. Zerbe, (Adam2, Phillipl); b. April 21, 1845; worked at lum- bering until twenty-seven years of age; m., February, 1872, in Haines Township, to Elizabeth Daup, da. of Joseph and Catherine Decker Daup. They had five children: Susan 0., Joseph A., d.; William D., Emory P., and Maria A. A. P. Zerbe's wife, Catharine, dying he makes his home with his son, Atty. W. D. Zerbe, of Bellefonte. DAVID L. ZERBE David L. Zerbe, b. January 28, 1851, son of Adam and Susan Swaveley Zerbe, teller of the bank, Millheim, Pa. He was educated in the Aaronsburg and Penn Hall Academies. Taught school for thirteen years ; married November 5, 1874, Anna Mary Deininger Keen. One child, Stella E. He is one of the leading citizens of Millheim. Stella m. Thomas Buck, lives at Berwick, Pa. Susan D. Zerbe, d. Emery P., m. Sarah Bower; one child, Coburn, Penn Township. Mina A., m. Faust. William D. Zerbe, m. Isabel, daughter of Hugh and Annie Starr Tay- lor. They had two children: Elizabeth and William, attorney at law, member of the firm of "Gettig, Bower and Zerby." Some of this branch have changed the final "e" of the name to "y." A John Zerbe, b. October 19, 1812, Centre County, Pa., m. Eliza Gipe, 1856, and located at East Germantown, Wayne Co., Indiana. He died October 5, 1882. ZERBES IN NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY PHILLIP ZERBE The Zerbes of Northumberland County are descendants from the men of the second and fourth generations, Phillip^ Zerbe and Daniel* Zerbe. Phillips Zerbe. There is nothing definite known of this man's ancestry, but he is said to have come to the region of Northumberland County before its erection, 1772, and settled near Shamokin Dam, Lower Mahantongo and Mahanoy 336 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Townships, where many of the Zerbes of both branches live, there being about five hundred with their descendants inter- married, in the county and others removed to the western states. Delmatia, formerly Georgetown, on the North Central Railway, is eleven miles from Sunbury. The Stone Valley church, where many Zerbes are buried, is three miles from Delmatia. Phillip^ Zerbe was a raftsman on the Susquehanna River from Sunbury, then known as Shamokin, to Harrisburg^ and owned rafts and boats of his own. He was a large and powerfully built man, six feet and five inches tall, with long arms, big feet and hands and great muscular strength. His summary disposition of all disputes among the rough ele- ment that worked with and under him, gave him the repu- tation of a great athlete and fighter and few cared to arouse his antagonism. He was known as the "Yankee" and a tra- dition exists that he came from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania. Phillips Zerbe, (Phillip^), b. December 17, 1776; d. No- vember 19, 1857; wf., Elizabeth, b. December 12, 1779; d. April 14, 1837; both buried at Zion Stone Valley church, (Steinedahl), Delmatia. Their children were: Joseph, John, Margaret, wf. of George Bingham; Benjamin, Phillip* Jr.; Miriam, wf. of Andrew Tschopp ; David, Peter, Elizabeth, m. John Lauer, died before decedent, leaving four children: Mary, Gabriel, Elizabeth and Peggy, minors. The estate valued at $1,600. Letters of administration, December 14, 1857. Each heir, $359. T. 483, pp. 529, Northumberland County Court House. Peter^ Zerbe, (Phillip^, Phillip^), bought 100 acres of land from Michael Rhine for 105 pounds, March 19, 1818. R. C. 751-109, p. 529. Lower Mahanoy Township. Peter Zerbe (Note 1 — The History of Northumberland County, 1891, says, in its "Colonial Period:" "There was a colony of New Englanders who 'settled, early, near Shamokin Dam, who were given the derisive name of "Yankee" and were very much disliked by the settlers.") SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 327 Of the Zerbeys left Northumberland County and later Valley View, Schuyl- kill County, for Clarion County; his brother David settled in Ohio. Phillip* Zerbe, Jr., (Phillip^, Phillip^), lived at Delmatia; m. Catharine Rothermel. Their children were : Isaac, Reilly, Levi, Joel, Susan, m. Isaac Messner; Elizabeth, m. John Seagrist. His four sons were in the Civil War and all re- turned home safely. Isaac^ m. Elizabeth Reichenbach ; 2nd wf., Mrs. Mary A. Radle ; c. were : William, Susan, m. Aaron Heim ; Uriah, Phillip, Adam, Aaron, Jacob, Isaac of first wife, Mary Emma, wf. of Charles E. Youse, of 2nd wife. ReillyS Zerbe, (Phillip*, Phillip^, Phillip^), hotelkeeper at Shamokin Dam, Lower Mahantongo Township, removed to Sunbury, where he established the Zerbe Hotel ; m. Fietta Haupt, first wife; children: Milton PL; Francis, d. ; Martha, m. Edward Schreiber ; second wife, Rebecca Reed ; c. : Delia, m. Charles Rumberger; c. of Delia Rumberger: Edward, Rebecca, Reilly Zerbe, soldier in the Civil War. John* Zerbe, (Phillip', Phillip^), b. Northumberland County, 1786; d. 1851. John* Zerbe had a son, Daniel^, b. May 10, 1810; d. July 2, 1851. Daniel's® son, John^ D. Zerbe, of Hubley Township, Schuylkill County, b. February 14, 1845. This John^ Zerbe lives at Sacramento, Pa. His chil- dren are : Frank, Allen, Harry, Sacramento ; Dr. J. Irwin, Franklin, Pa., formerly of Polk, Venango County, Pa. Dr. Zerbe practised for several years in Minersville and is now prominent in his profession at Oil City, Pa. Phillips, "the Yankee," was engaged in rafting on the Susquehanna River about 1762 and it is confidently believed that he was a son of John^ Phillip Zerbe, one of the three immigrant brothers who landed in New York, 1710, and who served in Queen Anne's War, 171 1, subsequently removing to Broad Bay, Maine, 1732, with a colony, where they re- mained until the last of them scattered, 1769. 328 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Phillip* and DanieH, who went north to Northumberland County about 1785, were sons of Benjamin and Daniel Zerbe, of the Blue Mountain Hollow, Pinegrove Township, Berks County, (John^ the m., Lorentz^) and were first cousins. Phillip's descendants live mainly near Sunbury and at Del- matia. A Phillip went to Centre County early. The children of Phillip^ Zerbe, (John^ Phillip), were: John, Joseph, George, Phillip, Peter. REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS John Servey — Northumberland County Militia, Private, Continental Line. Vol. 4, pp. 369, 693, 379, Penna. Archives. Joseph Servitz — Private, Capt. George Shriver's, 3d Co., 7th class. Vol. 8, p. 358, Penna. Archives, (Northumberland County.) George Servits — Capt. John Gragery's Co., Col. Nicholas Kerns, North- umberland County, April 22, 1782. Vol. 8, p. 493; Vol. 4, p. 344, Penna. Archives. (Note — It will be seen that there are two Phillips of the third and fourth generation. Phillip* who came with Daniel from Berks, and Phillip3, son of Phillip2.) Milton« H. Zerbe, (Reilly^, Phillip*, Phillip^, Phillip^), proprietor of the Zerbe Hotel, Sunbury, established by his father, Reilly Zerbe ; m. Martha Herrold ; c. : Thomas, Mary F., wf. of William Flanders. Levis Zerbe, (Phillip*, PhillipS, Phillip^), m. Polly Bitter- man, d. Joeis Zerbe, (Phillip*, Phillip^, Phillip^), m. Lizzie Glad- felter. There were many soldiers in the Civil War from the Phillip line and their descendants are well educated and pro- gressive. Charles W. Zerbe owns one of the finest farms along the Mahantongo Creek, run upon modern scientific principles and a "top-notcher." He is a school director, tax collector and an all around man of affairs. ZERBE TUFT HUNTERS Some years ago the Phillip Zerbe branch, of Northum- berland County, employed a lawyer to go to Europe, where it was said a fortune of 60 million dollars awaited them. He SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 329 Of the Zerbeys returned and made an assessment for more funds needed to prosecute the claims, collected it, departed and nothing further was heard of him or the money. They enjoyed the joke upon themselves, but not as much as did the promoter of the scheme, who lived abroad at their expense for a year or more. Joseph'' Zerbe, (Phillip-^, Phillip^). His will, recorded February 27, 1862, Register's office, Northumberland County, (R. B. 751), gives his heirs: Anna Maria, widow; David, Phillip, Amanda Heckert, Elizabeth Tschopp, Catharine Scheaffer, John, Mary, Eva, Alburtus. The Steinedahl church records give Joseph Zerbe, m. to Catharine Meek as having had thirteen children. Their names are identical with those above (and if the same man, he must have had two wives). David, b. 1824, d. 1908, Mandata, Pa.; Phillip, b. 1827, Malta ; John, Iowa ; and Peter, Illinois ; all three killed in the Civil War. Alburtus lived in Kansas, since removed to Los Angeles, Cal. ; and Lydia. David^ Zerbe, (Joseph*, Phillip^, Phillip^), b. December 17, 1824, m. Sarah Schaeffer. Their children were : Wm. A., b. 1865, Pillow, Pa.; Frank, b. 1860, Trevorton, Pa.; Galen, b. 1854, Mandata, Pa.; David. The Zerbes of Tower City, Lykens, Loyaltown, Malta, Sacramento, Shamokln and Sunbury are of this branch and descendants of Phillip.2 William^ L. Zerbe, (Phillip^, Joseph^ Phillip^, Phillip^), of Tower City, plasterer and cement contractor; b. 185 1, at Malta; m. Caroline Huntsinger, of Valley View. Mr. Zerbe is a prominent and progressive citizen, having filled almost every office within the gift of the people of that place, being at present a member of Borough Council. He is a Republi- can and strict churchman. Their children are : Eufus, b. 1878; Minnie W., b. 1880; Sadie A., b. 1882; Mary, b. 1883; Ulysses W., b. 1886; Bessie L., b. 1888; James L., b. 1890; William, b. 1892; Catharine, b. 1894; Riley E., b. 1897; Blanche M., b. 1899. William6 Zerbe, (DavidS, Joseph*, PhillipS, Phmip2); c: Edward, b. 1890; Clarence, 1895; Homer, 1902; Lola, b. 1899; Mazie, b. 1906. Other Zerbes in Shamokin: Henry and Jonas, two brothers. 330 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Wm. Zerbe, formerly of Wm. Penn, son of John Zerbe and Barbara Sehropp; b. March 7, 1837, d. 1901; m. Sarah, da. of James and Elizabeth Hafer Manning. They had nine children; six d., Oscar, Winfield and Sallie living. Mrs. Zerbe is living at Catawissa, Pa. Oliver Zerbe, of Wiconisco, is a prominent hotel keeper and is known for his strict observance of the law. DANIEL ZERBE Daniel Zerbe came from Berks County to Northumber- land about 1785. He came overland with a train of wagons carrying his famil}', household eiifects, agricultural imple- ments and driving his cattle. He settled in Steinedahl, three miles from Delmatia, and is buried in the Stone Valley cemetery at that place, where he was a prosperous farmer and lived until his death. He left many descendants, some of whom are settled in the western states and others in Lower Mahanoy Township and Sha- mokin. The children of Daniel Zerbe and Maria Wertz were : Thomas, John, Daniel, d. single; George, d., m. Phoebe Spengle; two c: John and Ellen; Rebecca, m. Adam Bowman and moved to Illinois; Catharine, m. David Schwartz and removed to Michigan; Elizabeth, m. Adam Alman. Thomas2 Zerbe, (DanieU), lived for a time in Paxton, Dauphin County. He married Elizabeth Gorman; c: Josiah, Thomas, Benjamin, Beaver- town, Snyder County; Elias, Altoona; Elizabeth, m. Henry Miller, Sha- mokin; Rebecca, m. George Heitzman; three daughters; Katie m. Elias Paul. The four sons served in the Civil War. ThomasS Zerbe, (Thomas2, DanieU), served two terms as commis- sioner of Northumberland County; wf., Catharine Messner. Their chil- dren were: Eussel, d.; 2 da., Kate and Ethel; John W.; James M., m.; no children. Joseph Henry, Charles, Catharine. John W. Zerbe, postmaster of Shamokin, (i9i2-'i3) ; wf., Clara Kerkham ; c. : May ; two deceased. Mr. Zerbe was raised in Lower Mahanoy Township, the family removed to Sha- mokin, where, being a staunch Republican, he became popu- lar in political circles, and was appointed postmaster, serving until succeeded by a Democrat under the Wilson adminis- tration. Joseph Henry Zerbe, is telegraph operator at Delmatia, and dispatcher for the Northern Central Railway; an active SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 331 Of the Zerbeys Republican, churchman, school director and member of many fraternal orders. One of Thomas Zerbe's sons served three years in the foreign service, Spanish-American war, and sailed around the world. An epidemic of smallpox broke out at Delmatia and many of the settlers died of that dread disease, among them a number of the Zerbes. The tombstones in the Steinedahl cemetery tell of these ravages by death from smallpox. Phillips Zerbe, (Joseph*, Phillip^, Phillip^), b. 1827; wf., Mary; children: William Zerbe, b. 1851, Tower City, Pa.; Ambrose, b. 1851; John, d. ; Charles, b. 1857; Frank, b. 1862, all born at Malta ; Sarah, b. i860, Hubley Township ; Phillip, b. 1864, d. 1901. JosiahS Zerbe, (Thomas2, Daniell), was a soldier in the Civil War. He removed from Shamokin to Alma, Nebraska, 1911. His children were: Margaret, Elizabeth m. Kaechelrig; Ida m. Feece. He was gored to death by a blooded bull on his own ranch and is buried at Alma. He was twice married, the second wife, Mrs. Reed, d. September, 1915, aged 81. DANIEL ZERBE AN ATHLETE A story told of Daniel Zerbe says that he was nearly seven feet tall and a very large man. In the fall, after har- vest was over, it was customary to hold shooting and athletic matches at which the best men in the country districts were pitted against each other. On one occasion a wrestling match was set to come off at Shamokin Dam and Daniel, who was famous in that art, was to have a set-off with two athletes from Berks County. The parties arrived at night and were assigned to a room at the hotel in which there were several beds, in one of which Daniel Zerbe was already sleeping. In the morning he arose first and the two other men peeping from under their cover-lids and only half awake, saw this Goliath in stature as he slowly unfolded his large lank form and dressed for his breakfast and the coming affray. One glance was sufficient, they dressed and cautiously stole from the house and disappeared toward Berks County. There was no fight that day. 332 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records ZERBE VALLEY RAILWAY AND ZERBE GAP Zerbe Run empties into the Susquehanna River near Trevorton. Zerbe Gap was united by this Run and a short canal and railroad with the Susquehanna River to facilitate the shipment of coal. Zerbe Township, Northumberland County, was erected by Act of Legislature, March ii, 1853, from lines between Coal, Cameron and Shamokin Townships. Zerbe Run is a branch of the Little Mahanoy River. The Zerbe Run and Shamokin Improvement Company was in- corporated February 25, 1850. Trevorton is at the juncture where Zerbe Run empties into the Susqnehanna River. The Zerbe Valley Railway is fifteen miles long. It was incor- porated September 7, 1867, to ptirchase the railroad franchises of the Trevorton Coal and Railway Company. It was sold by the Sherifif, August 3, 1867. The Zerbe Valley Railway was merged into the Mahano}^ and Shamokin Railway, July 7, 1870, and the latter road was merged into the Reading Railway, March 25, 1871. (Northumberland County History, p. •j'j'j. Annals of Northumberland County, pp. 489-685.) (Note — There is a Zerbe P. 0. in Centre County, Pennsylvania, and also one in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.) The principal stream of Zerbe Township is Zerbe Run. The surface is mountainous with no farming land whatever, for which its rich mineral resources amply compensate. The existence of coal at Zerbe's Gap (Trevorton) was known as early as 1827, when a company was formed for the construc- tion of a canal, railway or slackwater from the Susquehanna River to the coal mines at the Gap. The most extensive vein of coal, fifty feet thick, was discovered on the Zerbe Run, a branch of the Little Mahanoy Creek. Trevorton was laid out in 1850, when an improvement company was formed, whose operations extended from Trevorton (Zerbe Gap) to Mount Carmel. Over one million dollars was expended and an immense breaker with a capacity daily of one thousand tons was erected — (Northumberland County History, 1891.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 333 Of the Zerbeys CHURCH RECORDS Early Marriages, German Reformed Church, Philadelphia. (Penna. Archives, Second Series, Vol. 8.) 1767, March 24, Zerben Wenden and Catharine Bacon. 1778, May 12, Serben Gosteph and Elizabeth Frehn. Reformed Church, Falckner's Swamp. 1792, November 4, Zerben Wendel and Phillipina Zerben. 1792, September 8, Zerben Catharine and Arrant Braun. These were by Pennsylvania licenses, as above. Marriages of Rev. John Walderschmidt (Archives 6, Vol. 6, p. 255.) Servie Elizabeth, daughter of Johannes Scrvie and Adam Gramling, JIarch 28, 1780. Swede's Church, Philadelphia 1781, November 18, Zarben David and Anne Dingwall. 1777, March 2, Carby Josiah and Margaret Child. The above were licensed by State. (2nd Series, Archives, Vol. 2.) 1745, November 18, Sarva Nicholas, m. Elizabeth Kloppen. (Moravian records, Lititz.) 1754, November 11, Zerfass Frederick m. Margaret Fadin, New Han- over, Pa., Rev. Frederick Schultz. 1761, March 12, Zieber Rebecca, da. of Johannes Zieber; bap. in church. (Trappe church records.) The register of marriages begins 1760 when the date of licenses to the ministers begins. (2nd Series, Penna. Archives, 2nd Vol.) Those of Pro- prietary Pennsylvania, from the time the colonial laws were made, are lost. There are four volumes of these records in existence. The practice was discontinued, 1790. Rev. John Caspar Stoever's Records Baptisms : 1743, February 20; parent. Christian Gruber; child, John George; sponsor, Helnrich Gruber. 1749, January 8; parents, Christian Gruber; child, Maria Caterina; sponsors, John Zerwe and wife Caterina, 1738, January 2; parents, Peter Muench and wife; child, John Michael. B. 1752, December 22; bap., 1763, January 14; parents, John Phillip Strauss, wf. ; child, Maria Caterina; sponsors, Johannes, Caterina Zerwe. B. 1753, February 19; bap., 1753, March 11; parents, Daniel Schneider, wf. ; child, Maria Caterina; sponsors, Johannes, Caterina Zerwe. B. February 14, 1753; bap., March 11, 1753; parents, Caspar Yost and wf., Swatara; child, Maria Caterina; sponsors, Johannes, Caterina Zerbe, 334 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records B. September 15, 1758; bap., September 17, 1758; parents, Mathias Wagner and wf., Northkill; child, Anna Caterina; sponsors, Johannes, Caterina Zerwe. Marriages : 1730, May 31, Heinrich Bayer (Beyer) to Elizabeth Maria Zerbe. 1738, April 4, George Meyer to Barbara Zerbe, Tulpehocken. 1746, December 22, Valentine Von Huss to Maria Barbara Zerwe, Tul- pehocken. 1741, October 13, Englehart Plohry to Elizabeth Zerwe, Tulpehocken. 1746, December 22, John George Meyer to Catharine Zerwe, Tulpe- hocken. 1748, October 31, Joseph Roth to Maria Margaretha Zerbe, Tulpe- hocken. 1754, October 8, Jacob Zerbe, Jr., and Anna Elizabeth Spiese, Atolhoe. 1738, December 16, Samuel Swaller and Margaretha Kroh, Conestoga. 1743, June 4, John Zerwe and Caterina Stupp, Tulpehocken. 1767, August 4, Samuel Zerfass and Sabina Baltz, Cocalico Township. Many of Stoever's records are found throughout the book that are not included in the above. Records of John Caspar Stoever from 1730 to 1779, translated by Rev. J. F. Schantz. The originals are in the possession of W. C. Stoever, Theological Seminary, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Prof. Luther Eeed. Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading 1768, December 20, Leonard Eieth, son of George Rieth, of the Tul- pehocken, to Anna Maria Zerbe, of Tulpehocken, Rev. J. A. Krug. 1805, January 29, John Zerbe, of Manheim Township, to Elizabeth Kronberger, widow, of Bern Township, Rev. H. A. Muhlenberg. 1804, June 4, Jacob Zerbe to Catharine Rudebach, both of Reading, (Womelsdorf.) Tombstones, Northkill Cemetery, near Bernville Conrad Reber, b. 1778; d. 1817. Valentine Reber, b. 1742; d. 1818. Albrecht Strauss, b. 1760; d. 1832. Christian Gruber, b. 1712. Many members of the Filbert, Rieth, Reber and Miller families are buried here. Rehersburg Church Records 1776, March 25, John Zerbe and wf. Catharine, bap. da., Christina Susanna; sponsor, Susanna Zerbe, single. 1783, January 12, John Zerbe and wf. Catharine, bap. da., Anna Maria. 1766, May 2, John Zerbe and wf. Catharine bap. son, Andreas. 1788, June 6, Peter and Elizabeth Schlaseman Zerbe bap. son, Peter. 1783 November 30, John Zerbe and wf. Mary Margaret bap. da. Elizabeth. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 335 Of the Zerbeys Zions, Lutheran and Reformed Church, Womelsdorf, Pa. 1803, June 20, Benjamin Zerbe and wf. Anna Margaret, bap. son, Samuel. 1811, July 3, Emanuel Zerbe and wf. Mary, bap. da. Maria. 1811, November 18, John Zerbe and wf. Maria bap. da. Anna Maria. 1867, July 20, Percival Zerbe, Jefferson, m. Catharine Elizabeth Blatt. 1869, December 18, Israel F. Zerbe, Jefferson Twp., m. Priscilla II. Barr. 1871, March 24, Jared L. Zerbe, Jefferson Tov;nship, m. Mary Ann Heil. 1874, September 19, Samuel N. Zerbe, Winterville, m. Leah Battdorf. 1878, April 6, Daniel H. Zerbe, Bethel Township, m. Adaline Stupp. 1872, June 8, Cyrus F. Zerbe, Womelsdorf, m. Nettie Hilbert, Mill Creek, Lebanon County. 1826, January 12, b. John Zerbe, of Strausstown; d. September 28, 1882. 1874, May 23, Ephraim L. Henne m. Kate Zerbe Strauss. Baptismal Records Parents, Henry and Eliza Zerbe, da. Eliza, b. October 27, 1828; sponsor, Eliza Fidler. Parents, Samuel and Catharine Zerbe; da. Catharine; b. January 20, 1826. Tombstone Record Salome Schock, wife of Andrew Zerbe, b. April 17, 1814; died August 5, 1890. Union cemetery. Tulpehocken Church, Tombstone Records (Above Stouchsburg) Michael Zerbe, born July 9, 1777, died November 12, 1841. Wife, Elizabeth, born February 21, 1780; died, May 4, 1840. Christina Zerbe, born September 25, 1780; died September 9, 1854; daughter of Leonard and Barbara Zerbe. Inscriptions From Tombstones, Blue Mountain Church, Strausstown John Zerbe, born August 12, 1766; died January 31, 1830. Wife, Maria Barbara Walmer, born July 16, 1772; died July 14, 1854. Susanna Zerbe, born August 12, 1796; died April 12, 1819; married Jonathan Ranch. John Zerbe, born February 3, 1798; died February 8, 1868; wife, Christina Manbeck, born April 5, 1795; died April 15, 1867. Catharine Zerbe, born November 22, 1799; died November 10, 1864; married John Strauss. Some of the above were settlers in Pinegrove Township. 336 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Little Tulpehocken Church Records 1828, December 20, Johannes Zerbe m. Elizabeth Anhalt (Christ, church). He was a son of John and Magdalena Zerbe. They bap. seven V^ children until 1847. 1812, March 25, Elizabeth, wf. of John Zerbe, d. 1871, April 9. 1791, February 10, Daniel and Anna Maria Zerbe, bap. da. Salome. 1793, August 2, Daniel and Anna Maria Zerbe, bap. son Joseph. 1798, August 8, Emanuel and Barbara Zerbe, bap. son John. Taxables in Tulpehocken Township, 1810 Michael Zerbe, Christian Zerbe, Christian Jr. Zerbe, Emanus Zerben, John Zerben, John, son of Christian Zerbe; Jacob Zerben, Peter Zerbe, Leonard Zerbe, Leonard Zerbe, Jr., Peter Zerbe. The above are of the same name, some using the German spelling. Records of Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, Marion Township, Berks County (Translated from the German) The following is a list of the Zerbes in the above church records, built 1744, and for the erection of which George Peter Zerbe signed the call with three others of the family; John Jacob, Mrs. Martin Zerbe and John Zerbe were among its earliest members. Baptisms : — Parents George Peter Zerbe and Christina Loucks; children, Johannes, 1745; Anna Maria, April 23, 1747; Maria, 1750. Parents, Peter Zerben and Elizabeth Loucks. Child, Elizabeth, July 22, 1771. Sponsors, Johannes and Maria Margaret Zerbe. Parents, Johannes and Maria Margaret Zerbe. Children, Johannes, February 3, 1772; John George, May 4, 1773; Peter, May 12, 1781. Spon- sors, George Peter and Christina 'Zerbe. Parents, Michael and Anne Maria Donmier Zerben. Children, Mich- ael, July 5, 1777; Salome, March 12, 1779; Anna Marie, February 6, 1781; Elizabeth, August 28, 1782; Barbara, September 29, 1791; Eva, September " 20, 1794; Johannes, February 24, 1796; Anna Margaret, February 7, 1800. Sponsors, George and Elizabeth Wolf, Caspar and Salome Batteicher, John George and Barbara Sponchuchen Zerbe, Benjamin and Elizabeth Zerbe, parents for last three. Parents, Leonard Zerbe and Barbara Lengle. Children, John Jacob, October 25, 1786; Elizabeth, April 17, 1793; Margaret Susan, October 3, 1795; Daniel, August 15, 1800; Elizabeth, May 11, 1806; Benjamin, 1815; Jacob, 1816. Sponsors, Susan Zerben, Daniel Rieth, Frederic and Cath- arine Weis. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 337 Of the Zerbeys Parents, Phillip Zerbcn and Christina. Child, Catharine, April 19, 1798. Sponsors, Peter and Catharine Hitzel. Parents, Andrew Zerbe and Maria Magdalena. Child, Mary Magdalena, May 20, 1798. Parents, Michael Zerbe and Elizabeth Schafer. Children, Johannes, December 3, 1801; John Jacob, September 24, 1802; Jonathan, 1811; Mag- delena, 1813; Lydia, 1814; Michael, December 30, 1817; E , January 31, 1819. Sponsors, Michael and Anna Maria Donmeier Zerbe, John Jacob and Elizabeth Schafer. (Note — In most instances the grandparents stood as sponsors for the first child and their names frequently decide the relationship.) Parents, Johannes Zerben and Margaret. Children, Anna Maria, De- cember 20, 1802; Margaret, January 3, 1804; Johannes, 1805. Sponsors, Christian Zei'be, Peter Peiffer, Leonard Zerbe. Parents, Hermanus Zerbe and Maria Eieth. Children, Heinrich, June 11, 1804; Samuel, December 1, 1802; Elizabeth, February 20, 1806. Spon- sors, John Jacob and Eva Eieth. Parents, Abraham and Catharine Zerbe. Child, Anna Maria, Novem- ber, 1804. Sponsors, John and Sophia Miller. Parents, John Jacob Zerben and Catharine. Children, John Adam, June 27, 1806; Justina, 1807; Eliza, 1813; , December 26, 1817; Franklin, January 7, 1822. Sponsors, Christian and Eva Zerben, Christian and Catherine Zerben. Parents, John Zerben and Susanna Miller. Children, Andreas, July 28, 1807; Sarah, May 31, 1816; , January 3, 1819. Sponsors, Christian and Catherine Zerbe, Michael and Catherine Miller. Parents, Christian and Catharine Zerbe. Child, Elias, 1814. Sponsors, David and Elizabeth Zerbe. Parents, Johannes Zerbe and Elizabeth. Children, Levi, October 10, 1816; Heinrich, July 13, 1814; Rebecca, January 20, 1830; Levantina, July 2, 1831; Carolina, March 24, 1834; John Jacob, 1838; Elizabeth, 1844; Eva, 1847. Sponsors, Jacob and Catherine Zerbe, Johannes and Magda- lena Zerbe, Magdalena Zerbe, Maria Zerbe. Parents, Phillip Zerbe and Rosina Lamb. Children, Benneville, De- cember 4, 1816; Wilhelm, July 29, 1818; Ephraim, January 15, 1820; Joel, 1821; Edward, July 13, 1822; Priscilla, January 25, 1825; Anna Maria, 1827; Elizabeth, December 26, 1828; Anna Margretta, January 27, 1831; Benjamin, 1832; Jared, 1836. Sponsors, John and Elizabeth Witman, Johannes and Magdelena Zerbe. Parents, John and Magdelena Zerbe. Children, Elizabeth, August 4, 1822; Maria, 1824; Rebecca, 1827; Henrietta, December 4, 1828. Sponsors, Daniel and Catharine Zerbe, Phillip and Rosina Zerbe. Parents, Johannes Zerbe and Rosina. Child, Johanna, 1832. Parents, Jacob Zerbe and Sarah. Child, Melinda, November 22, 1837. Sponsors, Michael and Elizabeth Zerbe. Parents, Andrew Zerbe and Salome. Child, William James, 1837. Parents, Elias Zerbe and . Children, Diana, 1842; Jacob, April 11, 1844. 338 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Parents, Augustus and Elizabeth Zerbe. Children, Henrietta, April 10, 1843; Eegina, April 11, 1846. Parents. Michael and Elizabeth Zerbe. Child, Emmeline, November 14, 1848. Parents, Jacob Zerbe and Catharine. Child, William, August 8, 1850. Marriage Records of Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania April 2, 1771, Johannes Zerbe and Maria Margret Angst; son of George Peter Zerbe. June 4, 1776, Michael Zerbe and Anna Maria Donmier; son of George Peter Zerbe , June 23, 1778, John George Zerbe and Barbara Sponchuchen; son of George Peter Zerbe. June 5, 1781, George Zerbe and Christina Wenrich; son of John Zerbe. November 2, 1773, Johannes Zerbe and Barbara Witman; son of Phil- lip Zerbe. June 3, 1773, Christian Zerbe and Maria Christina Strauss; son of Johannes Zerbe. September 18, 1781, Benjamin Zerbe and Anne Margaret Wertz; son of Benjamin Zerbe. May 1, 1795, Jonathan Zerbe and Margaret Weiser; son of Valentine Zerbe. February 26, 1782, Phillip Zerbe and Susanna, (Phillip of Hetzel's.) July 30, 1782, Peter Zerbe and Elizabeth. March 3, 1789, Gottfried Zerbe and Appolonia Michael. September 1, 1790, Daniel Zerbe and Rohnin. September 1, 1790, Jonathan Zerbe and Maria Catharine Scheafer. May 12, 1799, Hermanus Zerbe and Maria Rieth. December 1, 1799, John George Zerbe and Susanna Miller. May 24, 1799, Michael Zerbe and Elizabeth Weil. March 6, 1801, John Zerbe and Margaret Weigand. March 19, 1805, Leonard Zerbe and Susy Scharff. March 17, 1816, William Zerbe and Eosina Lamb. May 15, 1817, David Zerbe and Elizabeth Roller. June 19, 1817, Heinrich Zerbe and Elizabeth . April 22, 1821, Johannes Zerbe and Christina Manbeck. September 2, 1821, Johannes Zerbe and Martha Keller. December 20, 1828, Johannes Zerbe and Elizabeth Anhalt. February 18, 1834, Jacob Zerbe and Sarah Scholl. Dec. 31, 1836, Andrew Zerbe and Salome Stout. October 31, 1846, Franklin Zerbe and Elizabeth Heffelfinger. May 18, 1847, William Zerbe and Regina Witman. November 4, 1854, Reuben Zerbe and Tillie Pfeiffer, Bethel Township. May 25, 1856, Nathan Zerbe and Mary Scholl, Tulpehocken Township. February 17, 1857, Solomon G. C. Zerbe and Mary Casia Harner. June 2, 1860, Levi Zerbe and Catharine Haag. August 28, 1862, Isaac Zerbe and Emma Bechtold. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 339 Of the Zerbeys Deaths and Burial Records, Christ Church There were no death records kept in Christ Lutheran church, Stouchs- burg, from 1773 to 1811. Neither were there but few names of the par- ents given. There were many records of the deaths of children, but only those who reached maturity are noted here. July 22, 1750, Mrs. Elizabeth Zerbe, wf. of Martin Zerbe. November 13, 1751, Maria, child of George Peter and Christina Zerbe, aged 1 year, 6 months. August 11, 1818, Sophia Elizabeth Zerbe, aged 66 years, 9 months, 3 days. April 7, 1819, Benjamin Zerbe, aged 57 years, 1 month, 10 days. December 29, 1819, Anna Barbara Zerbe, aged 74 years, 7 months, 18 days. November 12, 1821, Christina Zerbe, aged 64 years, 1 month, 18 days. August 20, 1824, Leonard Zerbe, aged 79 years, 1 month, 8 days. October 11, 1824, George Zerbe, aged 70 years, 10 months, 1 day. April 25, 1832, John Jacob Zerbe, aged 56 years, 2 months, 1 day. May 4, 1840, Anna Elizabeth Zerbe, aged 60 years, 2 months, 14 days. November 14, 1844, Michael Zerbe, aged 67 years, 4 months, 3 days. April 21, 1845, Andrew Zerbe, aged 37 years, 8 months, 26 days. September 12, 1849, Elizabeth Zerbe, aged 62 years, 6 months, 26 days. December 21, 1857, John Zerbe; parents. Christian and Maria Sophia Elizabeth Zerbe; aged 74 years, 5 months, 23 days. - February 9, 1858, Augustus Zerbe; parents, Jacob and Catharine Zerbe; aged 47 years, 1 month, 26 days. January 9, 1859, John Zerbe; parents, Leonard and Barbara Zerbe; aged 86 years, 9 months, 27 days. September 10, 1875, Jacob Zerbe; parents, Michael and Elizabeth Zerbe; aged 75 years, 1 month, 21 days. October 15, 1877, John W. Zerbe; parent, John Zerbe; aged 72 years, 9 months, 4 days. Hetzel's Church, Lutheran, Washington Township, Schuylkill County — Baptisms From 1817 to 1874 Parents, John and Magdalena Zerbe. Children, February 17, 1817, Jonathan; October 20, 1820, John; December 12, 1823, Rosina; May 17, 1825, Katherine; April 30, 1827, Samuel; November 8, 1828, Michael. Sponsors, Phillip and Christina Zerbe, Jacob and Catherine Sauser, Phil- lip , Benjamin and Barbara Batdorff, Samuel and Elizabeth Werner, Michael and Magdalena Zerbe. Parents, John and Maria Zerbe. Children, August 4, 1817, Katherine and Louisa — twins. Sponsors, Christopher and Katherine Schropp and Magdelena Zerbe. Parents, Phillip and Elizabeth Reichert Zerbe. Child, December 31, 1819, Jonathan. Sponsors, John and Maria Magdalena Eckler. Parents, Phillip and Elizabeth Zerbe. Children, January 11, 1821, John; February 1, 1823, Jacob; September 12, 1825, Joseph; October 31, 1828, Leah; September 19, 1830, Benneville; July 27, 1837, Reuben; No- 340 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records vember 11, 1842, Levi. Sponsors, Jacob and Catherine Sauser, Joseph and Christina Bretzious, Johannes and Catherine Batdorff, Benjamin and Sa- lome Heimbach. Parents, David and Elizabeth Zerbe. Children, 1818, William (grand- father of Rev. J. W. Zerbe, Ohiol; August 27, 1820, Maria; November 14, 1821, Magdelena; October 25, 1823, Barbara; December 18, 1825, Lavina; July 11, 1827, Solomon; October 22, 1828, Leah; June 10, 1830, Lazarus; August 9, 1831, Elizabeth; October 23, 1832, Priseilla; May 4, 1834, Mich- ael; March 23, 1836, Eva; August 20, 1837, Sarah Eliza. Sponsors, Joseph Bretzious and Maria Lengle, Jacob and Magdelena Luckenbill, Michael and Barbara Bretzious, Joseph and Barbara Fertig, Rosina Reichert, Solomon and Elizabeth Christ, Daniel and Elizabeth Keller, Isaac and Anna Maria Barnhart, Michael and Maria Wenrich, Paul and Eva Barr, Johannes and Elizabeth Barr. Parents, Daniel and Catherine Zerbe. Children, August 1, 1824, Daniel; February 20, 1826, Levi; April 20, 1828, Jared; December 19, 1830, Louisa; June 2, 1832, Edvirard; July 24, 1834, Solomon; January 4, 1836, Maria Anne; June 29, 1837, Levi (2). Sponsors, George M. and Anna Maria Berger, Benjamin and Barbara Batdorf, Adam and Katherine Stahl, John and Philopena Zerbe, Conrad and Sarah Reichert, Solomon Schwartz, Magdelena Zerbe, John and Elizabeth Bretzious. Parents, Daniel and Christina Zerbe. Child, March 7, 1847, Peter. Sponsors, John and Katerina Heffner. Parents, John and Philopena Zerbe. Child, December 4, 1832, Lu- cetta. Sponsors, Adam and Katherine Stahl. Parents, Jonathan and Rosina Zerbe. Children, August 9, 1824, Jon- athan; May 10, 1827, Katherine; April 20, 1835, Solomon. Sponsors, Jonathan and Salome Gebert, Jacob and Catharine Lengle. Parents, Michael and Magdelena Zerbe. Children, December 10, 1825, Maria Anna; May 5, 1828, Katrina; August 24, 1830, John; October 15, 1834, George; May 22, 1837, Rebecca; October 4, 1840, Michael. Sponsors, John and Anna Maria Bucher, John and Magdelena Zerbe, Jacob Bucher, Samuel and Susanna Zerbe, Conrad and Sarah Reichert, George Reed and Katrina Bucher. Parents, Samuel and Susanna Zerbe. Children, January 7, 1832, Jacob; May 11, 1836, John; December 16, 1842, Anna; no record, Isaac. Sponsors, Joseph Lengle, Michael and Magdelena Zerbe, Joseph and Katrina Lengle. Parents, Christian and Anna Maria Zerbe. Child, July 24, 1837, Christian. Parents, Peter and Sophia Zerbe. Child, January 13, 1835, Maria Anna. Sponsors, Joseph and Christina Bretzious. Parents, John and Maria Magdalena Zerbe. Children, January 27, 1845, Caroline; February 11, 1850, Mary Ann; July 29, 1852, Emanuel; January IB, 1857, Rebecca; March 31, 1859, Eliza Lavina; March 20, 1861, John; April 9, 1863, George W. and Reuben, twins. Sponsors, William and Maria Gebert, Gottleib and Clara Shawell, John Hunker, Benneville Zerbe, Rebecca Hummel, Christian and Charlotte Heiser, William and Sara Schneck, John Hunker and Reuben Zerbe. Parents, John and Mary Anne Zerbe. Child, September 14, 1854, Emmeline. Sponsor, Rosette Zerbe. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 341 Of the Zerbeys Parents, Daniel and Maria Ester Zerbe. Children, December 18, 1845, William Lafayette; August 11, 1850, Mary Carolina; January 14, 1852, Emma Esther; July 29, 1848, Ellen. Sponsors, William and Maria Gebert, Earnest Grosmiller and Sarah Zerbe. Parents, Daniel and Barbara Zerbe. Child, November 26, 1857, Henry Franklin. Parents, Jonathan and Katrina Zerbe. Children, October 21, 1847, Maria; May 10, 1852, John; June 28, 1860, Katherine; July 26, 1863, Lavina; June 28, 1859, Emmeline. Sponsors, Elizabeth Ditzler and par- ents, Philopena Zerbe and parents, Lydia Emerich and Joseph, George and Eosetta Bretzious, Michael Boyer and Susan Emerich. Parents, Jacob and Katharine Zerbe. Child, March 25, 1849, William. Sponsor, Joseph Emerich. Parents, Joseph and Katherine Zerbe. Children, March 4, 1854, Per- cival; September 2, 1855, Joseph. Sponsors, Peter and Margaret Klick, Christian Hunker, Leah Zerbe, John and Magdelena Zerbe. Parents, Jared and Sarah Zerbe. Children, April 25, 1855, Daniel; October 17, 1856, Amelia; January 30, 1858, Kittie Anne; more children not in these records. Sponsors, Mary Zerbe, Elizabeth Wagner, Catharine Sheafer. Parents, Jonathan Zerbe and Catharine. Children, September 15, 1857, Jonathan; October, 1855, Henry. Sponsor, John Zerbe. Parents, Eeuben and Amanda Zerbe. Children, September 1, 1865, Kittie Louisa. Sponsor, Louisa Herbst. Parents, George and Mary Zerbe. Child, February 3, 1866, Milton W. Sponsors, Adam and Sarah Lengle. Parents, Franklin H. and Sophia Zerbe. Children, October 26, 1867, Emma E.; November 11, 1869, Albert W.; February 14, 1871, Clara Anne; March 2, 1873, Maggie V. Sponsors, the parents. Parents, William L. and Melissa Zerbe. Child, February 15, 1868, William Edmund. Sponsors, Ellen Zerbe and mother. (Note— Hetzel's early church records do not contain marriages.) Hetzel's Church Records of Deaths and Tombstone Inscriptions Phillip Zerbe, born October 23, 1765; died October 13, 1831; aged 66 years, 11 months, 21 days. Katerina Zerbe, born November 3, 1798; died January 16, 1843; aged 44 years, 2 months, 13 days. Amanda Eoyer, wife of Benneville Zerbe; born December 29, 1824. Philopena, daughter of Phillip and Christina Zerbe; born May 5, 1796; died April 8, 1870; aged 73 years, 5 months, 3 days. Daniel Zerbe, born December 1, 1799; died February 17, 1874; aged 74 years, 2 months, 16 days. Benneville Zerbe, born September 19, 1830; died March 7, 1877; aged 46 years, 5 months, 18 days. John Zerbe, born August 18, 1797; died April 14, 1877; aged 79 years, 7 months, 26 days. John Zerbe, born January 11, 1821; died April 23, 1884; aged 63 years, 3 months, 12 days. 342 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Mary M., wife of John Zerbe; born November 18, 1831; died July 8, 1897; aged 65 years, 7 months, 20 days. Mary Zerbe, born November 1, 1855; died December 28, 1881; aged 26 years, 1 month, 27 days. Christina Zerbe, born July 10, 1801; died January 25, 1885; aged 83 years, 6 months, 15 days. Joseph Zerbe, born September 12, 1825; died July 17, 1895; aged 69 years, 10 months, 5 days. Catharine, wife of Joseph Zerbe, born November 13, 1820; died January 30, 1904; aged 83 years, 2 months, 17 days. Mary Tobias, wife of Michael Zerbe, born May 28, 1811; died June 19, 1889; aged 78 years, 22 days. (Note — No note was taken of the children's deaths.) Lancaster County Court House Records Grantor, Zerfass heirs; grantee, Samuel and W. K. Seltzer; July 4, 1872; book H, Vol. 10, p. 76. Grantor, Zerbe (Zerfass), Samuel; grantee, Abraham Vondersal; June 19, 1873; book 2, p. 5. Grantor, Zerfass — Zerbe, William R.; grantee, W. K. Seltzer; April 3, 1893; book 9, p. 10. Grantor, Peter Klopp and wife; grantee, Nicholas Zerfass; November 10, 1752; book C, pp. 60, 446. Grantor, George Dawson Coleman and wife; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe; March 28, 1850. (Tract known as Black Oak Ridge, Clayton, Lancaster, $2,062.) Grantor, Zerba Valentine, Zerba; grantee, John Zerba; July 27, 1793; personal estate. Grantor, Zerba, Valentine; grantee, John Zerba; July 10, 1793; book B. R. R. 46; p. 52. Grantor, D. G. Coleman et ux; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe; May 27, 1857; book R. 8; p. 223. Grantor, Isaac Brubaker et al.; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe; May 1, 1865. John Sheaffer, administrator; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe; March 20, 1867 Grantor, Abrm Frastel, Exec; grantee, Mary Zerbe; June 2, 1892: book D, p. 2. Grantor, J. Hershberger for 125 pounds; grantee, Peter Zerbe and wife; January 29, 1791; book C, p. 446. Warrantee, John Server, Servey; survey, 250 acres; April 22, 1736; return, 158; March 14, 1817, January 24, 1873; patentee, John Zerbe et al., Barbara Fohrer. Warrantee, Zerbe, Peter (George Peter); survey, 100 acres; Novem- ber 12, 1737; return, 92, 120; May 29, 1789; patentee, George Ege. Warrantee, Surber, Henry; survey, 250 acres; August 9, 1738; not returned. Warrantee, Service John; survey, 200 acres; October 6, 1738; not re- turned. Warrantee, Surface, Nicholas; survey, 150 acres; November 13 1747- return, April 27, 1778; patentee, Nicholas Surface. Warrantee, Sarber, Caspar; survey, 50 acres; May 10, 1749; 257; July 3, 1809; patentee, Adam Teeter. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 343 Of the Zerbeys Warrantee, Swallow, Samuel; survey, 50 acres; August 23, 1749; re- turned; October, 1788; patentee, Jacob Mehnert. Warrantee, Swalle, Christian; survey, 50 acres; May 10, 1749; pat- entee. Christian Swall. Warrantee, Serwin, Phillip; survey, 40 acres; October 2, 1751; May 14, 1817; patentee, Barbara Fohrer et al. There are many records of transfers of lands in Lancas- ter County by the Shippens and Carpenters, branches of which families were among the earlier settlers of Pottsville from 1850 and later. Lancaster County erected 1729, Berks in 1752. All of the land taken up in Berks County prior to 1752 was recorded in Lancaster County, of which the former was part. Many of these early records were destroyed by a fire in the Lancas- ter court house. There are many Zerbes in Lancaster Coun- ty. No efifort was made to locate more than the above, after 1800, and these were identified with those who were the early settlers of what was first Chester, then Lancaster and afterward Berks and Schuylkill Counties. It is believed that all of the Zerbes in Lancaster County are descendants of these men. The Zerbes were prominent land owners in Berks and Schuylkill Counties in the 18th century. Note the following of the second and third generations, in this country, many of whom were located in that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill. Berks County Court House, Deed Book, Recorder's Office Warrantee, George Adam Zerbe; December 2, 1784; 300 acres; return 42.81, December 6, 1784; patentee, George Adam Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, Phillip Zerbe; May 2, 1785; 250 acres; return 291; January 15, 1787; patentee, Phillip Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, George Zerbe; September 21, 1785; 96 acres; return 148, October 17, 1837; patentee, George Kerschner; book 8. Warrantee, Benjamin Zerbe; September 29, 1785; 200 acres; return 219.80; patentee, Daniel Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, Christian Zerbe; September 29, 1785; 100 acres; return 114.18, December 1, 1876; patentee, John Heidleman; book 8. Warrantee, Benjamin Zerbe; March 23, 1787; 150 acres; return 128.70, January 14, 1806; patentee, Christopher Uhler; book 8. 344 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Warrantee, John Zerbe; January 22, 1788; 20 acres; return 1034, January 24, 1806; patentee, Jacob Zieber; book 8. Warrantee, Benjamin Zerbe; September 29, 1785; 200 acres; book 8. Warrantee, John Zerbe; January 22, 1788; 20 acres; book 8. Warrantee, Benjamin Zerbe; February 5, 1788; 3 acres; return 3, January 14, 1853; patentee, Phillip Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, George Zerbe; February 17, 1791; 170 acres; return 170, September 18, 1824; patentee, Daniel Shappell; book 8. Warrantee, George Adam Zerbe; September 20, 1785; 305 acres; re- turn 305, December 2, 1785; patentee, George A. Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, Jonathan Zerbe; May 22, 1792; 311 acres; return 311. October 12, 1812; patentee, Caspar Eeeser; book 8. Warrantee, Zerbe, Thomas; May 22, 1792; 150 acres; return 176.2, July 10, 1795; patentee, Michael Genkinger; book 8. Warrantee, Zerbe, Peter; September 18, 1792; 350 acres; return 260- 123, January 10, 1827; patentee, George Haas. Warrantee, Zerbe, Christian; October 4, 1792; 80 acres; 2nd warrant, October 21, 1807; patentee, Jesse Yarnatt; book 8. Warrantee, Zerbe, Christian; February 4, 1793; 50 acres; return, November 25, 1828; patentee, James Keira; book 8. , Warrantee, Zerbe, Leonard; August 1, 1793; 150 acres, return 172.76, February 12, 1795; patentee, Leonard Zerbe; book 8. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; March 12, 1796; 101.49 acres; return same. May 5, 1796; patentee, Leonard Zerbe; book 8. Berks County Court House, Recorder's Office Grantor, Conrad Minnich et al.; grantee, Peter Zerbey Jr.; October 22, 1783; location, Tulpehocken; book 8, Vol. 1, p. 103. Grantor, Leonard Eieth; grantee, Peter Zerbey Jr.; October 23, 1783; location, Tulpehocken; book 8, p. 104. Grantor, Valentine Bender; grantee, Peter Zerbe Jr.; December 2, 1797; location, Tulpehocken; book 16, p. 104. Grantor, Benjamin Zerby; grantee, Phillip Zerby; March 9, 1819; Bill of Sale; book 29, p. 513. Grantor, Casper Wister, Penn's agent; grantee, Peter Serbe; October 22, 1783; Branch of Tulpehocken; book 8, p. 101. Grantor, Stahl, Jacob; grantee, Zerbe, John et al.; April 23, 1777; location, Cumru; b. 7, p. 3. Grantor, Zerbe, Benjamin; grantee, Zerbe, John George; November 19, 1788; location, Pinegrove Township; book 11, p. 102. Grantor, Kalbach, Adam; grantee, Zerby, John; May 23, 1791; loca- tion, Cumru; book 12, p. 220. Grantor, Mayer, Frederick; grantee, Zerbe, John; July 30, 1802; lo- cation, Cumru Township; book 19, p. 250. Grantor, Zerby, Christian; grantee, Zerbe, Jacob; May 1, 1820; Power of Attorney; book 33-31, p. 307. Grantor, Zerbe, Jacob and wife; grantee, Zerbe, John; May 1, 1820; location, Heidelberg; book 50-49 p. 553. Grantor, Zerbe, John the m.; grantee, Leonard Zerbe; December 6, 1785; Power of Attorney, book 12-9, p. 186. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 345 Of the Zerbeys Grantor, Epler, John V.; grantee, Leonard Zerbe; April 29, 1820; lo- cation, Bern; book 12-31, p. 319. , Grantor, Himmelberger, John and wife; grantee, Leonard Zerbe; April 10, 1824; location, Upper Tulpehocken; book 54-57, p. 408. Grantor, Zerbe, Jacob et al.; grantee, Zerbe, Michael; September 14, 1768; location. Bethel Township; book 3-5 p. 337. Grantor, Mordecai Lincoln (grandfather of Abraham Lincoln); grantee, Zerbe, Michael; April 30, 1789; location, Exeter Township; book 14-6, p. 504. Warrantee, Spengle, George Christopher (m. Zerbe); 199 acres; warrant, November 17, 1752; patented, November 9, 1752. Warrantee, Servier, Nicholas; 40 acres; warrant, November 6, 1754; patented, July 19, 1852. Warrantee, Serby, John; 400 acres; warrant, April 10, 1754; patented, June 2, 1823. Warrantee, Serby, John; 50 acres; warrant, December 8, 1753 — 2d W. ; patented, March 1, 1811. Warrantee, Servy, alias John Zerby Jr.; 50 acres; warrant, May 24, 1821; patented, March 1, 1811. Warrantee, Serby, John; 40 acres; warrant, July 2, 1776; patented. May 13, 1833. Warrantee, Zerbe, John Sr.; 200 acres; warrant, January 22, 1778; patented, Jacob Zieber. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; 200 acres; warrant, January 22, 1778. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; warrant, March 8, 1796; patented. May 11, 1796. , Many other tracts of land referred to in this work are recorded in Berks County but are not duplicated in these lists. Schuylkill County Court House In the Deed Book the following are among conveyances made: Grantor, George Adam Zerbe; grantee, Michael Zerbe et al; July 21, 1820; book 3, pp. 328-325. Grantor, Henry Schneider; grantee, Peter Zerbe; October 30, 1820 book 3, p. 373. Grantor, Seb. Zimmerman; grantee, Peter Zerbe; March 29, 1824 book 4, p. 373. Grantor, William Seltzer; grantee, Phillip Zerbe Jr.; April 1, 1833 book 13, p. 265. From 1847 to 1855 occur the names of Zerbe, Peter, Phillip, Phillip, Martin, Henry, Michael, Mary and Jonathan Zerbe as having bought or sold land. Warrantee, Swartz, W. Z.; 252.46% acres; warrant, March 31, 1854 patented, Wendel Schwartz. Warrantee, Zerba, Jonathan; 400 acres; warrant. May 24, 1813 patented, October 16, 1813. Warrantee, Zerba, George Adam; 200 acres; warrant, June 3, 1814 patented, April 24, 1815. Warrantee, Zerba, George Adam; 200 acres; warrant, June 3, 1814 patented, April 24, 1815. 346 BLUE BOOK OF Genealogical Records Warrantee, Zerba, Phillip Jr.; 100 acres; warrant, August 4, 1814; patented, December 3, 1873. Warrantee, Zerba, Phillip Jr.; 35 acres; warrant, August 4, 1814; patented, Michael Fretz. Warrantee, Zerba, Peter Jr.; 100 acres; warrant, March 25, 1815; patented, Michael Fretz. Warrantee, John Adam; 40 acres; warrant, March 3, 1825; patented, March 4, 1830. Warrantee, Zerbe, John Adam; 100 acres; warrant, April 30, 1825; patented, March 4, 1830. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; 50 acres; warrant, April 30, 1825; patented, October 17, 1825. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; 100 acres; warrant, December 8, 1825; not patented. Warrantee, Zefbe, August; 12 acres; warrant, March 25, 1830; patented, Rebecca Zerbe. Warrantee, Zerbe, John; 26 acres; warrant, October 11, 1830; pat- ented, December 8, 1859. Warrantee, Zerbe, John L.; 30 acres; warrant, April 23, 1855; not patented. Grantor, Christian and Michael Zerbe; grantee, Louisa Zerbe; Sep- tember 27, 1861; book 67, p. 134. Christian and Michael Zerbe; grantee, John D. Zerbe; 1878; book 150, p. 381. Grantor, John, son of Adam Zerbe; grantee, John L. Zerbe (1860); 1854. Others were: Zerbe, Jacob, 1870; John, 1867; Jonathan, 1844-1855; John and Joseph, 1854. Grantor, George Klauser; grantee, George Zerbe, of Mahantongo Township; May 19, 1838; for tract of land, 63 acres, 40% perches, in Lower Mahantongo; being part of proprietary patent dated June 4, 1776, granted to George Boerchere. Grantor, Peter Dinger; grantee, George Zerbe, same; April 13, 1840. Grantor, Samuel Zerbe, trustee of George Zerbe, minor, son of Solomon, d.; April 8, 1854. , Tract of land adjoining that of Michael Zerbe, d., returned 1856. Grantor, Zerbe, Franklin; grantee, Zimmerman, Adam G.; March 1877; book 192, p. 297. Grantor, Benninghof, Wm., Ex.; grantee, Zerbe, Benneville; March, 1855; book 178, p. 566. Grantor, Zerbe, Jacob; grantee, Zerbe, Benneville; April 14 1855- book 48, p. 155. Grantor, Boyer, John; grantee, Zerbe, Christian; August 30 I860- book 64, p. 16. Grantor, Pott, Prank; grantee, Zerbe, Christina; February 2 1864- book 76, p. 38. .> . . Grantor, Dreibelbeis, Rebecca; grantee, Zerbe, Daniel; February 15 1825; book 5, p. 79. Grantor Zerbe, Peter; grantee, Zerbe, Elizabeth; December 5 1853- book 40, p. 624. Grantor, Zerbe, Oliver J.; grantee, Zerbe, Elizabeth et al; October 17, 1888; book 202, p. 287. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 347 Of the Zerbeys Grantor, Preehafer et al, Wenrich exec; grantee, Zerbe, Elizabeth et al; December 29, 1882; book 165 p. 465. Grantor, Moyer, Isaac; grantee, Zerbe, Franklin; November 2, 1872; book 126 p. 183. Grantor, Emanuel M., George B. Stahl; grantee, George W. Zerbe; February 3, 1891; book 219, p. 437. Grantor Mary M. Zerbe; grantee, same; August 31, 1891; book 223, p. 326. Grantor, Fuhlweiler, Miller; grantee, Henry Zerbe; March 2, 1847; book 27, p. 176. Grantor Charles A. Heckscher; grantee, same et al; June 3, 1856; book 48, p. 321. Grantor, Simon Uhler; grantee, Isaac Zerbe; January 9, 1872; book 121, p. 314. Grantor, George Adam Zerbe; grantee, heirs John Zerbe et al; July 21, 1820; book 3, p. 325. Grantor, Adam Gebert; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe Jr.; June 1, 1827; book 5, p. 477. From the above date to 1852 Jonathan Zerbe Jr. has many trans- fers recorded. Grantor, Thomas Berger; grantee, John and Trustees; July 28, 1834; book 14, p. 294. Grantor, George Adam Zerbe; grantee, Jonathan Zerbe; April 24, 1838; book 16, p. 621. Grantor, John Zerbe Sr.; grantee, John Zerbe Jr.; December 7, 1846; book 26, p. 748. Zerbe, Solomon, Samuel, Jonathan and Rosina have many transfers recorded from 1847 to 1861. The above are mainly of John2 Zerbe the miller, (Lorentzl) line. On the State Tax Lists for 1779, Pinegrove Township, occur the following names: John Sr., John, Jacob, George Adam, Christian, Peter and Philip Zerbe. SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK 351 Allied Families Allied Families MERKLES pHE name Merkle is variously spelled, Merclen, Mark- len, Merklen, Merckle, Markling, Markle, Merkie, ^ Merkel, Merchen, Merckel, Markheim, according to the inclination of the owner or the orthography of the country from which the newcomer last hailed from. The first form is the most generally accepted, although the "e" should have the sound of "ah." The Merkles were Huguenots and settled in Alsace, France. On the revocation of the edict of Nantes many of them retired to Amsterdam, Holland, their descendants sub- sequently settling in America.^ One of the first among them was a George Merkle, who settled in Pennsylvania, Lancaster, afterward Berks County, 1729, and became a naturalized citizen, \'J2()-Tp. The records of the church at the Trappe, Montgomery County ; the Moselem church, Windsor Township, Berks County, and Trinity Lutheran church, Reading, contain hun- dreds of the names of this family but the genealogists have encountered difficulties that were insurmountable in the way of connecting one branch with another. The three brother theory, of that number of immigrants coming into Pennsyl- vania (ridiculed by many historical savants and branded as improbable,) and settling at different points, had its advan- (Note 1 — The 3rd series, Vols. 24, 25 and 26, Penna. Archives, con- tain many of these names, as Warrantees of land.) 352 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families tageous features in following the lines, but the early Merkles show no such connection. The author has not attempted to follow the intricacies of these lines outside of one branch and its allies, but presents the various authorities and refer- ences where those inclined to delve deeper for information may, perhaps, discover the fountain head.^ TRAPPE CHURCH RECORDS 1745 — Jacob Merclin. 1765 — Elizabeth, da. of Abraham Mercklin. 1772 — Barbara, da. of Abraham Mercklin. 1767 — Phillip, son; and Hamia, da. of Jacob Merclin. 1772 — d., aged 25 years, Isaac Merclin. (Note — They were members of Pastor Muhlenberg's church at New Providence and are on the records as having subscribed, ten, fifteen, and ten pounds respectively, yearly, the highest amount of any subscriber being fifteen pounds.) TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, READING October 14, 1759, George Merckle and wife were sponsors, at baptism, for child of Jacob and Mary Magdalena Shumacher, Richmond Township. February 21, 1793, d., Margaret Englehart, nee Merclin, a widow, b. Feb- ruary 11, 1724, at Muelhausen, on road to Strasburg, Lower Alsace, France. Parents, Nicholas Merclin and wife Magdelena; sponsors, Huns Schweyer and Anna Magdelene Eber. In 1750 she came to America with her parents. 1751 she was married to George Englehardt, a blacksmith. They had twelve children, five sons and seven daughters; three sons and one daughter d. She was a widow twelve years. January 31, 1797, died, John Maerkel, b. December, 1730, nine miles from Philadelphia. Married, 1773, Mary Basserman. Had four children. December 13, 1803, d., Julianna Gerst, wf. of Christian2 Merkle; b. March 2, 1734, in Oley Township, Berks Co. January 29, 1811, Coxtown, Fleetwood cemetery, Anna Maria Merkle, wf. of Benjamin Parke. 1759, September 29, bap.; b. September 25, John, son of John George Englehardt and wf. Margaret Mercklen. Sponsors, Lorenze Fix and Nickol Mercklin grandparents. MARRIAGES By Rev. J. A. Krug: 1767, January 27, John Michael Merchen, second son of John Merchen, of Reading, to Anna Maria Kopp, daughter of Joseph Kopp, d., of Heidel- berg Township. (Note 1 — No attempt has been made to classify the Markles who exist in Luzerne County, nor the Merkles and Merkems in Northampton County.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 353 Allied Families 1789, June 11, Mary Merckel, da. of Christian Merckel, of Reading, to Isaac Hahn. Rev. C. F. Wildbahn. 1789, June 23, Elizabeth, da. of Christian Merckel, at the home, to John Schaeffer. The above were two sisters, married by the same clergyman eleven days apart. By fhe above.i 1789, December 20, Jacob Merckel, second son of Christian, to Cath- arine, daughter of Anthony Fricker. By the same. 1794, October 14, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Benjamin Merckel, to Ludwig, eldest son of Daniel Leinzenbeugler, both of New Hanover Town- ship, Montgomery County. 1753, b. February 25, bap.. May 4, George, son of Adam and Dorothea Merckle. (St. Michael's and Zion, C. R., Phila.) 1798, bap. March 18, Edwina, da. of Martin Merkel. (Hopewell church, York County, organized 1761, from Blymer's.) (John Merclin, of Reading, 1756, was a Ranger from Berks County on the Indian frontier and was paid for his services by the Colonial Gov- ernment. — Penna. Archives, 3rd Series, p. 355.) (John Michael Merkel, second son of John Merclin, is shown as a taxable, 1788, in Northampton County, which was formed from part of Lan- caster and Berks, 1752. — Penna. Archives, 3rd series. Vol. XIX, p. 318.) (From Penna. Archives, Vol. 8, p. 649:) 1773, January 1, Solomon Merckle and Rosina DoUman. 1775, June 6, Sabina Merkel and John Ganger, widower. (St. Mich- ael's and Zion, Philadelphia.) 1767, April 19, Anna Regina Mercklin and Michael Lutz. 1774, January 11, Hannah Mercklin and Brotzman. (Lutheran C. R., New Hanover, Pa.) 1804, November 18, Jonah Markley and Maria Frede. 1800, May 20— Maria Markley and David Gilbert. 1795, April 7 — Isaac Merckle and Maria Kerper. 1801, January 20 — Dolly Merkel and Matthew Cooper. (German Re- formed church, Phila.) John Christian Merklen, b. 1678, came to Pennsylvania, 1732, d. 1766; settling in the Maxatawny Valley, Lancaster County (Berks), near Moselem Springs. The Merclins were from Lower Alsace, near Strasburg, France, and fled to Ams- terdam, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His son Gaspard became a trans-Allegheny pioneer, 1771, and settled in Westmoreland County, erecting the first mill and a stock- ade fort on the frontier. General Joseph Markle (Merclin), b. 1777, d. 1868. He was prominent in business in Western Pennsylvania. In 354 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families 1844 he was the Whig candidate for Governor, but was de- feated by Francis R. Shunk by a small plurality. (Note — Alsace, a province bordering on the Rhine, included in Charlemagne's empire. It was connected with Germany till 1648, when a portion was ceded to Prance — Louis XIV seized Strasburg in 1681. This city with the province was secured to France by treaty, 1697, and formed Haut and Bas Rhine until 1871, when it was ceded to Prussia. — (Encyclo- pedia Britannica.) (Note — Alsatia, a name formerly given to a precinct of Whitefriars in London, England. It being a colony for lawless and abandoned people during the 17th century. John Christman Mercian was an Alsacian, not an "Alsatian.") Christian Merclin (Markling) took the oath of allegiance to Great Britain, April 10, 1742. His will was written April 25, 1749, but was not daughters, Mary Anna, Maria and Anna Lena, they married Rugh, probated until the year of his death, 1766. It names five sons and three Hill. (Note — "Keim, and Allied Families," published by DeB. Randolph Keim, of Reading, has four references to the Merkles or Merclins, mainly contributed by C. F. Hill, of Hazleton, Pa., a descendant of the Hill who married the daughter of Christian Merkle.) Christian's sons were: Peter, George, Christian and Caspar (Gaspard). (Note — Abstract of Wills, Genealogical Society, Penna. Historical So- ciety, Phila., Vol. 2, p. 8.) RICHMOND TOWNSHIP The taxable Merkles, 1759, in this township were: (1750) George, Chris- tian, Peter, Caspar (the four latter, sons of Christian), and George, Jr. 1762, June 23, George and Margaretta Merkle bap. a son John George, 1767, May 7, Margaretta Merclin was appointed executor of George Merc- lin, d., of Greenwich Township. (Will Book, 2-29, and Book 11, Berks County C. H. and Abstracts, Phila. Historical Society.) The will states there were no children. This George Merkle was doubtless the first George (1729). 1790, the Lutheran and Reformed church was built. Among the members, 1808, were: Peter2 and Jacob Merkle. This Jacob was a mem- ber of Capt. John Fulmer's Company (R. W.) Jacob Merklin took out a license for marriage to Christina Antes, January 9, 1776. (Penna. Archives.) ALBANY TOWNSHIP Dietrich Markle was a taxable in Albany Township, 1754, and a David Merckle too, Dietrich was a tavern keeper as is his great grandson, David, of the present generation. The Merkheims (as they spell it) are Mennonites, or German Tunkers and their churches in Albany Township have pre- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 355 Allied Families served no early records. The Merkheims are numerous in this township, they are mainly farmers and are all well-to-do. The name as first spelled in the tax lists stamps them as be- longing to the original Berks County lines. Conrad Merkle (Merkheim) lived near Lehigh Gap, 1754. A daughter of Conrad Merkle married Frederick Boyer^. BAPTISMAL AND OTHER RECORDS 1777, October 16, bap. George, son of Caspar and Blandina Merckle, (Moselem c. r. from 1741 to 1804.) Found on the fly leaf of an old German book: "1826, Den 31ten Juli, is Sarlina Seitel geboren und gedauft den 4ten November. Die dauf zei- gen slnd Jacob Merckle und seine frau 'lisabet." 1816, April 23, Reading "Adler:" "John George Merckle, of Richmond Township, died suddenly several weeks ago." William Merkel, of Windsor Furnace, near Hamburg, was a prominent citizen and has a line of descendants. Of this branch some settled in Hecla, Schuylkill County. The old St. Paul's church, near Hamburg, gives some, but the early records are very imperfect. Inscription on tombstone in Zion's church cemetery, Hecla: Solomon Merkle, b. May 8, 1782, d. March 10, 1819. (Note — J. I. Yost, merchant miller, of Hecla, furnished the above and is authority for the statement that tradition says, "there was an early Phillip and George Merckle in the same locality about 1800." A Henry Merckle stood sponsor at Zion's church, McKeansburg, 1809. An old record describes this church as, "Schumacher's Kirche, an der Nordkill weder dem Blau Berg, in Brunswig." EARLY TAXABLES 1808, (before Schuylkill County was organized): Jacob Merkel, Brunswick Township. Michael Merkle, Manheim Township. George Merkle, Norwegian Township. Caspar Merkle, Norwegian Township. (The above Jacob Merkle was the eldest brother of Solomon Merkle.) Christian2 Merkel (John Christianl), b. 1726, m. Julianna Gerst. Christian Merkel, county commissioner in Berks, from 1767 to 1770. 1772, a Christian Merkle was a grand juror from Heidelberg Township in the court of oyer and terminer. One Christian Merkle, in Captain Joseph Baldy's company, R. W., froze to death, 1777-'8, in Heinrich Haffner's (Henry Heffner) arms while confined as prisoner in a church. (Montgomery's History.) George Merkle, on Moselem Creek, took out a warrant for i; tract of land containing 1,300 acres. He built a large (Note 1 — Indian Stories, Part 1.) 356 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families stone grist mill and a family mansion, 1768, part of which is still standing. He married Christina , 1767. His will is recorded, 1814, (in Abstract of Wills, Gen. Soc, Phila.) but the heirs are not mentioned. (D. 113, 5, 312) Another George, in whose will no heirs are mentioned by name, was probated in 1779 George Merkle bought land in Brunswick Township, 1775, and sold the same to Martin Dreibelbis, 1779.^ John De Keim, founder of the old White store, Reading, married Maria Merkle (Markle) as his first wife, and Martin Dreibelbeis, whose da. Christina m. Benjamin Pott, of Potts- ville, m. Catharine Markle, daughter of the above George, of Moselem Springs, Berks County. Caspar Merclin (Gaspard) was twice married. He had eight children with his first wife and ten with his second wife. Gen. Joseph Markle (Merclin), b. 1777, d. 1868, was the first son of the second wife. (History on previous page.) John^ Peter Merkle (John Christian^), b. 1721. d. 1785; buried in Moselem church cemetery, Berks County. His brothers were : Caspar, George and Christian. He was for sixteen years an elder of this church. Married Catharine Grim, 1748. Trinity church records, Reading, Pa. — 1805, August 2, Caterina Merkel^ widow of Peter Merkel, nee Grim, b. May 31, 1730; d. July 31, . Peter Merkle came to that part of Berks County, now Schuylkill, about 1754. He retained his membership in the Moselem church where some of his children were baptized. He bought of Nicholas Miller and wf., Eva Catharine, one hundred acres of land, April 17, 1765, upon which land he and his wife Catherine lived until April 4, 1778, when he retired to Moselem, where he died^. (Note 1 — There are many duplications of these family names, George, Peter, Caspar and Christian.) (Note 2 — This tract of land was near the first arch of the Pennsyl- vania Railway, in Spring Garden, on the road from Pottsville to Schuyl- kill Haven, part of which was afterward owned by his son, Michael Merkle. (Conrad Minnich, Part 2.) (D. B. 9, p. 121, Berks Co. C. H.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 357 Allied Families Peter Merkle took the oath of allegiance to the Colonial govern- ment, April 4, 1778. As before stated, the taking of this oath was equiv- alent to serving in the Pennsylvania militia in the Revolutionary War. Casper Markle's children, first wife, were: Anna Kosina, b. February 7, 1756, m. Boston Burget; Catherine Eliza, b. August 20, 1757, m. Jacob Whitesell; George, b. about 1761; Magdalena, b. April 20, 1764, m. John Neyman; Esther, b. September 13, 1766, m. George Auman; Abraham, b. February 20, 1769, m. Rachel Blackburn; Daniel, b. August 14, 1771; Elizabeth, b. , m. David Camp. Casper Markle's c. by his second wife were: Joseph, b, February 15, 1777, died 1819; Solomon died young; Susanna m. Chas. J. SchoU; John m. Elizabeth Jack; Hannah, m.; Jacob m. Katy Painter; Sarah Salome m. Samuel Oliver; Mary m. William Miller; Gasper m. Polly Lobinger; David m. Maria Cowan; Leah m. Andrew Findlay Thompson. There were three other children. John Christian Markle had nine children: Peter Merkle m. Catharine Brietener Grim, April 13, or November 16, 1750; George Merkle m. Chris- tina Hill, April 18, 1750; Christian Merkle; Casper Merkle m. Elizabeth Grim, April 1, 1753, daughter of Egedius Grim; Frankiema Merkle m. Michael Rugh or Ruch; Mary Merkle m. John Jacob Hill; Anna Maria Merkle m. Frederick Kramer, 1745; Magdalene Merkel m. Peter Biehl in 1750. MERKLES IN WARS Abraham Marckle, Independent troop of horse, 1756, (with Adam Son tag and George Peter Zerbe.) Michael Marckle, Capt. of the Light Dragoons, came from France with Lafayette. Christian Merkle, 3d Co., Berks County militia, first batallion. Capt. Adam Beard, g. g. f. of Capt. Samuel B. Graeff, of same, 3d Co., 3d Battalion Beck's Militia. (Part 1.) MERKLE WILLS AND RECORDS The will of Peter Merkle gives the names of three sons and five daughters Christian, his brother, executor. Christian had his share, Gideon aiid Bernhard each 500 pounds; Catharine, m. John Eothermel; Elizabeth, m. Jacob Zoll; Sophia, m. Daniel Staudt; Maria and Esther, single. There were other children, of whom no mention is made. Peter Merkle is said to have first settled (1754) on tract of land on the brow of the hill adjoining the tract owned by John George Zerbe. No trace has yet been found of the record of this tract. Daniel Bartolet said, "Peter Merkle lived in the log- house which was attached to the brick house built by him (Daniel Bartolet)." Another tradition is that, "this house 358 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families was the home of John George Zerbe, which was located on the brow of the hill on the Long Run Valley road (between Schuylkill Haven and Cressona.)" Michael Merkle was born on the tract near Spring Gar- den. After his marriage he settled on the Fischer farm, in the Panther Valley (Bender Thai), on which or next to it afterward lived George Zerbe, wf. Magdalena Merkle. Tradition says the Merkles and Zerbes lived adjoining each other, but it is not clear whether both generations were neighbors, or only the latter. Michael may have lived for a short time in the home of John George Zerbe, after his death, as he owned part of the farm along the lower Cressona road, on which were several houses at the time of his wife's death that belonged to her estate and also four houses erected on the tract in Spring Garden, which first contained a large dou- ble house and four acres of land. Michael" Merkle (Peter", Christian^), b. January 8, 1771, d. March 5, 1829; wf., Elizabeth Ebert, da. of George and Magdalena Ebert, a born Henrich (en). Text, Isaiah, 55 Chap., 8 V. Both are buried in St. Peter's church yard, one mile from Cressona. The inscription on the latter's tomb- stone reads :"Hier ruhet die gebeine von Elizabeth Merkle, egotten von Michael Merkle, geborn. Ebert, Wittemburg, Principality, Germany, b. April 21, 1774, d. May 7, 1851. In the same cemetery her mother lies buried. Tomb- stone inscription : Magdalena, wf. of George Ebert, b. Feb- ruary 27, 1754; d. November 30, 1812.1 (Note 1 — St. Peter's cemetery was laid out 1780-'90. Services were held by both the Lutheran and Reformed congregations in the little school house, now the property of the Reformed church. A flourishing Sunday School was held there up to several years ago when a storm struck the building and made a ruin of it. The farm has several times changed hands recently. It was sold to Dr. Gray, of Cressona, who trans- ferred it to Israel Applegate. One of the provisions of the deed is that the cemetery on the land shall remain intact. Many of the tombstones have disappeared but the burying ground is still in good condition.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 359 Allied Families Michael Merkle is on the New Jerusalem C. R. as hav- ing been a contributor, October 12, 1828, Daniel Zerbe, dea- con. Children of Michael and Elizabeth Merkle : 1794, July 21, Phillip; 1796 September 29, Magdalena_ m. George Zerbe (Zerbe's History.) 1798, September 8, Catherina, bap. Oct. 14; sponsors, Yost Ebert and Caterina Kerschner. 1803, February 8, Elizabeth; 1806, May 8, Susanna; 1807, July 7, Sarah, bap. October 11, Summer Berg. 1809, , Henry, bap. September 6, Summer Berg; 1812, October 11, Hannah, bap. December 9; George and Magdalena Ebert, grandparents, sponsors; 1814, July 7, John George; 1816, February 8, William, (Mexican War, Part 1), bap. April 4, 1817, St. John's Friedensburg. (From Merkle family bible, in possession of Miss Mina Bertolet, Cres- sona.) (Note — George Ebert was sponsor for Yost Ebert and Elizabeth's son, George, b. October 18, 1808; bap. July 22, 1811. On the same date Mag- dalena, of the same, was bap., born April 15, 1809.) They also bap. a daughter Christina March 11, 1799, (Summer Berg C. E.). Michael and Elizabeth Merkle were sponsors for George, son of George and Magdalena Zerbe, bap. July 11, 1812, (Summer Berg C.) Phillip Merkle, wf. ; sons, Michael and Henry. Henry Merkle, his sons were, Curtis, m., da. June, m., Frank, d., was a physician, m. Fessler; three children, two sons and one da. ; and Charles. There were three daugh- ters, one Mrs. Minnie Paine. Elizabeth Merkle (Michael), m. Samuel Yost. They lived south of Orwigsburg, on a fine farm, the family home- stead. Their children were ; Samuel, Frank and Lewis; das.: Kitty, m. Charles Lurwig; Phoebe, m. Wm. Nagle; Eliza, m. Henry Gerhart, lives on a farm near Landingville, both octogenarians; Mary, single, lives with them; Susan, m. Wm. Lei- ser; Caroline, m. John Shutt; Emma, m. Dennis Leibig; Sarah, m. Bretz. Susanna, m. Bernard Schartle.^ (Note 1 — Orphans' Court papers: No trace of this man found.) 36o BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Hannah, m. David Scholl, Bloomingdale, Ind. (Amos Bartolet, cousin, says, "their son Lewis was a soldier in the Confederate army during the Civil War.") George Merkle, m. Elizabeth, only child of Daniel and Hannah Hummel Zerbe, (Zerbe History). Their children were: Henry George, b. September 28, 1835, bap. February 21, 1836; William Henry, b. December 8, 1836, bap. May 19, 1837. Both living, 1912. William H. Merkle and wife, d., lived in the Daniel Zerbe homestead on the out- skirts of Cressona.i (Note — Catharine and Sarah, see Bartolet.) Michael Merckle, is in the Orphans' Court book, Schuyl- kill County, on file, as having died intestate, 1829, but could not be found. His wife Elizabeth is on record in the same, 1851. Letters of administration were granted Bernhard Schartle, for Michael 1830. The heirs of Elizabeth Merkle were: Phillip, Sarah, wf. of Dan. Bartolet; Magdalena, wf. of George Zerbe; Elizabeth, wf. of Samuel Yost; Hannah, wf. of David Scholl ; the children of George Merkle, d., (Wil- liam and Henry), c. of Catharine, m. to Dan. Bartolet, being his first wf., and the children of Susanna, m. to Bernard Schartle, (John, Leah and Rebecca Schartle.) Daniel Bartolet (Bertolet) was of the original Berks County stock of that name. It is not recorded when he came over the Blue Mountains to settle, but he lived on part of the tract formerly owned by John George Zerbe on the brow of the hill above Cressona. He kept horses and employed men to drive the teams and fell the timber then used in the con- struction of the boats, bridges and early railways. That he was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, his well kept business accounts and records, in two family bibles, all in his own handwriting, shows. (Note 1— Lutheran C. K., Schuylkill Haven, E. H. SmoU, Pastor.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 361 Allied Families DESCENDANTS OF DANIEL BARTOLET Daniel Bartolet, Sr., b. October 11, 1792, d. November 16, 1864. Catharine Merkel (first wife), b. September 8, 1798, d. 1822; children: Abraham, Daniel, Jr. Sara Merkel (second wife), b. July 7, 1807, d. April 18, 1887. The wives were sisters and daughters of Michael Merkle. Children: Susan, Charles, Elizabeth, Carolina^ Elias, Amos, Lewis, Richard, Sarah, Emma Rebecca, Catherine, John, Louisa, Joseph, Benjamin. Abraham Bartolet, b. January 4, 1819; wf., Mary Weaver, d. March 17, 1897. Children: Albert (shot in battle of Cold Harbor, Civil War.) William, unmarried, railroad watchman; Catharine, married George Berk- heiser, resides in Schuylkill Haven; Emma, d., married Christ From- knecht; Sarah, unmarried, d.; Franklin, d., married Mary Sowers; Mary, married Alexander Smith, of Orwigsburg; Elizabeth, unmarried, Cres- sona; Wallace, single, engineman, Cressona. Daniel Bartolet, Jr., b. May 22, 1821, d. November 1, 1885; wf., Ella- mina Luckenbill. Children: Henry, d.; Franklin Adam, freight train con- ductor, Harrisburg, Pa.; Louisa, Schuylkill Haven; Daniel, d.; Eliza, d. ; Mary, Reading, Pa. Susan Bartolet, b. September 23, 1824; m. Wm. Kantner; both d.; Susan died February 11, 1901. Children: Tamson, d.; Rebecca Sterner, Cressona; Phoebe Simon, d.; Lillian Barton, Phila.; Albert, machinist, Pottsville; Caroline Berger, Schuylkill Haven. Elizabeth Bartolet, b. December 20, 1825; m. Louis Schaeffer, d.; Elizabeth died April 13, 1882. Children: Emma Aulenbach, Middletown, Pa.; Kate Boyer, d. ; William, engineman, Cressona; Annie Bretz; Caro- line Minnig, d. Elias Bartolet, b. October 24, 1828; d. February 13, 1904; m. Elizabeth Dengler. Children: Ellen Robbins, Phila.; Cecelia Reiger, d.; Anna Scheetz, d. ; Roxanna Wehr, Mahanoy City; Edward, engineman, Mahanoy City; George, engineman, Sioux City, Iowa. Lewis Bartolet, b. October 11, 1830; d. April 26, 1908; m. Rebecca Minnig. Children: Five deceased; William, weaver, Manayunk, Pa.; Harry, confection clerk, Manayunk, Pa.; Edward, postman, Manayunk, Pa.; lola Virginia, Kendler, Phila. Sarah Bartolet, b. November 2, 1832; d. February 11, 1901; m. George Fessler, d. Children: Catherine Sherry, Pottsville; George, engineman, Palo Alto; Susan Wagner, Cressona; Mary Moyer, d.; Phoebe Fessler, Cressona; Esther Hillibish, Palo Alto; Elizabeth Sterner, Pottsville; Michael, Cressona; Samuel, Cressona; John d.; Sallie, Cressona. Catherine Bartolet, b. June 30, 1834; d. January 25, 1911; m. John Fegan, d., Lyons, Iowa. Children: Daniel B., engineman, Lyons, Iowa; Joseph, machinist, St. Paul, Minn.; John, machinist, Missouri Valley, Iowa; Caroline Johnstone, Lyons, Iowa; Thomas, telegrapher, Dallas, Texas. Louisa Bartolet, b. January 7, 1836; d. November 25, 1913; unmar- ried. Charles Bartolet, b. December 12, 1837; d. October 24, 1905; m. Chris- tiana Neuer, of Harrisburg, Pa., d. Children: George W., inspector, 362 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Sara Margaret Wagner, Trenton, N. J.; Wilhelraina Catherine, teacher in public schools, Cressona; Anna Eliza- beth Breininger, Cressona; Herndon Lewis, High Springs, Fla. Caroline Bartolet, b. November 17, 1839; m. Samuel A. Mertz; resides in Lehighton, Pa.; no children. Adopted Charles A. Snyder, a great- nephew. He keeps a general store. Amos Bartolet, b. February 10, 1842; assessor and supervisor; m. Rebecca Berger, d.; resides in Cressona, Pa. Children: Beata Davis, Cressona; Bard Bartolet, Cressona, clerk in C. & I. Co. office, Pottsville. Richard Bartolet, b. December 1, 1843, Jersey City, N. J.; engine- man; married Martha Wiggan. Children: Roberta, stenographer, etc., Jersey City; Howard, clerk for P. R. R. Co., Jersey City. Emma Rebecca Bartolet, b. August 31, 1845; d. April 16, 1911; m. Jeremiah J. Kline, d.; resided in Ashley, Pa. Children: Charles Daniel, expressman, Ashley, Pa.; Harry Benjamin, d. John Bartolet, b. May 5, 1847; d. January 8, 1911; engineman, Sioux City, Iowa; first wife, Ellen Forrer, d., Cressona; second wife, Josephine Heffner, Mitchell, Dakota. Children: four deceased, Ida Moyer, Or- wigsburg. Pa. Daniel Bartolet and his two wives, Catharine and Sarah, daughters of Michael and Elizabeth Merkle, had 17 children, all living to maturity. 1816, January 20, Daniel Bartolet, m. Catherine Merkle, Rev. George Mennig. 1823, December 25, Daniel Bartolet m. Sarah Merkle, Rev. Phillip Meyer. Daniel Bartolet and wives are buried in New Jerusalem cemetery. Spring Garden. Joseph Bartolet, b. March 10, 1849; engineman in Mexico, now in San Antonio, Texas; unmarried. Benjamin Bartolet, b. October 28, 1851; engineman L. V. R. E., Lehigh- ton; m. Francis Shuman, of Mainville, Pa. Children: Sara, clerk, Lehigh- ton, Pa.; Clay, d.; Howard, Prof, of Mathematics in Collegiate Institute, York, Pa.; Rena, stenographer, Lehighton; Florence, stenographer, Le- highton. Isaac Strauch, secretary of the New Jerusalem church, had possession of the records when the split occurred, and which were never found. He kept the toll gate when the turnpike ran to the left side from Schuylkill Haven through a covered bridge and thence on the lower road through Mt. Carbon to Pottsville. When the Reading railway was built, the bridge was removed and the turnpike kept on the right side of the river and canal. Michael Merkle, of Minersville, (Phillip, Michael and Elizabeth), b. near Cressona, 1823. He began life early as a driver on the old horse railway, of the Mine Hill Railway, to Schuylkill Haven, subsequently becoming stationary en- gineer for Richard Kear, Wolf Creek mines. He was one of SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 363 Allied Families a quartette of Minersville men who operated the mines upon the lands of the Forrest Improvement Company. In 1868, under the firm name of Lawrence, Merkle and Company, they leased coal lands at Mahanoy Plane and Frackville, now leased by the Madeira, Hill Company, which were very pro- ductive for a time. Mr. Merkle was engaged in the coal bus- iness up to his death, which occurred from an accidental dis- charge of a pistol. Mr. Merkle was a self made man and one of the foremost citizens of Minersville. Adam Confehr, mar- ried to a sister of his, was engaged with him in the Forest Coal Company. Michael Merkle was twice married. First wife, Ann Bender, of Chester County. Their children were: Phillip, wf. Eliza Hadesty, sister of George Hadesty, division superintendent of the Eeading C. & I. Co.; one son killed on railroad; Phillip, a soldier in the Civil War, is spending his declining years at the Erie Soldiers' Home. Emma, m. Praull Boyer, brother of Col. Zaccur Praull Boyer, both deceased; lived in Port Carbon. One son, Claude, m.; several children. Clara, d., m. George Ellis, druggist. Children: Madge, m. Will. Harris, plumber; Sadie, bookkeeper in office of Oak Hill colliery, Min- ersville. One in the West. J. Harry Merkle, the eldest, wf., Margaret E. Lewis. They had seven children, of whom three are living, George A., a rising young physician, of Minersville, and May and Blanche, at home. Mr. Merkle was a. mer- chant of Frackville, but removed to Minersville about twenty-five years ago, where he has since been in the same business. Dr. George Merkle, m. £. K. Balliet, of Minersville. George F. Merkle, wf., Annie, da. of the late Henry and Sarah Graeff Hammer, for many years in charge of the Thomas Shollenberger store, of Minersville. Mr. Merkle is the manager of the Frank Law- rence general store of Minersville. Their children were: one daughter, m. Will. Flail, blacksmith at Reading shops, Pottsville. One son, Louis, a very promising young man, mechanical engineer, d. at the age of twenty-six years, of typhoid pneumonia. Michael Merkle's second wf. was Margaret Heilner, with whom he had three children: Horace, a physician, m., died in Montana, no children. William, single, died in Jeiferson Hospital, Phila.; Ida, d., single, in Norristown. Mrs. Mary Brady, Norristown. Gideon Merkel, d., lumber merchant, Minersville; came from near Hamburg; da's, Mrs. Mary Bedford and Mrs. Sue Ansty. Gideon Merkle was a descendant of the Merkles of the Trappe, Montgomery Co. 364 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families HISTORY OF THE MUENCHS The name Miinch, as originally spelled means monk or friar. It was derived from an estate, purchased from an order of monks in France. (The diaeresis or "umlaud" over the name Miinch has the effect of u e. Muench.) The name since has been vari- ously spelled Minch, Minck, Minnich, Minick, Minnick, Ming, Mennegh, Mennig, Mynich, Minock, etc., but it is from the same origin. Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol. XVII, and Eupp's 30,000 Immigrants have the following as settling in Penna. Ship Lists: John Christopher Meng, August 24, 1728. John Adam Meng, August 15, 1750. Michael Meng, October 20, 1752. John Minck (sick) and Christ. Ludwig Muench, November 3, 1752. John Minnich (sick), November 7, 1754. John Philip Menick, October 6, 1767. Peter Meng, on November 15, 1802. Hans Heinrich Muench, September 15, 1752. Hans George "Manig", October 2, 1749. Lorentz, "Manig," August 27, 1739, aged 40. Wendel "Manig," September 5, 1751. Conrad Muench, see pasport on another page. Phillip Muench, October 26, 1768. Tobias Manich (Eupp's, p. 22), October 17, 1749. Simon Minch, November 3, 1750. The early Miinchs were Catholics. During the reign of Louis XIV, in France, a Baron Miinch, who had embraced the Calvanistic religion and was a powerful factor in the Huguenot political party, was stripped of all his possessions, his chateau burned and he was among those massacred. His kinsmen, after the dissolution of the title, fled to Germany after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, 1685. Some of the younger men joined the armies at war with France and others, when the opportunity opened later, united with the Palatines and came to America, with their families. (Dr. Julius F. Sachse, Librarian, Masonic Library, Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, has the illustration and its heraldic emblazonment of the Muench coat of arms, a little figure of a monk with the superscription "der Muench" above it.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 365 Allied Families One of the first Miinchs to arrive in America was Hans "Minigh," on the ship Thistle, of Glasgow, Calvin Dunlap, master, from Rotterdam, August 29, 1730.^ He is described as a "newcomer from Holland, whose children are all at servi- tude," doubtless to pay his and their passage. February 7, 1755, administration was granted George Lambert, of Albanj' Township, Berks County; Michael Brobst, Linn Township, North- ampton County, friends of this John Minnich, late of Albany Township. (B. 21, p. 401.) A Johannes Minnich settled in Pinegrove Township, Berks County, 1754, where his son Johannes was born, August 8, 1757. Leonard, brother of Johannes, came to this township from Bern Township, 1767. (State and Proprietary Tax Lists, 1779 to 1785.) He had surveyed 200 to 250 acres of land. JohannesS, d., April 27, 1823. Johannes and Leonard, with their wives, Christina and Magdelena, are on Jacob's church records as having communed there, November, 1799. Adam and Bernhard, their sons, bap- tized children in this church. A daughter, Magdelena, m. Jacob Heim. Letters of administration for Leonard Muench, Pinegrove Township, were taken out by Baltzer Hautz, 1802. Peter Miinch and Simon Miinch came to America on the ship Samuel, Hugh Percy, Master, from Rotterdam, qualified at Philadelphia, August 30, 1737.-^ They located in Tulpehocken Township, Lancaster County afterward Berks County. Peter was 39 years and Simon 37 years of age. The two men were brothers, and Gottfried Miinch, of Mechtersheim, near Speyer, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, was doubtless a brother and a third son of a son, or direct kins- man of the Huguenot Baron of France. The two lines, the Berks County contingent and the descendants of the Phila- delphia line are unknown to each other and claim no rela- tionship ; yet their ancestral traditions are identical. The same family names occur with little variation through the first and second generations in this country. The letters, too, which follow tell of a misunderstanding between two branches of the Miinchs in this country; whether this refers (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol. 17, p. 20.) (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Second Series, Vol. 17, p. 133.) 366 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families to Gottfried and Conrad, brothers, of Phila., and sons of Gott- fried, of Mechtersheim, or as between them and their uncles, (supposedly) Peter and Simon, of Berks County, is not clear; but the two lines were close connections, the proof of it is unquestionable. (Note — Cut of original patent found elsewhere in this issue.) Peter Miinch settled in Bethel Township, then Lancas- ter County, now in Lebanon, Berks and Dauphin, where he took up a tract of land. Peter's grandson, Simon, son of Si- mon, afterward purchased this tract. March 23, 1750, Peter Minnich took up 300 acres of land in Pinegrove Township, Lancaster County, afterward Berks, now Schuylkill County. The tract included land on both sides of the Schuylkill river, and, as a fac simile of the original patent in our possession, found elsewhere, shows, was the original site of the "Seven Stars" hotel in Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, where he built a log house afterward burned by the Indians.^ Peter Miinch was twice married. First wife, Christina Barbara, by whom he had the following children: Simon, York County, Pa., yeoman, b. August 25, 1728, d. 1795. Jacob, York County, Pa., yeoman. Henry, wife of Catharine, Botecourt (Bashtourt County, Va., yeoman.) John Michael, Dauphin County, Pa., yeoman; b. January 2, 1738; bap- tized January 24, sponsors, John Michael Becker and wf. (Stoever's R.) Another child, name not given (probably Peter), and John Conrad Muench, b. November 28, 1740; bap., January 21, 1741, sponsors, Conrad Scharff and wf. Appolonia, Little Tulpehocken church, (Stoever's records.) Peter Miinch's second wife, with whom he had no issue, was Eva Catharine, widow of John Ritzman. Miinch was a taxable in Pinegrove Township, Berks County, in 1754, and in Maxa tawny Township, 1759. An old map of Governor Mifflin's time shows "Peter's mountain," "Minnich's Gap" and "Minnich's Mill"; and the Rehersburg church records show him to have stood sponsor, with his wife Catharine, for (Note 1— D. B. 4, p. 298, Berks Co. C. H.) Q Z o o OS z o u O Q O S O < SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 367 Allied Families children, from 1748 to '51, of prominent parents in that locality; one of these God-children, John Peter Filbert, was afterward the first Mayor of Reading. August 18, 1751, da. of Albrecht Strauss (Northkill); March 6, 1748, da. of Philip Heiliger (Northkill); August 31, 1746, and May 28, 1749, for a son and da. of Samuel Fil- bert (Northkill); December 9, 1750, da. of George Schaetterle (Tulpehocken); March 8, 1751, for son of Dr. John George Trippner and wife Anna Elizabeth (Tulpehocken); August 25, 1754, for da. of George Muench, Bern. Among the Warrantees of Land, Lancaster County, Pa., published in Vol. XXIV, 3d Series, Penna. Archives, there is shown a warrant for 50 acres to Peter Menig, dated March 23, 1750, but there is no record of a survey having been returned on that warrant. Peter Miinch m. Eva Maria Ritzman, May 30, 1756. He died 1766. His widow, from Atolhoe, near Rehersburg, tak- ing out letters of administration; she being described as "the widow of Peter Minnich, late of the part of Berks County, which lies over the Blue Mountains, in Pinegrove Township.^ The first four sons, October 15, 1787, disposed of their interest in the tract in Bethel Township to Simon, grandson of Peter Munch and son of Simon. The other two children are not mentioned in the document. The signatures were proven October 25, 1790, by George and Peter Minnich and two others. The one child, probably a daughter, may have taken her share and John Conrad Minnich having taken out a warrant for 100 acres of the land, in Pinegrove Township, on both sides of the Schuylkill River, settled by his father in 1750. (See map accompanying deed.) The patent shows that he paid the interest and quit rent on this tract from March 7, 1760, acquiring title subsequently, by purchase, to most of the original patent of 300 acres in that vicinity and to lands adjoining it. Just when CAPTAIN CONRAD MINNICH settled permanently on the site of the Seven Stars Hotel, Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, is not definite, but (Note 1— Vol. 2, p. 148.) 368 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families it was not later than 1768, the year he was married. He may have come there and taken possession, 1760, when he took up the original patent for 100 acres of the land, signed by John Penn and upon which his father settled and the family lived, 1751, being driven from there as the patent states "by the burning of their log house and other buildings by the Indians," and then returned to Heidelberg Township, where he appears on the tax lists as "Yeoman," 1767 and 1768. Francis Parvin took up by warrant, 56 acres of land, June I, 1751. His executors sold this land to Ellis Hughes, October 9. Neither lived upon the tract but Ellis Hughes, who lived in Exeter Township, operated a saw mill upon it. He granted three tracts of land to John Gerber, August i, 177'- The 174 acre tract was surveyed by warrant, April 12, 1770, granted to George Gardner, who, February 5, 1762, granted the same to Isaiah Willets, who, September 15, 1766, granted the same to Ellis Hughes. On this tract stood the saw mill. The 174 acre tract was surveyed in pursuance of Thomas Hughes' application, who by his deed dated Decem- ber 10, 1767, granted the same to Ellis Hughes, who conveyed it, August I, 1 77 1, to John Gerber, miller of Cumru Township. Conrad Minnich, it appears from the following, lived upon part of this land during these transfers. The Berks County Deed Book says: "John Gerber, of Cumru Township, sold August 18, 1775, to Conrad Minnich, of Brunswick Township, for 600 pounds, a certain messuage water saw mill and three tracts of land, now in the said Con- rad Minnich's actual possession, being situated adjoining land late of Francis Parvin and Balthazer Neyfung and thence up the Schuylkill River, containing 174 acres; one other of them, adjoining land now or late of Ellis Hughes and Joseph Berger, in the forks of the Schuylkill, containing 114 acres and the other of them bounded on the northeast by the east SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 369 Allied Families branch of the Schuylkill River and on the southeast by land of James Boone and on the southwest and northwest now vacant, containing 56 acres." A reasonable conclusion to arrive at, is that as Ellis Hughes was a non-resident, Conrad Minnich ran his saw mill for him and boarded the men at the road house (as in the case of Neyman, who operated Baltzer Gehr's saw mill on the site of Pottsville), and afterward came into full pos- session of the tract upon which he lived with his father's family, 1750. Christopher Stump patented a tract of 200 acres of land February 25, 1755 ; 100 acres of this land he and his wife Margaret granted to Nicholas Miller, March 25, 1755. Au- gust 30, 1778, Christopher Balti and Susanna, his wife, sold to Conrad Minnich and Henry Deckert, of Brunswig Town- ship, for 580 pounds, 100 acres and allowances of land, ad- joining Adam Miller's and part of the land of the aforesaid Christopher Stump. Nicholas Miller and Eva Catharine, his wife, sold the said 100 acres to Peter Merkle and Catharine, his wife, April 17, 1765. Peter Merkle, April 4, 1778, granted the same to Christopher Balti. (Book 9, p. 121.) Nicholas Miller removed to Shamokin Township, North- umberland County, where he is noted on the tax list, 1788, and also appears on the tax list of Augusta Township, 1771. September 5, 1782, Henry Deckert and Elizabeth granted their half in this tract to Conrad Minnich. (Book 9, p. 123.) Peter Filbert, Sheriff of Berks County, sold to Conrad Minnich, Setember 5, 1785, 230 acres of land, the property of Jacob Gemmerling (Kemmerling), Brunswick Township, aidjoining lands of Henry Dieter, Martin Dreibelbis and oth- ers, (Book 9, p. 400.) November i, 1791, Conrad Minnich and Elizabeth, his wife, of Manheim Township, sold to Asa Jones, 200 acres of 370 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families land, "at the mouth of Tumbling Run, over the Blue Moun- tain," late in Manheim Township. (B. 12, p. 431.) Bought it from Paul Feger, February 14, 1782. (B. 12, p. 437.) "Mortgage by Asa Jones, Manheim Township, to John Moyer, Hamburg, November 22, 1791, for eleven pounds, in gold or silver, on the two hereinafter named tracts of land: The one thereof situate on Tumbling Run, including the mouth thereof, containing about 200 acres. It being the same tract which Conrad Minnich and Elizabeth, his wife, did, on November i, 1791, grant unto Asa Jones. The other tract of 176 acres, on the other side of the Schuylkill from the first tract." Conrad Minnich and Peter Minnich were the wit- nesses to the mortgage. (Book 9, p. 154.) This land was af- terward located as in Norwegian Township. The above Peter Minnich is doubtless the Peter who settled in Northumber- land County with Conrad, Jr. He was a son of Simon. Thouron's addition to Pbttsville, (Norwegian Town- ship,) was laid out on land patented to Conrad Minnich and Jacob Zoll, July lo, 1792-September 5, I794.1-2 (See Fisher's, 1831 Map, Schuylkill County, Commis- sioners' office.) Conrad Minnich, as aforesaid, came with his father, Pe- ter, 1750, when ten years of age, to Pinegrove, Manheim Township, returning to Bethel, 1755, and again returning north about 1760-1768, where he lived during his lifetime upon the same land, although the name of the Township changed several times during his occupancy. In these transfers of land, noted above, Conrad Min- nich is mentioned as "Yeoman," "Miller" and as "Church Warden," of Zion's Lutheran church, (Red church), of Brunswick Township. He at one time having bought land and holding the deed in trust for the church. His wife is (Note 1 — One of the original tracts constituting tlie boundaries of Pottsville, so described in Deed Book, Schuylkill Co. C. H.) (Note 2 — ^James Wilson, signer of Declaration of Independence, bought part of a tract of land adjoining the above, 1790, from Jacob Zoll.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 371 Allied Families named in the deeds as Elisabeth, daughter of George Peter Zerbe, late of Tulpehocken Township. He was a taxpayer, Pinegrove Township, Berks County, 1772, and the first col- lector of taxes in Manheim Township, 1791. The Proprie- tary State Tax Lists, Berks County, show Conrad Minnich to have paid taxes on a saw and grist mill and from 300 to 500 acres; from 1779 to 1784 his family consisted of eight persons. CONRAD MINNICH'S HOTEL now known as the "Seven Stars," was the first public house in (Schuylkill) this county. When rebuilt after its destruc- tion by the Indians, 1755, it was partially constructed of stone; these walls in the rear are still standing, but the front was a low log building. Ellis Hughes' saw mill stool sev- eral hundred yards south of the hostelry, which was sur- rounded by a dense pine forest and as a road house on the state road, laid out 1770, afforded entertainment and lodg- ing for the patrons of the stage coach from Philadelphia and Reading to Fort Augusta (Sunbury) and the few wood cut- ters and wayfarers thereabouts. It is mentioned as, "Capt. Conrad Minnich's, Brunswick Township, near the Schuyl- kill, several miles south of the Sharp Mountain," and as, "being then the 'Frontier' ", August 27, 1777.^ Conrad Minnich was a captain of the second company in the third battalion of Berks County militia. May 16, 1777, in the Revolutionary War. One of the three com- panies partially organized from this side of the Blue Moun- tains, in the part of Berks County, now included in Schuyl- kill County. 2 (For military history see Berks and Schuyl- kill in the Revolutionary War on previous page.) There is no record of Conrad Minnich's marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of George Peter Zerbe, of Tulpehocken (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 3d Series, Vol. 14, p. 265, Indian Forts, Vol. 1.) (Note 2 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5, pp. 128-135-190-201.) 372 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Township, Berks County. The records of Christ Lutheran church, Stouchsburg, Marion Township, Berks County, for which her father, George Peter Zerbe, was a signer, 1743, are well kept and in a remarkable state of preservation from 1748 to 1760, under the various pastors, when Rev. John Nicholas Kurtz and his brother, William Kurtz, took charge. They had charges at St. Michael's, Germantown, Phila., and were itinerants, serving the Red church and others, in that part of Berks, now Schuylkill County, and serving privately the offices of the church to many individuals and families dur- ing the ten years of their itinerancy. To these men is at- tributed, more than to any others, the difficulty experienced by genealogists in this locality, of obtaining official regis- trations of family records. There are no marriages recorded in Christ Church, from 1760 to 1771. Nor are their records to be found in the church archives, as the following attests: Krauth Memorial Library, Lutheran Theological Semi- nary, Mt. Airy, Phila. Rev. Luther D. Reed, Director. September 8, 1913. Dear Madam : — After consultation with the Dean of the Seminary, I regret to inform you that the Kurtz records and papers are not in our possession, nor have we any informa- tion in regard to them. Yours truly, M. E. KAIGHN, Librarian. Elizabeth Zerbe, b. 1740; confirmed, 1760; da. of George Peter Zerbe, 19 years and 6 months. (Christ church records.) Conrad Minnich and Elizabeth Zerbe were married about 1768. 1761, September 21, Conrad Minnich and Elizabeth Zerbe, sponsors for Anna Elizabeth, da. of George Minnich. (Reh- ersburg church records) ; and June 19, 1768, sponsors for a SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 373 Allied Families son, Conrad, of George Yeakley, Conrad Minnich and wife. (Daniel's Corner church records, Robesonia.) October 22, 1783, Conrad Minnich, et al., grantor to Peter Zerbey, Jr., son of George Peter Zerbe, deceased, tract of land in Tulpehocken Township. (Recorder's office, B. 8, V. I, p. 103.) The heirs sold their interests to Peter, Jr., and signed their names, spelled, Zerbe. The first census, 1790, gives Conrad Minnich as having two sons over sixteen years, two under sixteen and four daughters. The baptismal records of the Red church, of which he was Warden, gives only two of these children, the others doubtless being among the Kurtz records. Conrad Miinch and wf. Elizabeth — Christina, b. May 16, 1779. May Susanna, da. of Conrad and Elizabeth Miinch, b. April, bap. 1781. The other children were: Conrad, Jacob, Joseph, Fred- eric, Elizabeth; one died in infancy. CONRAD MINNICH, SECOND Conrad^ Minnich (Conrad^ Peter^), b. 1770; d. in Sun- bury, Northumberland Count)', 1809; will, 1809; issue: Henry and Elizabeth, wife of Adam and Christina Sunday. The latter removed to Centre County, 1800, where Adam Sunday died at George's Valley, April 24, 1855, the widow surviving. The warrantees for Northumberland County give Adam Son- tag, Conrad Minnich and Henry, Benjamin and Peter Min- nich as having taken up 400 acres of land each, November 18, 1793. Conrad^ Minnich was a taxable in Manheim Township, Berks County, 1802, later Norwegian Township, Schuylkill County, and is mentioned in land transactions, also, at what is now West Woods, Schuylkill County. The land of Adam Sontag and Conrad Minnich is now included in Mifflin and Catawissa Townships, Columbia County. 374 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Henry Miinch (Benjamin^ Miinch, Christopher^, Simon^), of Heidelberg Township, married Catharine Reed, of the Tul- pehocken, December i6, 1765. Elizabeth^ Minnich (Conrad^) was m. twice, to Isaac Phillips and to a man named Rudy. She lived in Beaver Valley, Pinegrove Township, and left numerous descend- ants. She was known to everybody thereabouts as Aunt Betsy Phillips and with both husbands is buried in St. Pe- ter's cemetery, near Cressona. Two daughters died without issue. Jacob, second son of Conrad^ Minnich, married Mary Pott, daughter of John Pott, the founder of Pbttsville. A sampler of homespun linen worked in colored silk by Mrs. Minnich, in possession of a descendant of the family, gives the following dates of birth: "Jacob Minnich, b. 1771 ; Mary Pott Minnich, b. June 18, 1797; Jeremiah Minnich, b. June 26, 1820; William Minnich, b. April 14, 1822; Maria Minnich, b. May 28, 1824; Catharine Minnich, b. December 25, 1826; Emma Rebecca, b. March 6, 1833." Jacob Minnich has been variously referred to as "Fred- eric" and "Joseph." He may have had a double name, but is in the court house records as Jacob and so remembered by his grandson, Edwin J. Minnich. The latter has in his pos- session a Masonic Macassar cloth, or Spitalsfields silk hand- kerchief, such as members of that organization sometimes wore about the neck as a mufifler. It was made in Spitals- field, England, by Huguenot silk weavers and belonged to his grandfather, Jacob Minnich. "Joseph Minnich lived in Bristol, Pa., in 1820, and belonged to the Masonic order, of that place, but there is no other record of an early Minnich in the Masonic archives," (Dr. Julius Sachse, Librarian, Phila.) Captain Conrad Minnich d. 1796. Letters of administra- tion were granted to Jacob Brickley, April 6, 1796, his widow SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 375 Allied Families Elizabeth renouncing.^ Elizabeth, his wife, died 1799. Both are buried in St. Peter's cemetery, ij4 miles north of Cres- sona. Their graves were recently identified by their great grandson, Edwin J. Minnich, of St. Clair. A Revolutionary War headstone obtained from the government was placed at the head of the old soldier's grave and a suitable marker installed at the head of that of his wife's, this work having been a tribute of descendants of the George Peter Zerbe fam- ily. The following is self explanatory: "St. Bonifacius Rectory, St. Clair, Penna. This is to certify that Mr. Edwin J. Minnich has been in my employ for the past one and a half years and in that of my predecessor's employ for the space of at least three years, and has filled his position in every way satisfactorily. I have found him always a man of veracity and upon such testi- monials I have kept him in employ myself. Jos. A. Scheafer, Rector St. Bonifacius Church, April ID, 191 3. St. Clair, Pa." "Trinity Church Rectory, Pottsville, Penna. To whom it may concern: — I have known Mr. Edwin J. Minnich in connection with the church, very well for a long time — twenty years or more. I regard him as a straight, honest, truthful man; and would not hesitate to take his word deliberately given, to be the truth to the best of his knowledge and belief. James F. Powers, April 10, 1913. Rector Emeritus Trinity Church." (Note 1 — Berks County Court Book, and Abstract of Wills, Penna. His- torical Society, Phila.) 376 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families "St. Clair, Schuylkill Co., Penna., April 9, 1913. I, Edwin Minnich, do hereby certify that the unmarked grave in the northwest corner of old St. Peter's Lutheran and Reformed burying ground, laid out about 1780, one and a quarter miles west of Cressona, Schuylkill County, is that of my great grandfather, Capt. Conrad Minnich, who lived at the present site of the Seven Stars Hotel, Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, Penna. He died 1796 and his wife, Eliza- beth Zerbe, of Heidelberg Township, Berks County, died about 1799, and they were buried beside each other in the above designated cemetery ; when a boy I frequently visited this spot with my great aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth Phillips, daugh- ter of Conrad and Elizabeth Minnich, who lived nearby, and whom I assisted in fixing up the graves of her parents. I identify the grave by its proximity to the fence and a large tree, since hewn down, the stump of which is still standing, and also by a tombstone adjoining their headstones which were of sand stone and have long since been destroyed by the elements. Edwin J. Minnich." Sworn to and subscribed before me this loth day of April, 1913. Frank Little, Notary Public. GRAVES OF "MEN OF 1776" MARKED The work of erecting the Revolutionary War tombstones of Capt. Conrad Minnich and George Zerbe, early settlers of this locality, was completed early this week. Conrad Minnich is interred in St. Peter's cemetery, an old burying ground layed out 1780-'90, in Beaver Valley, (Schnickle Creek Dahl), one and a quarter miles west of Cressona; and George Zerbe is buried in St. John's Union cemetery, Priedensburg. Conrad Minnich's wife, Elizabeth Zerbe, for whom a tombstone was also erected, was a sister of George Zerbe. Another sister, Anna Maria Zerbe, was the wife of Leonard Eieth (Reed), Wagon Master in General Washington's army at Trenton and Valley Forge, a rank corresponding to that of Colonel, in the battalions of militia of that period. St. Jacob's SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 377 Allied Families church records, next to the Red church, helow Orwigsburg, the oldest in Schuylkill County, show him and his wife to have been buried in that cemetery, several miles below Pinegrove, but his grave has not as yet been fully identified. These graves, with the exception of one, all had red sandstone tomb- stones, which long since succumbed to the ravages of time and the weather. Gowen Post, G. A. R. furnished the Grand Army markers for the graves, and the P. 0. S. of A. and Washington Camp, of Friedensburg, and Dentzer Post, G. A. R., assisted by W. C. No. 73 and the I. 0. I. A. of Cressona, will assume the responsibility of decorating the graves on Memorial Day. Three of these tombstones were obtained from the U. S. War Depart- ment, Quartermasters Corps, U. S. Army, D. C, by Mrs. Ella Zerbey Elliott, who supervised their erection. The work at Friedensburg was done by the sextons of the church and that of Capt. Conrad Minnich's and wife, Elizabeth Zerbe, was performed by Edwin J. Minnich, of St. Clair, a lineal descendant. (Conrad and Elizabeth Zerbe Minnich's son, Jacob Minnich, married Maria Pott, daughter of John and Maria Lesher Pott, and sister of Ben- jamin Pott, who were the great grandparents of the above.) — Pottsville "Republican." (J. H. Zerbey, editor of the "Republican," furnished the tombstone for Mrs. Minnich and made the work possible.) The property of Conrad Minnich was sold to Martin Dreibelbis, who left it by will to his son George, who con- ducted the hotel when it was bought by Benjamin Pott, who transferred it to his sister Mary, wife of Jacob Minnich. The family lived in a farm house in the rear of the hotel which was partially destroyed by fire several times. The farm house was washed away in the freshet and flood of 1852. Catharine died from the effects of the exposure to that disaster and with one exception the remainder of the children died without issue. After the destruction of the farm house the Jacob Minnich family lived in the house south of and adjoining the hotel. The parents were buried in the old cemetery, Potts- ville, on the site of the Grammar School, North Centre St., from which all bodies were removed to the Presbyterian cem- etery, on the transfer of the cemetery to the school board, 1896. Some of the Minnich family were re-buried at the Jerusalem church cemetery, Schuylkill Haven. 378 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Williams Miiinich, b. April 14, 1822, (Jacobs, Conradl) m. Catharine Knoll, who on his death m. John T. Mayer, (who was lame.) They kept the Seven Stars hotel, 1860, the front of which had been rebuilt by George Dreibelbis, and was again improved at that date. The children of Wil- liam Minnich: Mary, William, Caroline, Catharine, Jeremiah, died without issue. Edwin4 J. Minnich (WilliaraS, Jacobs, Conradl), wf. Elizabeth Hoff- man, d. One son, Peter Roy Minnich, wf. Louisa Bixler; c, Edwin, Helen, Elizabeth and an infant. Peterl Muench, born 1698, d. 1766, married twice (see previous page.) JohnS Michael (Peterl), b. January 2, 1738, (Stoever's records), d. 1800; wf. Maria Christina Ludige, d. Shrewsbury Township, York Co., 1800; issue: Michael, Jonathan, George, Joseph, Elizabeth, wf. of Jacob Glad- felter. Their descendants in Dallastown and in York County are numer- ous. (Matthias Muench, on Lindemuth's Map, was known in the land transactions as Michael.) John Michael Minnich was a Lieutenant in 4th Co. ist Bat. Col. P. L. Greenawalt, Capt. George NuoU, Lancaster County, that part afterward included in Dauphin and then Lebanon County, in the Revolutionary War.^ He took the oath of allegiance, October 12, 1777. The roster of this company has never been found. Egle's History, Dauphin and Lebanon Counties, says, p. 38: "1775 a battalion with the following officers was formed, Capt. Geo. Null's company, first organized. Were in active service, 1776, and in the retreat of Gen. Washington, in New Jersey, (p. 52) and at the battle of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Ger- mantown, and at the surrender of Fort Washington, No- vember 16, 1776 (p. 341). Administration papers were granted the sons of John Michael Miinch, April 15, 1800. Michael, Jonathan and George. His land was sold to his son Joseph and son-in- law, Jacob Gladfelter, for 405 pounds. George3 (Michael2, Peterl), b. 1770; d. Wrightsville, Pa., 1820; m. 1795; wf. Salome Jane Prank, d. 1833; c, Maria Catharine, Elizabeth, George, Daniel, Michael, John G., Salome. (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 13, pp. 352, 410, 2 Series, Vol. 13, p. 352.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 379 Allied Families John4 G. Minnich (GeorgeS, Michael2, Peterl), b. 1811; d. 1892, Bed- ford, Pa., m. October 3, 1843; wf. Maria Catharine Reed, b. 1819, d. 1900, da. of Michael Reed (of the Rieths of the Tulpehocken) ; c, John George, b. 1844, d. 1894, single, dentist; Michael Reed, b. 1846; Luther Weiser, b. 1849, d. 1904, druggist; Jacob Frank, b. 1852, d. 1890, attorney; Salome Jane, b. 1855, wf. of F. W. Jordan, druggist, Bedford, Pa.; Harry Schell, b. 1860. Michaels Reed Minnich, (John* G., GeorgeS, Michael2, Peterl), m. Oc- tober 1, 1873; wf. Mary Emeline Lovell, b. 1852, d. 1911; issue: Elmer L., b. 1874, d. 1875; George W., b. 1876, d. 1889; Marie L., wife of Wm. L. Keplinger; Clara F., single; Charles H., wf. Lillian Snape. Two sons died in infancy. Keplinger issue: two sons, Wm. Lincoln, Jr., and Arthur F. Mrs. Minnich, da. of Emer Smith Lovell and Mary Cook Lee, was a lineal descendant of the Lovell, Borden, Feuner and Le Valley families of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Michael Reed Minnich, City Missionary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, an A. B.; A. M.; of Gettysburg College, is an author- ity on Theology in church publications and an author of Historical and Biographical sketches, Penna. Ger. Soc, Vol. 5, p. 164. Simon Miinch, of the Ship Lists, 1737, b. July 21, 1700, d. February 17, 1782. His wife, Catharine, b. January, 1700, d. December 12, 1773, both buried in the Little Tulpehocken cemetery (one and a half miles southwest of Bernville.) Simon Munch was one of six trustees to organize this church, November 20, 1747, to whom was patented a tract of land as surveyed by warrant. May 17, 1774, of thirty acres. They had four sons and five daughters: John George, Michael, Christopher, Simon, George, and Maria Appolonia, m. to Jacob Wagner. A tract of land, situated in Bern Township, now in Penn Township, which was formed from Bern and Upper Bern Townships, in 1841, Upper Bern having been taken from Bern in 1789, was first surveyed to Michael Ketner (Kedner), on warrant dated January 12, 1737. Survey returned to Simon "Munich," in a warrant, November 10, 1749. Simon Munich, by deed dated January 13, 1763, conveyed this tract to his son John George Michael Munich. The tract contained 156 acres and the adjoiners were Albrecht Strauss, Hans Cibber, John Kedner and Jacob Pyler. (Note 1— Patent Book A, A, Vol, 4, p. 404, Dept. of Internal Aflfairs, Harrisbnrg.) 38o BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families August 25, 1806, there was patented to Francis Deator, a tract of land of 269 acres, 19 perches, in Pinegrove Town- ship, now in Schuylkill County. The tract was near the Sec- ond Mountain and was known as "Wheatfields" ; the adjoin- ers were: Adam Gebhart, John Spicker, d., Peter Bressler, Peter SchoU, and Henry Kephart. In the conveyance of the rights vested in Deator, there were three warrants, one of which, dated May 23, 1750, was granted to Simon "Minig," the Simon mentioned aforesaid. George^ Minnig (Simon^), settled in Hanover Township, Lancaster County, now Dauphin, where he is on the State Tax Lists of Lancaster County, from 1779 to 1782, and is credited with 100 and later with 145 acres of land. This township was included in Dauphin County, March 4, 1785.^ George Minnig died April, 1784. His will, (Dr. W. H. Egle's Notes and Queries, Vol. i. Third Series, from which other Minnich wills are quoted) gives his heirs as: wife, Catharine. Children : Simon, b. March 20, 1753; Catharine, b. June 5, 1754, m. Jacob Kramer; Margaret, b. May 24, 1758, m. John Zimmern; Susanna, m. Jacob Sichily; Elizabeth, m. Adam Weaver; Christina, George, Catharine Elizabeth, John^ George Michael Miinch (Simon^), m. Mary Mag- dalena Wagner, March 20, 1760. George Michael Miinch and Mary Magdalena, his wife, sold property, April 12, 1793, in Bern Township, Berks County.2 George Michael Minich was a member of Captain Sebastian Emrich's Company, Bern Township, 3rd Battalion Berks County Militia; and George Minich was a member of Captain John Soder's Company, Bern Township, 3rd Battalion Berks County Militia, as shown in the Accounts of the Lieutenants of Berks County with regard to the excise fines received from the several companies for the years 1777 to 1780. — (Vol. VI, 3d Ser- ies, Pennsylvania Archives.) Simon^ Miinch (Simon^). Of this man little is known. May 6, 1753, he and his wife appear as sponsors for Simon^, son of George^ Miinch, at the Little Tulpehocken church. His (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, Vol. XVII, 3d Series.) (Note 2— Deed B. 13-15, p. 418.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 381 Allied Families name does not appear on the tax lists of Bern Township. He may have dispossessed himself of his property early or migrated to Northampton County. He had numerous de- scendants. Maria^ Appolonia Miinch (Simon^), b. August 15, 1742, d. January 29, 1815; buried in Christ church cemetery, Stouchsburg. Children : Susanna Catharine, b. May, 1761, bap. May 24; John Phillip, b. No- vember 1, 1768, bap. November 21; Maria Margaret, b. November 8, 1762, bap. November 21. Maria Appolonia was married to Jacob Wagner, June 29, 1760. — (Christ Church records.) John Jacob Wagner, b. November 22, 1762; bap. December 12. John Wagner, b. October 23, 1764; bap. December 9. They had five sons and five daughters, two baptized at Little Tulpe- hocken church. The graveyard of the Lutheran church, Chambersburg, Pa., tomb- stone inscriptions show: Barbara Ann Mlnick, b. November 20, 1768; d. June 9, 1833; wife of Simon Minick. Michael Minnich, d. October 28, 1852, aged 80 years, 10 months, 28 days; and wife Catharine, b. June 10, 1772, d. January 10, 1882. Michael Minnich, d. December 15, 1842, aged 40 years, 8 months, 3 days; and wife Elizabeth, b. August 16, 1803; d. November 22, 1856. Tombstone inscriptions in the graveyard of the old Lutheran church, Rehrersburg, Berks County, Pa.: Catharine Minich, b. June 17, 1809; d. December 31, 1884; wife of Michael Potteiger, b. November 28, 1806; d. December 1, 1887. George^ Miinch (Simon^), m. Catharine Margaret Guth- man (Goodman), January 5, 1752. Two of his children, men- tioned in will, were baptized in the Little Tulpehocken church, Simon^, b. March 20, 1753; Catharine Margaret, b. June 5, 1754. A George Menig, cordwainer, on the tax lists, of Bern Township, from 1779 to 1784. His family consisted of four persons in 1784. Another George is also noted as a weaver. Letters of administration were granted Catharine, relict of George Minnich, of Manheim Township, weaver, May 4, 1805.1 (Note 1— B. 6, p. 190.) 382 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Rev. George^ P. Minnich (George^, Simon^) was born in Lancaster County August 12, 1773; d. April 7, 1851, wf. Eliza- beth Goepfert, b. Lancaster Co., June 10, 1774, d. February 27, 1849. He was a Lutheran preacher, serving the early Lutheran churches in what is now Schuylkill County, in East Brunswick, the Red church, St. Jacob's, near Pinegrove, and St. John's, at Friedensburg. He also preached in Min- ersville and in the log school house near where Joyce's hot- house stands, Pottsville, in the early days of the 19th cen- tury. His tombstone says : "He preached 1633 sermons, con- firmed 1733 and baptized 1631 persons." He owned a farm at Friedensburg where the family lived until his retirement, when he sold the farm and removed to Bernville, where he and his wife are buried. His children were: Rev. William Mennig, Jacob Mennig, Margaret Mennig, b. April 17, 1809, d. August 20, 1836, m. Isaac Christ; Maria Mennig, b. July 31, 1802, d. June 3, 1850, m. Jacob Ditzler; parents of Rev. J. M. Deitzler, George Minnich respelled his name several times, finally adopting "Mennig." A path across the Blue Mountains, which Mr. Mennig used during his itinerancy in the early Berks County churches and which he followed on horseback, is still known as "Minnich's Path." Edward Mennig, painter, of Pottsville, aged 70, and a soldier in the Civil War, and member of Gowen Post, is a grandson of Jacob Mennig, (War of 1812), of Friedensburg, and g. g. son of Rev. George Mennig. Jacob, of Friedensburg, was a soldier of the War of 181 2 (Military History on previous page). From Jacob Men- nig and Rev. George Mennig are descended the Schuylkill Haven branch, among them W. H. Mennig, one of the pub- lishers of the Schuylkill Haven "Call." John Simon Muench, b. July 21, d. February 17, 1782, is buried at Bernville; wife Catharine, b. January, 1700, d. December 12, 1773, is also buried there. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 383 Allied Families The Robesonia branch and many Minnichs of Reading, Allentown, and other cities in Penna., are descendants of Simon Muench, of near Bernville, spelling the name variously. Christopher- Minnich (Simon^), of Bernville. Will pro- bated 1806 (Book A, p. 515). Son. Benjamin, executor, d. 1832. (Will Book 7, p. 60.) John George Michael, b. February 6, 1758; John Philip, b. Novem- ber 1, 1759; Maria Margaret, b. November 8, 1762. Christopher2 Minnich (Simonl), b. about 1737; d. 1806; his will be- ing probated in that year. He m. Anna Barbara Holder, of Bern, March 6, 1757; c, Benjamin, Jonathan, Christopher (Stoever's Records), and sev- eral daughters. Christophers, (Christohper2, Simonl), wf. Sarah. Susanna Schoepler was the wf. of Benjamin Minnig, son of Christo- pher. — (Daniel's Corner church records), where are also recorded the fol- lowing children of John George Muench: Maria Catharine, b. April 28, 1768; Maria Elizabeth, b. June 18, 1772. Elizabeth Muennich, b. January 8, 1771; d. June 9, 1842; m., October 27, 1792, Matthias Jacckle (Yeakley), b. June 13, 1769; d. November 2, 1852. Tombstone inscriptions in graveyard adjoining Zion's Union church, (Lutheran & Reformed), Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pa., show a Maria Barbara Minnig, b. March 6, 1765, d. April 25, 1845, and m. John Ben- nethun, b. March 15, 1765; d. December 22, 1828. She was a sister of Benjamin and Jonathan Minnig, and a daughter of Christopher. Christopher Minnich, on the Company Lists as Chris- tian, was a Sergeant in Captain Ferdinand Ritter's Com- pany, Lieut. Col. Joseph Hiester's 6th Battalion, Berks County Militia, in service, Revolutionary War, from August lo to September 9, 1780.^ The first child of Christopher and Anna Miinch was John George Michael, b. February 6, 1758; bap. March 5. Sponsors, John George Michael Miinch (Simon) and Strauss (Bern church). From the records of Bern Church, Bern Township, 1739 to 1835, Genealogical Society, Philadelphia : Children of Stophel (Christopher) Muench: Anna Mary, bap. No- vember 20, 1774; John Adam, bap. November 17, 1776. Children of Jost Muench: Elizabeth, bap. December 25, 1778. (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. VI.) 384 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Children of Jacob Muench: Catharine, b. January 31," 1785; bap. March 6, 1785. Sponsors, Stophel Muench and wife Sarah. John Jacob, b. January 16, 1787; bap. March 11. Sponsors, Jona- than Muench and Eva Lerch. Rev. Wm.^ G. Minnich (Rev. George^ P. Miinch, George,^ Simon^), b. February 16, 181 1, at Annville, Lebanon County. He grew up at the family home on a farm near Friedensburg, Schuylkill County, his father being pastor of Jacob's, St. Pe- ter's, Hetzel's, Summer Plill, Zion's and St. John's Friedens- burg, Lutheran congregations. Wm. Minnich, as he then spelled his name having changed it from Muench, as he sometimes signed it, was licensed to the Lutheran Ministeri- um of Pennsylvania, 1836, and assisted his father in that field. In 1836 he moved to Pottsville, a Lutheran congrega- tion having been formed here, 1834. They united with the German Reformed people and built a small frame church on the site, North Third Street, upon which stands the present handsome edifice, Trinity Lutheran church, Dr. J. H. Um- benhen, pastor. The corner stone was laid June 18, 1837. Mr Mennig labored in Pottsville until 1859, gradually relin- quishing the country congregations and concentrating his work on the churches, in Schuylkill Haven, Spring Garden, Minersville and other towns which he founded, there now being twenty odd German and English Lutheran congrega- tions in the field he once filled. About twenty-five years' ser- vice he accepted a call from St. Paul's church, Allentown, and removed to that city. He was thrice married. His first wife, Rebecca Seiler, died, 1858. Issue: four children deceased, and two sons, Luther, d. August, 1914, and Augustus W., Allentown, and two daughters, Mrs. A. F. Barber, d., and Mrs. Thos. D. Wilcox, of Freeport, 111. Second wife, Mrs. Sarah A. Weaver, m. 1861, d. 1875. Third wife, Amanda Bachman, who survived him. William G. Minnich died July 15, 1877, at Allentown, after forty-one years of active service in the ministry. He was in many respects a remarkable man and a SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 385 Allied Families most zealous advocate of the religious cause and principles he espoused. His labors partook of the nature of those of a missionary. He opposed formalism in worship and was a promoter of piety in the Lutheran churches of which he had charge. Largely self-educated, he was richly endowed with spirituality and his discourses were conceived and endowed with poetic imagery and original theories that drew to him hearers, in Pottsville, fifty years ago, that were mem- bers of other orthodox denominations, but like others, loved him for his kindliness of heart and for the fervor of the love of God and the church that burned within him. (George, Augustus and Luther, the latter for four years, were all soldiers in the Civil War.) Jonathan^ Minnig, (Christopher-, Simon^), b. February 24, 1764, d. April 24, 1844, married twice; m. Susanna Lasch, b. April 21, 1771, d. March 10, 1838; no children. His first wife was a sister of Anna Maria Lasch, b. 1769, d. 1829, wife of John Gruber, b. 1769; d. 1840. Tombstones Daniel's Corner Church, Robesonia. Benjamin* Minnig, (Christopher^, Simon^), b. March 17, 1776, d. September 23, 1832; wf. Susanna Schoepler, m. 1791, b. October 4, 1775, d. September 2^, 1832. Issue, five sons and five daughters ; Jacob, b. February 18, 1806, d. June 14, 1878; m. Elizabeth Potteiger, b. March 12, 1812, d. May 31, 1880; c, Adam and Elenora, who married Jonathan L. Klopp. Jacob'* Minnig, (Benjamin^, Christopher^, Simon^), his first wife was Isabella, da. of Daniel Klopp. (Daniel Klopp, of Berks County, was an early settler of Pottsville. He had a butcher's stall in the first market house, and kept a shop in the building now used as an office by Dr. G. R. Corson. He weighed over three hundred pounds and was a very dig- nified man acting as chief burgess of the town for a time. In his shop he wore a tall silk hat while cutting meat and serving 386 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families customers.) Jacob's second wife was Margaret Leiss, b. in Heidelberg Township, January 29, 1836, m. November i, 1856. Adam^ Minnig (Jacob^, Benjamin*, Christopher^ Simon^), b. October 11, 1834, d. December 16, 1904. He was married to Isabella Henrietta Klopp, b. January 29, 1836, d. January 12, 1898. Their children were Deborah, wf. of Rev. A. John- son Long, d., for a number of years in charge of the Bethany Orphans' Home of the Reformed church at Womelsdorf. Children, Laura, m. to Harry Stauffer, Middletown ; Mabel, m. to Joseph Kalbach, Chambersburg ; Anna, m. John Yerger, Shillington. Mrs. Long lives at Robesonia and at Chambers- burg with her daughters. Charles^ Oscar Minnig (Adam'', Jacob^, Benjamin^, Christopher^, Simon^), Robesonia, b. September 26, i860, m. Emmeline A. Kalbach, August 27, 1881, b. August 19, 1865; c, Lloyd, Constance, Salome, Eugene, Willis, James, living and five deceased. Salome m. Calvin C. Master; Eugene m. Annie Kreider. Mr. Minnig is a cement contractor and paver living at Robesonia. (The author is indebted to him and to his son for data of the Chris- topher Minnich line, of which he has a collection of baptismal and mar- riage records.) The tombstone inscriptions in the new cemetery at Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pa., show the following: Wendel Minnich, b. September 25, 1725, d. September 5, 1781. Wife of Wendel Minnich, b. February 25, 1731; d. 1783. Barbara Minnich, da. of Wendell, b. 1768; d. March 11, 1823. Wendel Minnich, Jr., b. 1755; d. February 14, 1820. Wendel Manig, of the Ship Lists, September 5, 1751, is shown on the State Tax Lists and Census of Derry Township, Dauphin County, with 10 to 40 acres of land, March 4, 1785, with two male persons above 16 years and two under sixteen years and two females, the name is spelled Menich. Wendel Minnich, of Derry, died 1781. His sons, according to the cen- sus, were George and Wendle Minnich, of Derry. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 387 Allied Families Constantine Menach is shown as a taxable in Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, from 1779 to 1782. Among the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line in the Revolutionary War, who were entitled to "Donation Lands" in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania, provided by an Act of the General Assembly, of the State, of December 12, 1783, and the Purchase of 1784, as published in Vol. Ill, 3rd Series, Pennsylvania Archives, under "Return of the Pennsylvania Line, Entitled to Donation Lands Reported by the Late Comptroller" there is shown (page 704): Peter Minick, Private, Hughes Company, 200 acres of land. This Peter Minnich was doubtless the Peter of the 1790 census, as of Allen Township, Northampton County. The tombstone inscriptions in the old Egypt Church graveyard, at Egypt, Lehigh County (Northampton prior to March 6, 1812), Pa., show the children of Peter Minnich to have been: John Minnich, b. September 4, 1778; d. October 4, 1863; son of Peter and Sybilla Minnich. Susanna Minnich (wife of John), b. February 26, 1777; d. January 16, 1854; 9 children. Maria Minnich, (Braun), b. March 31, 180.5; d. December 9, 1847; wife of Michael Minnich; 9 children. Lutheran church record, Campbelltown, Lebanon County, (Dauphin prior to February i6, 1813), names a John Muench who had a son Samuel born in August, 1801. John was doubt- less the son of Peter. The early Proprietary and State Tax Lists and the first census report taken in Pennsylvania, 1790, contain many more Minnich names. PHILADELPHIA BRANCH OF MUENCHS PASSPORT OF CONRAD MINNICH, OF PHILA. The passport of Conrad Miinch, in possession of J. F. Mynich, Lynbrook, Long Island, N. Y., divested of its tech- nical form, states that: "Conrad Miinch, of Mechtersheimer, near Speyer, his wife and his brother Gottfreid Miinch do intend to settle in the New England (U. S.)" Then follows the usual form that they should be permitted to "pass with- out hinderance." The passport is signed by the "Burgermeis- 388 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families ter" in the name of the "Rath (Town Council) of the free city of Speyer, of the Holy Roman Empire," April 25, 1765, (Speyer, under the old division of Germany, was near Ba- varia.) He arrived August 24, 1765, ship Polly, Robert Por- ter, master, from Rotterdam.^ Conrad Mynich (as this branch spells it), died 1798. A bill of sale dated February 9, 1799, shows that he died pos- sessed of two houses in North Liberties, Philadelphia, which were sold at auction. Jacob Mynich, his son, was the admin- istrator^. No other children named; wife, Margaret. A notice served on Jacob Mynich to attend a meeting March 4, 1818, shows that he was an active member of a so- ciety, connected with the Dutch Reformed Church then lo- cated at Fifth and Cherry St., Philadelphia, and buried in the burial ground near Tenth and Race, from which the bodies were removed on the sale of the ground and re-interred else- where. Conrad Miinch died in Philadelphia, and his body and that of his son Jacob and others of the family were re- moved from the above and re-interred in Laurel Hill ceme- tery. There is a tradition in the Mynich family that their grand- father served in the Revolutionary War. He is doubtless the Conrad "Minnig," private of the Continental Line. Depre- ciation pay.^ Of this branch of the Miinchs are those of that name at Harrisburg, Indianapolis, Ind., the Minnichs of Gettysburg and others of that name, variously spelled, in Philadelphia, Reading and elsewhere. August 24, 1728, there landed at Philadelphia, John Christopher Meng. According to the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1882, Vol. VI, pages 398-401, he was born in Manheim, Germany, in 1697, and married on June (Note 1— Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol. 17, p. 471.) (Note 2— Will Book "H," p. 857.) (Note 3— Fifth Series, Penna. Archives, Vol. IV, p. 264.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 389 Allied Families 29, 1723, Anna Dorothea Baumann. He settled and lived in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. Among his children were Melchior Meng, given in the Census of Pennsylvania, who died October 13, 1812, in the 82nd year of his age; and John Meng, a portrait painter of more than ordinary promise, who died at the age of 20 years, having been born February 6, 1734. The name Meng may, however, have no connection with the name Muench ; but the brief sketch of the Mengs in the maga- zine referred to is interesting reading. J* F. Mynich, b. August 20, 1833, (DanieP, Jacob^, Con- rad^ m. October, 1895) ; m. twice, second wife, Mrs. Frances Price, son Walter, issue of first marriage. Mr. Mynich was born in Philadelphia, the family subsequently removing to Wilmington, Del., where he was raised. He was a master painter and decorator and was employed as such by the Bal- timore Central, W. C. and Phila., Mexican Central and Mexi- can National Railways, and also at the Brooklyn U. S. Navy Yard. During the Civil War he was Engineer Yeoman, of the Wyalusing U. S. North Atlantic squadron. Mr. Mynich is a 32d deg. Mason and in the year 1876 visited Europe as a special representative of the Grand Master of Masons, to the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland and Ireland. His home is in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; he is at present, at the age of 79 years, living at Lynbrook, Long Island, N. Y. His wife, too, is still living. Jacob^ Mynich, (Conrad^), m. Barbara Epis; c, Joseph and Daniel. Jacob^ Mynich and Joseph, his son, were sol- diers in the War of i8i2-'i5. The latter died from a disease contracted from exposure in that war. Jacob^ Mynich died 1830. Church records, Dutch Reformed Church, 5th and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Joseph Mynich's children, Jacob and Julianna, both died unmarried. Jacob is buried in Laurel Hill cemetery, Phila- delphia. 390 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Daniel Mynich m. Ann Crawford Woodcock; c, Eliza, who died at the age of 83, unmarried ; William died in in- fancy; Emma Julianna m. Willis S. Holden, a first cousin, son of her mother's sister; Eliza d. 191 1; issue: Cora C, d., and William W. Holden, of Wilmington, Del. Jacob* F. Mynich (Joseph^, Jacob^, Conrad^), m. Laura Ophelia Meyers, December 24, 1854, d. April 20, 1855. He m. Sarah E. Martin, January, 1862; d. 1893; c, Howard N., b. 1863, of Reading; Clara Ada May, m. Charles Hoxie, Fairville, Chester Co.; Gen. L. Z. Manager, New York, sin- gle; Leila Annie, m. John McBride, Richardson Park, New Castle Co., Del. ; C. Frank Mynich, postal clerk, m., Richard- son Park, New Castle Co., Wilmington, Del. (The author is indebted to J. F. Mynich, Brooklyn, N. Y., for the above data and for the use of the manuscript and letters which follow that establish the facts. The letters were translated from the German by "Herr" August Knecht, of Pottsville, former editor and publisher of the "Amerikanischer Republikaner.") Philadelphia, March 15, 1784. Our friendly greetings to our dear father, Gottfried Muench, and to our dear mother and to our dear brothers, Simon and Jacob, and to our dear sister, Catherina, and to Margaretha Elisabetha and to our dear brother-in-laws, Jacob Detrich and Christophel Adolf and to our dear sister, Eva Margaretha. We send you all a thousand greetings. We cannot fail at this good opportunity to write you and we hope that these few lines will reach you in good health, the knowledge of which would afford us sincere pleasure. As regards us, we are, thanks to God, getting along very well. Now, we beg of you, that you inform us, through this opportunity, how it is with you, which we heartily desire to know, when so far apart, friends are glad to hear from one another. We are all living in the city of Philadelphia and can amply support ourselves. Now, we beg of you, dear brothers and sisters, to write to us, as we have not heard anything from you, and you nothing from us, and we hope that it affords you as much pleasure to hear from us as it will us to hear from you. We have nothing further to write this time. We commend you all to the protection of God the most High. Herewith we remain your faithful brothers unto death. Conrad Muench, Gottfreid Muench. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 391 Allied Families Waldorf, June 11, 1790. Both brothers-in-law and their families, our friendliest greeting! This opportunity! which we have through the presence of the Ameri- can, Mr. Peter Ulrich, a native of this place, to send a letter to our esteemed friends in America, in the city of Philadelphia, is in part our greatest pleasure and would become complete if this would reach our dearest friends in good health, as we sincerely wish. As to ourselves, we enjoy, thank God, good health. My family con- sists of four children, to wit: three sons and one daughter, the latter being married to the son of a citizen of this place by the name of Adam Abel and they are living happily together which is a source of pleasure to all parents to have their children entered into such peaceful matri- mony. The three sons are still single, the eldest of them having firmly resolved to emigrate to America with the said Mr. Peter Ulrich, which we would have permitted him to do, if we could feel assured that he would make his journey in safety, he having no doubt about his welcome reception by his esteemed friends. He is an expert in the profession which he learned, so that he can succeed in it. If, therefore, through the said Mr. Ulrich, who contemplates, within a few years to return from America to his native land, we should receive a communication from our friends, informing us of their well-being, it would afford us great pleas- ure and honor. We would beg them to inform us especially what the transportation across the ocean costs and whether they would advise us to let one of our sons make the journey to America. We know of nothing further to communicate but this, that our dear brother-in-law, Deneig, on the Mechlersheimerhof, has passed from time into eternity. In conclusion we wish you, wider repeated, most friendly greet- ings, continuous good health and happiness and commend you to the protection of the Most High. Margaretha Elisabeth, Christophel Adolf. Mechtersheim, August 4, 1810. Dear sister and the rest of the dear friends! This letter which you will receive through Mr. Ulrich, of Waldorf, we sincerely hope will reach you all in good health, which will give us all great pleasure. With sorrow we have heard through him of the death of our two brothers (Conrad and Gottfried) in America, leaving my wife (Margaretha Elisabetha) the only one of the Muench brothers and sisters to survive by the grace of God. Sister Catherina died over thirty years ago and her son Frederick followed her in death seventeen years ago, leaving four children to survive him. The daughter, Dorothea, who was deaf and dumb, died a half year ago, leaving only one of the four chil- dren, Esther, who is, thank God living happy and contented with her hus- band. May Providence grant them many years of health and happiness together. The brother died at Weiller three years ago. We have heard nothing from Phillip to the present day and do not know whether he is living or dead. (Note 1 — There were no mail connections between this country and the old world.) 392 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families We are, thank God, in pretty good health, as good as you can expect from old age, as old people are afflicted with many kinds of ailments. We have yet two sons and one daughter living, all married and are get- ting along pretty well. We wish and hope that the two families (Conrad and Gottfried's) that had a disagreement, have again become united and remain good friends, it being best when brethren and the brethren's children live in friendship together and forget old animosities. You have doubtless heard of the great revolution which has affected nearly all Europe. We also suffered through the war but the country about here has nearly recovered from the devastation and we are living happy under the French government. If you should honor us with an- other letter, write under my address at Mechtersheim. Finally, you will accept friendly greetings, those of my family, wife and children. I commend you to the protection of God, and remain as ever your sincere friend and brother-in-law. Christoph Adolph, Margaretha Elisabetha Muench. Mechtersheim, bei Speier, in the Palatina, Kingdom of Bavaria on the Rhine, March 7, 1822. Unknown but nevertheless dear relatives and friends: I give many greetings dearly beloved cousin, Jacob Minnich, I hope my letter will find you still hale and hearty and among the living. I have no news to report, but that my mother died, January 14, 1822, she having come into the world, April 18, 1739. Concerning myself and family, I can say we are all in good health. It was well for my mother that I was living. I was with her, I and my wife, for three weeks day and night, we did all in our power for her. She said, "if she could only live long enough to hear again from our friends in America," but it was "Thy will not my will be done." My dear son, Jacob Adolph: — I had to attend to the draft for you and at the inspection when your name was called, I stepped up. The com- missioner said: "Are you the father of Jacob Adolph? I answered "yes." Then some one said "write to him." Mr. Thierman gave me your number 215 with "soldier" on it. Jacob Moser, Daniel Aot, Frederic Vant and your cousin Christopel are all soldiers. Grain is very cheap but you would not believe that money is scarce. It is my desire that you write soon, that I may hear how my son looks, whether he is obedient or not, whether he follows his profession or how he sustains himself. It may easily be that he is better off than in our coun- try, because there is nothing here neither in the professions or in agri- culture. One thing I beg of you, cousin Jacob Minnich, when you write again, let me know how it is with the youngest brother, Gottfreid Muench, and his family and tell them they should write a few lines to us. I and my family long to hear from all the freundschaft. My mother's brothers and sisters are all dead except her stepsister, Dorothea Muench, who is a widow, in Grossasen and she is also anxious to hear from the family in America. This is the second letter I have JOHN MICHAEL STOUDT HOMESTEAD, SETTLED 1736. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 393 Allied Families written to you within a year. Mr. Fux from Speier, came to me and said, I should not close this letter as he would like to send one with it for Mr. Gund. I have been sorry for this, for Fux acted cruelly and I am afraid because the Gunds here said they would write to their cousin in America and Fux said, "he would write a letter, too, to Mr. Gund, that he would not place in the window." I beg of you, much beloved cousins, that you will take care of my son, John Jacob Adolph. I must banish it from my mind but he was always so thoughtful for his father. It hurts me to my heart, when you raise up children and then have no support in your old age. If he does not like it in America, I beg of you, dear cousins, that you will assist him to return, but he should consider it well first. It is his fate and "What God does is well done. His will remains just." I commend you all to Kind Providence. So much from your unknown friend and cousin. Frederick Adolph. (Two Minnich genealogists having confessed their ina- bility to "unravel the tangled skein" of the two Conrad Muenchs and the numerous Jacobs, the author takes a par- donable pride and pleasure in presenting the above history as the true solution of the generic difference.) THE STAUDTS, STOUDTS, STOUTS Allied With the Miller, Filbert, Kerschner, Lerch, Ebling, Snyder, Maurer, Wagner, and Other Early Pennsylvania Families Tradition among family connections in Germany traces the Staudt family in Pennsylvania back to 1380, but unfortu- nately the full documentary evidence is lacking. The three Staudts, ubiquitous in the history of so many early families of this Commonwealth, John Michael, John and Mathias Staudt, came from the Chur Pfalz, in the Palatinate, Ger- many, September 15, 1733.^ (Note 1 — Ship Lists, History of the Filberts, Montgomery's New History, gives John Jacob Stoudt and Johannes Stoudt as having, with Samuel Filbert, Peter and Simon Minnich come over on the Ship Samuel, Hugh Percy, Master, from Rotterdam, qualified August 30th, 1737. 394 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families John Michael Stout took the oath of allegiance to the British government, April lo, 1761. Stout's Hill, located at the great bend of the Schuylkill river, about six miles north of Reading, was named after this man. (Note — Scull's or Sculp's Hill, near Schuylkill Haven, was named for Nicholas Scull, the surveyor.) John Michael Staut, b. 1712, d. May 13, 1776; wf., Bar- bara ; c, John, Jacob, Michael, George Wilhelm, John George, Jost, Anna Barbara, Catherine, Apolonia, Catherine, Elisa- beth. Johannes2 (Johnl Michael), b. 1737; d. 1826; wf., Maria Catharine Kerschner; c, George, Catharine, m. Henry Rudy; Barbara, m. George Snyder; Elisabeth, m. Daniel Maurer; John, Daniel, Samuel. Jacob, b. 1738; d. 1802; wf., Margaret; c, John Adam, Adam, John Henry, Barbara, Mary, Catharine Elizabeth, wf. of William Ebling. Michael Stout, b. 1742; d. 1807; wf., Elisabeth Brown, b. 1758; d. 1820, at Homestead, Bern. Four sons and five daughters. George William Staudt, b. 1748; d. 1820; wf., Christina Weidenham- mer, b. 1752, d. 1820, Maidencreek; c, George, Margaret, Madelina wf. of George Stoudt, of Rehersburg (son of Johannes), Daniel, Maria, Adam, Jacob, Catherine. John George Stoudt, wf. Anna Margaret, d. 1818. (W. B. Vol 8, pp. 197-170). Lived in Tulpehocken Twp. Joat Stoudt, wf. Mary Elizabeth, Bern Twp. C, Jacob, Margretha, Catherine, Anna Barbara, Magdelena. Anna Barbara, m. Baltzer Lerch, Berne; seven children: Catharine, m. Christopher Lerch, Heidelberg; Appolonia, m. Daniel Aurand, Buffalo Valley; Catherine Elisabeth, m. Peter Weise, Berne. Johannes Stoudt, the second of the immigrants (1733), d. 1773. He was a taxable in Pinegrove Twp., Berks County, 1759. His estate was settled 1777 and '781, and shows that he left four children, namely John, of age, Daniel and Jacob, over fourteen; Anna Margaret, under fourteen. Their guardians were from Maiden Creek. John and Daniel Stoudt were taxpayers in Manheim, iSoi-'op. John Stoudt, Jr., settled on a tract of land of one hundred acres, referred to in the deed book as being in Bruns- wick Township, and is doubtless the same tract warranted to (Note 1— Berks County Court Record, B. 2, pp. 222, 224.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 395 Allied Families his father and upon which he paid taxes, 1759. This land adjoined that of Heinrich and Andrew Miller, St., (Bear Ridge, between Auburn and Jefferson.) (The division of Brunswick was confirmed, 1791, Manheim being erect- ed 1789.) Mathias Stout, of the Township of Bern, in the County of Berks, Yeoman, "cousin," and principal creditor to John Stoudt, St., late of Brunswick Township, Berks County, had letters granted him, August 13, 1773^ and as above shown, it was not settled until 1777. Mathias Stoudt, the third of the immigrants (1733), b. 1725, d. 179s; wf. Anna Maria Schrader, b. October 13, 1728; d. May 22, 1797; c, John, Abraham, Mathias, Catharine, Maria, Anna Elisabeth, wf. of Andrew Miller. fNote — There is a tradition in the family that Mathias and John Michael were brothers and that their father died at sea, Mathias being five years old, and that John Stoudt, Sr., was a cousin, which is corroborated above.) Abraham^ (Mathias^), b. 1757, d. November 24, 1824; wf., Mary Magdelena Hartzell ; c, Mathias, John, Jacob and Elis- abeth ; wf. of Conrad Christ, Bern Township. Mathias Stout's will states that his wife, Anna Margaret, should be amply provided for during her life. His plantation, grist, saw and hemp mill, partly in Bern and Heidelberg Townships, adjoining lands of John Dundore, Anthony Bickle and Joseph Obold, on the Tulpehocken, thirty-six acres, charging John Stout, his eldest son, nine hundred and fifty pounds. To Mathias, Jr., he gave 135 acres of land, partly in Bern and Heidelberg. Abraham got four hundred pounds; Catharine, wife of Thomas Umbenhauer, founder of Bernville, the same, and Elizabeth, four hundred pounds. The balance to be divided between the above ; no other heirs are mentioned in the will, they probably having been provided for prior to that date. This John Stoudt was an ensign and afterward captain in the Revolutionary War, from Bern Township. (Note 1— B. 3. p. 102.) 396 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Capt. John Stout was never married. (Note — Heidelberg Township, in Berks County, was a part of Heidel- berg Township, in Lancaster County, before 1752, and remained the same in Lancaster after the boundaries were made.) The children of Catharine and Thomas Umbenhauer were : Catharine, Magdalena, Anna Maria, Susanna. The mul- tiplicity of Johns and Elizabeths in the Stoudt family will be noted. The Stoudts occupied prominent positions among the early settlers and were numerous in the Revolutionary War. There were about twelve immigrants in the first half of the eighteenth century and they were said to have all been of the same origin. The similarity of names among their descend- ants of the second generation makes it almost impossible to classify them. The spelling of the name has no primal sig- nificance. Many are buried at the old church in Bern. The Staudts were mainly of the Reformed faith. John^ (John^, John^ Michael), b. 1756, d. 1823. In the census of 1790 he is credited with one son over sixteen and several daughters. He was a petitioner for his father's estate for an inquest, 1777, and the original papers are on file, when his father's cousin, the principal creditor, was made adminis- trator. John Stout, of Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, died, intestate, August 20, 1823. Heirs, John, Mary, Maria, Peggy and Elizabeth, Mary, wf. of Henry Werner, who was administrator, the widow, Anna Maria, renouncing. The es- tate contained about 190 acres and partition was made among the heirs. The petitioners refused to accept the land at the value appraised and it was sold according to law, at Or- phans' Court, July 31, 1828I. Elizabeth Stout, a minor, mar- ried Kemmerling. John'* Stout, b. December 13, 1786, d. May 21, 1855. (Zions' church records.) The same records also show his father, John Stoudt, to have stood sponsor at a baptism, 1779. (Note 1— Orphans' Court Book 1, Schuylkill Co. C. H.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 397 Allied Families DanieF Staudt, (Johannes^, John^ Michael), brother of John^ lived in Manheim Township, near what is now Land- ingville ; wf., Maria Salome. They baptized the following children: da. , b. October 26, 1783, d. 1841 ; George Wil- helm, bap. May 5, 1792 ; Jacob, bap. March 7, 1795 ; Maria, bap. July, 1796; Catharine, bap. February 9, 1798; another, Su- sanna, m. John Schaeffer; Peter, bap. March 30, 1804; Henry, bap. February, 1806.^ Daniel Staudt gave seven shillings six pence to the Summer Berg church, 1799. There was also a Phillip Stoudt living in Pinegrove Township, near the Lebanon County line, who at the census, 1790, had two sons and six girls living. Daniel Stoudt died 18252. Phillip had an Elizabeth among his daughters. MARRIAGES IN PENNA. ARCHIVES 1775, December 8, Stout, John Henry, to Margaret Calan. 1778, May 1, Stout, Elizabeth, to Elijah Crawford. 1765, September 20, Stout, Sarah, to Abraham Freid. 1772, October 21, Stout, Abraham, to Mary Magdelena Hartzell. 1772, September 3, Stout, Brightwed, to William Nichols. (2nd Series, Vol. 2. The marriages of about fifty Millers occur in the same volume.) LAND WARRANTS IN LANCASTER Land warrants in Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, now Lebanon Coun- ty, are as follows: 1733, March 21, 200 acres, warranted to Charles Stout. 1734, March 30, 200 acres, warranted to Margaret Stout. 1738, September 14, 300 acres, warranted to Charles Stout. 1750, November 1, 60 acres, warranted to John Stout. 1757, April 15, 25 acres, warranted to Michael Stout. 1751, April 15, 60 acres, warranted to George Stout. Joseph and Samuel, (Jost, son of John Michael, and Samuel, son of Johannes2), were settlers of Bethel Township, Lancaster County, now Lebanon, formerly Dauphin, in 1751. (Note 1 — Ked Church and Summer Berg church records.) (Note 2— W. B., Vol. 9, p. 298.) 398 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families THE MUELLERS (MILLERS) One of the Earliest Families in Schuylkill County The development of that part of Berks County, of which all but one-sixth now forms the component parts of Schuyl- kill County, must be conceded to the influence of the early German settlers. Brunswick Township was so called when the land it embraced belonged to Lancaster County and there were Muellers settled in it as early as 1742. They were An- dreas, Nicholas, Michael and Johannes. Andrew and Michael were probably only sojourners and lived in Bern Township, which then extended on both sides of the Blue Mountains. Johannes Miller, taxable, Brunswick, 1769; Peter, John and Adam, who were taxables in Pinegrove Township, 1754 and 1759, were doubtless sons of the pioneers, 1742. The first mentioned, with Henry, may not have been brothers but there were congenital relations between them. Christina Mueller, b. in Brunswick Township, December II, 1742, d. July 26, 1816I; was a daughter of one of the above, either Andreas or Nicholas. The Red Church records begin 1755. Services were held there before that date. Johannes Miller baptized children there from 1766. There are no records kept between 1757 and 1765, the date of the Indian scare and burning of the church. Johan Gottfried Orwig (Orbich) was born, 1720, in Nassau Wildburg Dorf, Maren-Weilburg ; d. May 26, 1804. He came to Pennsylvania before 1745 and settled in Bruns- wick Township about that date. He and his wife, Gloria, baptized a number of children. Michael Teubert (Deibert), Paul Heim, Joseph Finscher, Valentine Dress and other names occur in the early Red Church records, among them: (Note 1 — Zion's, Red Church records.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 399 Allied Families Johannes and Magdalena Rickert, who baptized a son John, July 26, 1 78 1. (Note — Uncle of George Rickert, father of Col. Thomas Rickert, of Pottsville.) Richard Rickert was the father of George Rickert. A Caspar Rickert was a settler in this vicinity, 1754, and John and Richard Rickert were probably sons of his. The Red Church is situated in West Brunswick Township, in the southern part of Schuylkill County, one and one half miles southeast of Orwigsburg. November 28, 1758, Michael Miller, Bern Township, administrator, to wf. Catharine, Berks Co., Vol. 1, Abstract of Wills, His. Soc, Phila.) HENRY MILLER Heinrich Mueller and wife Magdalena came from the Rhine Pfalz, Oderscheim, Palatinate, Europe, August 15, 1750, on the ship "Royal Union," Capt. Clement Nicholson, sailing from Rotterdam.^ He came directly to Eastern Pennsylvania to relatives in Bern Township, Lancaster County, going thence to Brunswick Township, in the same county. He settled in the valley between the Blue and Sec- ond and Sharp Mountains, on Bear Creek, near Bear Ridge, between what is now Auburn and Jefferson, Schuylkill County. The original tract was not patented until August 12, 1774, and the parts of two other tracts were patented February 27, 1775, in the name of his son, Andreas Miller, by patent recorded^. Having transferred the patent rights of his land to his son Andreas, Heinrich Miller wrote his will, Sep- tember 22, 1775, which was probated December 15, 1778. (Abstract of Wills, Berks Co. 1752-1793, Vol. i, Penna. His. Soc, Phila. The will directs that Andreas gets every- thing and shall care for the mother, Magdalena, and that the daughter (no name mentioned) "must pay Andreas for her right to anything." Mrs. L. T. Medlar, Pottsville, a descendant, has in her possession a flask, of fine workmanship, brought over by the couple from Germany. (Note 1 — Ship Lists, Penna. Archives, 2nd Series, Vol. XVII, p. 312.) (Note 2— Patent Book 53, p. 463, Harrisburg, Office of Internal Af- fairs. Recorded also B. A, A, Vol. 15, p. 110, Berks County C. H.) 400 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families There is no other record as to when or where Heinrich Miller died. He is doubtless buried at the Summer Hill church, where his wife, Magdalena, is interred, his grave being among the many unnamed, the date of death being December, 1778. Magdalena, wife of Heinrich Miller, b. in Oderscheim, Rhine Pfalz, 1726, d. April 24, 1806.1 St. Paul's church, Summer Berg, South Manheim Township, three miles from Auburn, on the S. and S. railway, the Protocol says, was built in 1782. This was the second building, a small log house having stood on or near the site where now the third building, a handsome edifice is erected. The church was for the worship of the Reformed and Lutheran congregations alternately. It gives a complete list of the ministers who served, among them Rev. Phillip Meyer, Reformed, who officiated forty- seven years. At a meeting, March 7, 1780, to raise funds for the erec- tion, Andrew Miller is credited with having paid 6 shillings 9 pence and subsequently 8 shillings 4 pence toward the build- ing. (One of the largest subscribers to the fund is crossed off as not having paid his one pound subscribed.) (The tax lists of Berks County were made up 1752, but were not en- forced until 1754. Heinrich Miller, taxable, north side of Blue Moun- tains, 1754.) There were altogether less than fifty persons east of the Schuylkill River between the Blue and the Sharp Mountain, when the Indian purchase, 1749, was made, one authority says, "only twenty-seven," and when the Indian troubles be- gan. After beginning their little clearings and erecting their humble log cabins they united, 1755, in building the first log church, known as the Zion's Lutheran or Red church, which was reduced to ashes by the Indians, 1757. Here were born the two first children of Heinrich and Magdalena Miller. Andrew, b. February 15, 1756, d. January 23, 1842, tombstone. Reformed (White) church cemetery, Or- (Note 1 — Summer Hill church records.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 401 Allied Families wigsburg, and Johannes, three weeks old, bap. April 21, 1757; sponsors, Johannes and Barbara Clouser.^ Of this Johannes nothing further is known, but he was probably killed by the Indians when they attacked the Miller home, or died from exposure in their flight across the moun- tains to Bern Township, where their third child, the daughter mentioned in the will was born.^ Brunswick Township, Lancaster County, was inhabited as early as 1740, but it was not erected into a township before 1768, when afterward (1810) were taken from it and Pine- grove Township, the seven townships that, with all but one- sixth, included all of the part now embraced in Schuylkill County. When in Lancaster County, Brunswick Township extended over the Blue Mountain, a small strip protruding over where Windsor and two other townships formed what was known as "Die Ecke" (the corner). The Indian Terror broke out in this locality November 24, 1755. Up to this time the settlers had gone into hiding in the Block Houses and Forts Franklin and Lebanon and with friends across the mountain in Windsor and Bern Town- ships. In the fall of 1757 murder and i-apine drove them to a refuge of safety and the Millers fled to Bern Township.^ They remained south of the Blue Mountains until 1765, when with a scattered remnant of their neighbors, the first pioneers, Ihey returned to their homes in Brunswick Township (Braun- schweig.) After rebuilding their homes, many having re- turned to plant and harvest their crops in the interim, they rebuilt the log church, completed 1770, the present being the fourth church of that name.'' (Note 1 — "Tag Buch," Rev. Daniel Schumacher, Archives Lutheran Ministerium, Mt. Airy, Phila., Pa.; Schuylkill County Historical Society Publication, Vol. 2, No. 3, p. 225.) (Note 2 — Indian Forts, Vol. 1; Indian Troubles, Part One.) (Note 3 — Miller History, Indian Troubles, Part 1.) (Note 4 — Eed Church records, Vol. 2, No. 3, p. 236, Schuylkill Co His. Soc. Pub.) 402 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families James Burd, Commissioner, 1758, directed Jacob Morgan to continue to patrol between Fort Lebanon and Allemaengle, In 1776 Henry Miller joined Captain Michael Forrer's company, enlisted in Tulpehocken Township, eight or ten miles over the Blue Mountain, and made up of forty-two men from the northwestern section of Berks County. Captain Forrer was a resident of Pinegrove Township. His com- pany was one of four on duty during August and September, 1776, at South Amboy, N. J., at the mouth of the Raritan river opposite the southern extremity of Staten Island. They reinforced the Colonial forces during the battle of Long Is- land and belonged to the battalion of Col. John Patton. The captains were John Lesher, Michael Wolff, George Miller and Michael Forrer. The companies were collected together at Womelsdorf, Berks County, where they received their first rations and from there they marched to Perth Amboy, leaving Womelsdorf, August nth, 1776, for their destination, 135 miles, arriving on the 22nd.^ The history of the Mueller family is involved in that of the early churches of what is now Schuylkill County. They were of the Reformed faith. The first and second Red Church congregations, with log churches built 1755 and 1765, were Lutheran. Reformed ministers and teachers visited their people, baptized their children, taught them and performed other rites of the church whose records unfortunately were not preserved. These from 1783 to 1795 were: Revs. Stoy, Lehman, Hautz, Wagner, Hartzell and others. The Reform- ed congregation was formally organized, 1795, as Christ Re- formed church, Brunswick Township. The church was built a few rods west of Zion's or the Red Church, on the opposite side of the road near the forks where the road from Landing- (Note 1 — Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol 5. Penna. Archives 2, p. 249. Montgomery, Berks in the Revolution, p. 107. Penna. Associates, Vol. 2, pp. 257-276. Tax List, Berks County Court House, Pinegrove Township, 1771, Michael Forrer.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 403 Allied Families ville joins the turnpike. The two churches united as a Union church with alternate Sundays for worship, Whit Monday, June II, 1832, and has remained as such ever since. At the organization of Christ Reformed Church, March 19. 1795; the articles upon which it was founded were signed by fifty-five members among whom were Andreas Miller and Phillip Alspach.i (April 16, 1808, Andrew Miller and John Hammer, of Manheira Town- ship, Berks County, witnessed the will of Phillip Alspach, b. N. Windsor Township, Berks County, 1733; d. August 26, 1808.— Abstract of Wills, Berks County, Penna. Historical Soc, Phlla.) (Phillip Alspach (Anspach), Capt. Michael Ferrer's Company, Revo- lutionary War.) Andrew Miller settled upon the land of his father, Hein- rich Miller, upon which he was already living. He married Anna Elizabeth, daughter of Mathias Stout, and sister of Ensign, afterward Captain John Stout, Revolutionary War, of Bern Township. No record of the date of this marriage has yet been discovered, but it occurred about 1782. Andrew Miller^ stood sponsor with Elizabeth Orbich, 1774, May 8, for Maria Rebecca, daughter of Peter and Hannah Orbich.^ (Red Church records.) In 1779 Andrew Miller, of Brunswig Township, Berks County, signed a remonstrance against revising the Consti- tution of Pennsylvania (Part i.) In 1797, April 27, Andrew Miller and wf. Elizabeth purchased an additional tract of land from John Graul, Pinegrove Township, Berks County, and his wf. Julianna, for eight hundred and seventy pounds in gold and silver. (The name of the township had changed from Brunswig but not the locality.) This land, 214 acres, was surveyed July i, 1784, to John Brown and Michael For- (Note 1 — Zion Red Church records, Schuylkill Co. His. Soc. Pub., Vol 2, No. 3, p. 214.) (Note 2 — When a man stood up with a single woman for this rite, he was generally unmarried.) (Note 3— Polly Orwig, Old Schuylkill Tales, pp. 44-46.) 404 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families rer and was conveyed with houses, barns, meadows and build- ings. The witnesses were Peter Confehr and Dan Ludwig.^ The children of Andrew and Anna Elizabeth Miller were : John Peter Miller, wf. Salome or Sophia Schwalm; Susanna, b. 1786, wf. of George Reber (Reber History) ; Catharine, b. January 6, 1792, wf. of Wilhelm Wildermuth ; Maria Elisa- beth, wf. of Christian Deibert, probably the eldest daughter, (Summit Hill church records) ; John George, bap. July, 1790, d. in infancy; Maria Magdalena, b. November 15, 1794; there is no other record and this daughter may have been one of the first two named about whom there is a discrepancy as to their surnames, or she may have died young. The name is also recorded Maria Matilda; Andrew Miller, Jr., b. 1781, d. 1858; Hannah Miller, b. May 8, 1798, d. May 30, 1879; twice married, to Henry Zerbe and to Andrew Schwalm. Reformed church (Red) record: bap. Aug. 11 ; sponsors, Con- rad and Elizabeth Kerschner. (Mathias Stout, Elizabeth Miller's father, died 1795; his wife, 1797.) Andrew Miller, Jr., was married four times. First wife, Christina Deibert; second, Elizabeth Leiser, of Orwigsburg; third and fourth wives were western women. He removed to Wooster, Ohio, 1820, settling near that town. His second wife died after one year, leaving no issue. He had sons and daughters in that state, among them John, David, Mary and Frank. Christina Deibert d. 181 1, leaving three children. Of his first wife, Peter Miller, a county commissioner in Schuylkill, in the fifties, was a son and Catharine a daughter, m. to Whiteman. David married a Miesse, related to the Miesse family, of Pottsville, and became prominent in Ohio. Mary m. Frank Weise. Left an orphan at the age of six years. Later was raised in the Wm. Wildermuth family, with whom he learned the trade of carpentering. (Note 1— D. B. Berks County C. H., December 7, 1815; the transaction is again recorded in deed book 2, p. 40, Recorder's office, Schuylkill County) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 405 Allied Families Peter Miller, county commissioner, b. October 5, 1805, d. March 15, 1883; wf., Catharine Seltzer, b. April 8, 1811, d. February 21, 1900. Their children were: Amanda, m. Charles Miller (not a relative) ; Catharine m. Nathan Kindt ; Sarah m. Samuel Leffler; Sybilla m. L. T. Medlar, d., builder and contractor of Pottsville; Wesley m., lives at Reading; Emma m. Abraham Long. Andrew Miller, Jr., lived for a time on the Deibert farm (his father-in-law's), below Schuylkill Haven, now known as the Filbert farm. Here were born to him and his first wife, Christina Deibert, their three children, Peter, Elizabeth and Catharine. Peter lived in Orwigsburg on the lower street, near the Evangelical church, where he followed the furniture and undertaking business, afterward removing to a fine farm near Drehersville, which he bought and cultivated until his death. Andrew, Jr., father of Peter, grew sick in Ohio, when his son sent for him, built him a small house on his farm and here he ended his days, having been seized with a stroke while in the Evangelical church, Drehersville, from the ef- fects of which he died. His wife returned west to her family. Andreas Miller, Jr., and wf. Christina bap. da. Elizabeth, November 6, 1808, The grandparents, Andrew and Elizabeth were sponsors. Joseph Seltzer, brother of Catharine, wf. of Peter Miller, was married to Elizabeth, sister of Peter Miller and daughter of Andrew Miller, Jr. Andrew Miller, Sr., signed the call twice for the building of the Reformed church, March 19, 1795, near Orwigsburg. He is noted on the Berks County tax lists in Manheim Town- ship, 1791. On May 22,, 1808, Andrew Miller, Sr., and Anna Elizabeth, his wife, deeded his three tracts of land to his two sons and one son-in-law as follows: To his son Andrew Mil- ler, Jr., 151 acres 59 perches for seven hundred pounds in gold and silver. This included one whole tract which was patented 406 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families to Andrew Miller, St., by patent recorded in Patent Book 53, page 463, on warrant dated August 12, 1774, in right of Henry- Miller, who also had another tract patented to him February 27, 1775^ To his son, Peter Miller, 81 acres and 91 perches for forty-three pounds and sixteen shillings.^ To his son-in-law, George Reber, 41 acres and 100 perches. The warrant to this was issued November 3, 1773, and patented to Henry Miller as in preceding tract. Andrew Miller received one hundred and sixty-six pounds for this tract. This land is recorded in Pinegrove Township and later in Manheim. After dispossessing himself of his land, 1808, Andrew Miller removed to Orwigsburg, where he built the present Douglass residence, which the family occupied and where Hannah Miller was married to Henry Zerbe and where her posthumous son, Henry, was born. The house, a large, roomy red brick, old Colonial mansion, is the same as when owned and built by Andrew Miller, Mr. Douglass adding a back building. The trees planted by the Millers have attained a mature heighth and the present owners have cultivated a luxuriant growth of cultured plants and flowers in the box- bordered garden beds redolent with the beauty, perfume and luxuriance of the growth of old-fashioned flowers. These with the well kept lawn and fruit orchard in the rear form a fitting frame for the gentle, well bred and intelligent inmates of the home and their Colonial history. This house was occupied for a time by the father of Mar- tin Sheafer and also by the Schalls, Andrew Miller vacating it about 1818. George Douglass bought it 1830. Miss Rachel Douglass corroborates the above and says, "Andrew Miller built and owned the Douglass home, erected (Note 1— Berks County D. B. A, A, Vol. IB, p. 110.) (Note 2— D. B. 23, p. 27.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 407 Allied Families i8o8-'io. My father, George Douglass, bought it from An- drew Miller." Wm. Miller, son of Peter and grandson of Andrew Mil- ler, of Bucyrus, Ohio, visited relatives hereabouts during the eighties and called upon the Misses Douglas. His father, John Peter Miller, had frequently spoken of and described this home to him. He took back with him fruit from an apple tree, planted by his father, and which had steadily borne the same luscious pippins for over three quarters of a century. After the marriage of Hannah Miller Zerbe to Andrew Schwalm, the old couple lived with their daughter, wife of the above. Anna Elizabeth Miller, b. 1758, d. 1840, and is buried in the Evangelical cemetery. There are those living who point out the locality of her grave, but the tombstone, a large one, has disappeared. She was eighty-two years of age, her death resulted from a stroke of apoplexy. A marker to her memory has been erected near the site of her grave. Andrew Miller, b. February 15, 1756, d. January 23, 1842. He made his home until his death with his daughter, Mrs. Hannah Schwalm; he is buried in the Reformed cemetery, Orwigsburg. John Peter Miller, b. 1784, wf. Salome, Sophia Schwalm, bap. son William, March i, 1808; and son, John P. Miller, March 10, 1809, Wilhelm Wildermuth, brother-in-law, spon- sor^. The other children were: Peter, Daniel, Francis, Charles, Plioebe, Eliza and Hannah. Peter Miller left his farm to his son Daniel and he and Peter, Jr., who was a cigarmaker, remained in the vicinity of Orwigsburg, when Peter, Sr., with seven children moved, in 1834, to Ohio. He died in Bucyrus, that State, 1839. His son, Francis, removed to Missouri and in an argument with a fire-eating Missourian, in 1865, was shot and killed. John P. married and removed to Hopkins, Hennepin Co., Minn. (Note 1 — Christ Reformed church records.) 4o8 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families He was living at the age of eighty-four years in 1893.^ He has a son, Charles D., living at the same place. Eliza Miller, b. 1827, d. 1914, m., daughter Jennie, d., married Au- gustine Wells. The daughters married and removed to other states, one living in La Grange, Ind., another in Atchison, Kan. The sons did likewise. William^ W. Miller (Peter^ Andrew^, Heinrichi), Bucy- rus, O. ; wf., Christina; c. : Mrs. Maria W. Shonert; Wilson A., railway trainman ; James K., and Mrs. Sarah Jump. Mrs. Shonert had three sons, one, Edmund M. Shonert, having great musical talent, was educated in Germany by his grand- father, William Miller, his mother being a widow. He was for years concert pianist for Reminiji, the Russian violinist, having made several foreign concert tours. He is at present playing at Madison Square Garden, New York. Daniel Miller had several children, one a son, Charles, widower, living in Orwigsburg. The children of Peter Miller, Jr., were: Martha, d., un- married ; Phoebe, wf. of Rufus Boyer, cigar dealer, of St. Clair, who had a number of daughters, one married Kocher, of Orwigsburg; another, a trained nurse, at Atlantic City, has a hotel or sanitarium for invalids. A son follows his father's business in St. Clair. (Note — Miss Douglass has in her possession some very interesting Colonial relics. Her great grandfather was Col. Jacob Morgan. They had a sugar refinery and bonded ware- house at the southwest corner of Eleventh and Pine Streets, Philadelphia. This ground was purchased by the city and on it is erected a school house. It is a perpetual lease and the ground is entailed. The Misses Douglas draw the rent, which will be perpetuated in their heirs. They have an old receipt book of Stephen Girard, which contains a note of hand, by his clerk, Martin MacDermott, June 15, 1786, for 73 (Note 1 — A letter written him about a year ago remained unanswer- ed.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 409 Allied Families pounds to be paid in full with 1102 pounds of coffee. Other receipts from noted Philadelphians who had transactions with the commission house, followed.) THE REBERS, EARLY SETTLERS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY WHEN INCLUDED IN BERKS ' There is merit in good blood in animals and the same is true of men. Johannes Bernhardt Reber and wife, Magda- lena Hahn, emigrated to this country, 1742, from Langen- selbold, Hesse Cassel, Germany. Two sons, Johannes, six years old, and Ludwig accompanied them, and three sons and several daughters were born them in the Tulpehocken dis- trict, with perhaps two more not fully proven. They settled near the big bend in Tulpehocken Creek, near Blue Marsh, where Thomas, Valentine, Pteter, George and Catharine, were born. It is asserted that from Johannes Bernhardt Re- ber and his sons every person of that name in the United States is descended. Johannes2 Reber (Johnl Bernhardt), b. 1736; wf. Catharine, m. 1757; c: John Conrad, George and John. John3 Conrad (Johannes2, Johannesl Bernhardt), b. 1758; m. 1778; son Conrad b. 1778, d. 1817. (Tombstone, Northkill cemetery.) Revolutionary War record — Conrad Reber, private, Capt. George Mil- ler's Co., September 5, 1776. (Penna. Archives, 5th Ser., Vol. 5, p. 152, Part 1.) Valentine2 Reber (Johnl Bernhardt), b. 1742, d. 1818. (Tombstone record, Northkill cemetery.) Thomas and Peter went West and had a numerous pro- geny. Ludwig settled in Berks. John^ Conrad had other children beside Conrad, among them a George. In Upper Tulpehocken, east of Strausstown, there was a Jacob^, who had five sons and five daughters, one of the lat- ter of whom, Catharine, was married to John Schwalm^. (Note 1 — Scbwalm's History.) 410 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families John^ Reber (John^, Bernhardt^), b. September 20, 1768, in Heidelberg Township. He had fifteen children, sons : John, Joseph, Benjamin, Jonas, Daniel, Samuel and others. George^ Reber, b. 1770, or thereabouts, was probably a son of Johannes^. It will be noted hereinafter how the family names of his brother John were repeated in his family. There were, however, several other Georges of the third genera- tion, but all were of the grandsire, John Bernhardt, stock. George Reber came over the Blue Mountain about 1791. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew and Anna Eliza- beth Miller, by whom he had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters. He is buried with his wife at Summer Hill church, but traces of their tombstones have not been found, nor are the early records of this church complete, and their children were probably baptized by an early schoolmaster or by itinerant Reformed pastors. Among the sons were: Daniel, Jonas, George, William, Benjamin, John (Jonathan), Andrew and Samuel (Jonathan and Jonas were probably the same man.) A daughter, Hannah, married Schwenk; other daughters were : Elizabeth, Catharine, . Of these, eight sons, are said to have been descended all the Rebers in Schuylkill County and many others who have settled else- where. April 24, 179s, George Reber, of Brunswig Township, bought a lot in Orwigsburg^. He settled in the valley be- tween what is* now Auburn and Jefferson and farmed upon the tract of land, forty-one acres and one hundred perches, deeded him by his father-in-law, Andrew Miller, May 23, 1808, in consideration of one hundred and sixty-six pounds, which he paid, the deed being cited as in Manheim^. George Reber kept a roadhouse on this tract, which after his death was run by several of his sons. Part of this original tract has been in possession of the Reber family ever since the (Note 1 — Pass book in possession oif Attorney Christopher Loeser ) (Note 2— Miller History.) '' SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 411 Allied Families above date and adjacent lands have been added thereto by descendants. John Reber, underwear manufacturer, of Potts- ville; William Reber and Horace Reber, former clerk to the county commissioners of Schuylkill, of Pinegrove, Benjamin Reber, Auburn R. F. D. No. 2, and many others in Schuyl- kill County are descendants of George Reber and wife Anna Elizabeth Miller.^ THE WILDERMUTHS Three brothers, Heinrich, Wilhelm and John Adam Wil- dermuth, came from Germany to Berks County, settling on this side of the Blue Mountain about 1760. John Adam, wf. Eve; Heinrich, wf. Christina; the latter baptized children, 1775, 1779? They took up land near Fort Lebanon. The chil- dren of Adam and Eve were : Adam, Lucian and George. Lucian, first wife of a Strauss, with whom he had five chil- dren and seven with the second. Wm.3 Wildermuth (Lucian2, Johnl Adam), b. March 14, 1785; d. May 29, 1869; wf., Catharine, da. of Andrew Miller (Heinrich), b. January 6, 1792, d. October 29, 1859. Their children were: John, Hetty, m. Pottberg, three children; Ella, wf. of John Heim; Charles, a prominent physician of Phila., m.; William, m., four children, Binghampton, N. Y. Kitty Wildermuth m. John Alspach, had several children. Louisa Wildermuth, m., Eaudenbush, Cleveland, 0.; eight children. Alice, m. Thomas Heim; Susanna m. Eev. Eiegle, of the Evangelical church, Kankake, 111; Hannah m. Williams; second wf., Isabella Mangle. William Wildermuth was a prominent boat builder at Landingville in the early days and lived at Orwigsburg on a lot adjoining that of his brother-in-law, Andrew Schwalm, where he and his wife spent their declining years. John^ Wildermuth (William^, Lucian^, John^ Adam), b. November 8, 1811, d. November 9, 1899; wf., Susanna, da. of Peter and Susanna Alspach (born Gilbertin), b. March 6, (Note 1— Miller History.) (Note 2— Bed church records.) 412 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families 1819, d. September 6, 1862. Peter Alspach d. December 6, 1829. Susanna, his wife, d. February 25, 1864. The children of John and Susanna Wildermuth were: Charles W. Wildermuth, newsdealer and stationer, of Pottsville, Pa.; first wf., Delia Debo, one son, Fred., d._ m. Mollie Snyder, four children, living in Philadelphia; second wf., Mary Foy, d.; c, Mame, wf. of Ed. Moyer, d., da., Dorothy; Delia, wf. of Hugh Davis, d., 1 da.; and Teenie, wf. of Charles Focht. C. W. Wildermuth d. October 4, 1916. Mary Wildermuth, d., wf. of David Allen, d., 1 da., d. Hannah Wildermuth, wf. of John Bankus, soldier in the Civil War; no children. Josiah Wildermuth, first wf., Susan, da. of Eev. Adams, of the Evan- gelical church; one son, m., two c; second wf., Helen Sinton. Three daughters of John and Susanna Wildermuth's died September, 1861, in one week of scarlet fever and one of diphtheria, 1862, in Orwigsburg. In 1867, May 27, a son, George W., was drowned in Norwegian Creek, Pottsville, his body was found at Mt. Carbon, June 3. Edwin Wildermuth, painter, d.; first wf., Emma Daubert; four c; second wf., Kate Bankus; two c: Susie Wildermuth, d., m. John Heim, no c; Ella, 2d wife of John Heim. Albert L. Wildermuth, wf. Mary Schlaseman; c: Arthur and Ada. Employed in the Pottsville postoffice. John Wildermuth was a cabinet maker and carpenter and lived in Orwigsburg; he removed to Potts- ville_ where he died. Sarah Catharine, da. of William and Catharine Miller Wildermuth; m. David Paul; lived at Port Carbon. Parents of Levi Paul, music deal- er, Pottsville; Levi Paul, wf. Rosa Mary, d., c: Howard May, music dealer, m.; Kathryn, single. Samuels Leffler (John^, Conrad^) ; wf., Elizabeth, da. of William and Catharine Wildermuth; c. : William, d., unmar- ried ; B. Franklin, d., widow resides at Fountain Springs, Schuylkill Co.; Uriah, m., has children, lives at Mechanics- ville, carpenter. Lizzie (Samuel) single, Landingville ; Mary, m. Daniel Paul, Port Carbon, one da. B. Franklin Leffler (Samuel), his sons are: George, m., editor and publisher of the "Trades Journal," New York; William, sipgle, physician, McKeesport; Aurelian, single, teacher of the High School, McKeesport, Pa. Conrad^ Leffler, of Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, where his son John was born, removed to Amity Township, Berks County ; he is buried in the Amityville cemetery. He was one of the Associators for the Province of Pennsylvania and a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Allied Families 413 The Schwalms First Schwalms In America ?HE Schwalms originated in Schleswig Holstein, Prussian Province. The town of Neu- munster, on the Scliwale river, forty miles from Hamburg, was the liirthplace of many, among them Johannes Schwall. Near this vil- lage was a Schwalm feudal castle, the ruins of which can still be seen. Neumunster has a population of 31,347. Some of the Schwalm name lived in the vicinity of Essen, where the great Krupp gun works are located. The Schwalms were of the Reformed faith and suffered with others the religious persecutions that followed the Reformation. Those that saw their "Ultima Thule" in Utopian America, migrated to Switzerland where they lived until opportunity offered, 1709, to sail for the land where their chimerical hopes led them to believe no wrong could exist and where their iridescent dreams of freedom, plenty and liberty of conscience prevailed and would be real- ized. (The name Schwalle, Schwalbe, Schwall, Schwalm changed in Switzerland to Zwalle.) Those who came to Pennsylvania after 1728 were:^ Christian Swaller, August 25, 1735; ship, Billander; Capt. 0. S. Mer- chant. (Note 1 — Ship Lists, Penna. Archives.) 414 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Hans Zwalle, September 16, 1736; ship, Princess Augustus; Capt. 0. S. Merchant. Anna Swalla, October 8, 1737; ship, Charming Nancy; Capt. Chas. Stedman. Johannes Zwalle, September 26, 1794; ship, Dragon; Capt. George Spencer. In the appendix of Rupp's "Thirty Thousand Immigrants" and the lists of names of more than one thousand French and Germans who came to New York before 1712, occurs that of Johannes Schwall (Schwalm), who lived in Livingston ANCIENT SCHWALM CASTLE Manor, 1710, emigrating to America with the Palatines, 1709. He settled subsequently in the Schoharie Valley with Johann Conrad Weiser's contingent, the history of which settlement is referred to on a previous page. Johan Schwalbe, from the village of Hunterstown, July 16, 171 1, was in the company from Hunterstown, N. Y., Capt. John Peter Kneskern^. Johannes Schwall came to Berks County (then Chester), Pennsylvania, 1728, with the second delegation of Palatinates and settled in the Upper Tulpehocken. (Note — The name Schwalm, now spelled by many Swalm, beside the above variations, was also spelled Swallum. The various spellings have no orthographical significance, anglicized it is Swallow and should have been thus changed in the departure from the original Schwalbe.) (Note 2— Report of New York State Historical Colonial Series, Vol. 1, pp. 974-'7; No. 4, p. 811., Part 1.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 415 Allied Families Samuel Swaller, m. to Margaretha Kroll, Conestoga, De- cember 16, 1738^. (Son, doubtless of John Schwalle.) Note — In an article on anatomy. Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed., Vol. 1, p. 927, p. 939, there is a reference to Schwalbe's Zeitachrift fuer Morphology und Anthropologie. These records are republished in the original in England, France and America annually. The Librarian of the University of Penna. says: "These articles appear in 600 Journals each year, but the above has not been among them.) The Schwalms in Bern Township were Mennonites, a German sect that flourished in that valley as early as 1735. when the Penns granted them a tract of twenty acres of land near the Blue Mountains, some, however, adhering to the Re- formed church. This sect known as "German Quakers" be- lieved that Christians should not hold office, take an oath, use physical force or resort to war. They did not baptize infants and hence there are no records in evidence as to their family history through the recognized church channels and court records or war rosters. The Schwalms did not engage in war, but they gave of their means and manufactured powder for the Revolutionary cause and also provided flour and grain for Washington's army at Valley Forge. There is a time-worn tradition in the family that the only time General Washington is known to have sworn, was at the battle of Trenton, when he awaited a consignment of powder from Bern Township, Berks County, that was delayed by bad roads and overloaded army wagons of grain and he let fall a remark about the slowness of "Die verdammt Deutsch." (The powder was from the mill of Johannes^ Schwalm.) There is no record of how many children Johannes^ Schwalm (1709) of Upper Tulpehocken had owing to causes aforestated. One son, Johannes^, married a daughter of Ja- cob Reber and settled in Bern Township. He is supposed to (Note 1 — Stoever's Records.) 4i6 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families be the Johannes Zwally, widower, who married Catharine, daughter of Michael Shaffer, October 20, 1765.^ John^ Schwalm's children were Michael^ and Andrew. John^ Schwalm lived on the Light (Lichte) farm, between Bellman's and St. Michael's church and a short distance from Mohrsville and Bernville. Adjoining their plantation was that of Caspar Phillips, who came to this country, 1735. The PhilHps-Schwalm families were intermarried. A Phillips descendant says, John^ Schwalm lived in Upper Tulpehocken and took up a tract of land in Bern upon which Andrew* lived. CASPAR PHILLIPS' CHILDREN Peter Phillips, m. Catharine, da. of Andrew^ Schwalm; Dr. Jacob Phillips m. Elizabeth, da. of Andrew^ Schwalm; Peter Phillips (Caspar) and wife, Catharine Schwalm, are buried at Bellman's church, Centre Township, two miles from Mohrsville. Their children were : Charles S., M. D., Womels- dorf; Reuben, Snyder County; John, farm, near Reading; Francis, N. J. ; several daughters and Samuel, of Bernville. The children of Dr. Jacob Phillips and wife, Elizabeth Schwalm, were: Adam, d., Muncy, Pa.; John, Reading; Dan- iel, killed in U. S. army, Gettysburg; Benjamin, killed at Per- ryville, in battle ; Henry, d. at Myerstown, and several daugh- ters. A singular fact related of the two sisters, Elizabeth and Catharine Schwalm, who married the Phillips brothers, was that they both died on Good Friday, one in 1839 and the other 1849. Jacob Pihillips lived on the Dyninger's farm on the out- skirts of Reading, a beautiful well-kept place. Jacob Phillips d. June 17, 1852, aged 82 years. Maria Elizabeth Schwalm, wf. of Jacob Phillips, d. March 15, 1849. Maria Ann Gass (Gars), da. of Jacob and Elizabeth Phillips, b. March 2, 1822, d. June 10, 1862. (Note 1 — Marriages of Rev. John Walderschmidt, Penna. Archives, Series 6, Vol. 6.) (Note 2— Michael Swalle, ranger on the Indian frontier along the Blue Mountains. The pay for his services is specified. — Fenna. Archives.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 417 Allied Families Henry Gars (son-in-law of Jacob Phillips), b. May 12, 1817, d. Jan- uary 6, 1855.1 Letters of administration were granted on the estate of Jacob Phil- lips, of Alsace Township, Berks County, December 9, 1852, to Henry Gars, a son-in-law. The same were also granted on the estate of Henry Gars, deceased, of Alsace Township, January 29, 1855, to Mary Gars, his widow, and Jacob Gars, his brother. (Note — A son, Henry, of the above, lives at Adamsdale, Schuylkill County.) John Phillips, slater, of Pottsville, is of this branch. Henry and Mary Gars were the parents of four children: Sarah, Mary Ann, Eliza and Henry Gars. Ex-Recorder, of Berks County, Eeeser, of West Leesport, is a de- scendant of one of the Phillips-Schwalms. BAPTISMAL RECORDS The records of the Reformed church, one mile west of Stouchsburg, Berks County, give the following: 1788, July 10 — Bap. Peter, son of John and Margaret Schwalm; spon- sors, Peter Batdorf and wf. 1791, August 24 — Johannes, son of John and Amelia Schwalm; spon- sors, Daniel and Salome Loby. 1791, October 8 — Daniel, son of John and Amelia Schwalm; sponsors, the same. '' An old record isays of Peter Schwalm, the above, "whose parents were natives of Switzerland where the name was an honorable one for many generations." Peter Schwalm and wife Catharine are buried on the cemetery of Bellman's church, near Bernville. Jost (Joseph) Swallum took up 45 acres, 40 perches of land, July 30, 1772, in Northampton County, just across the Lehigh river from Berks. Andrew^ Schwalm (Johannes^, Johannes^), b. about 1755, d. 1793, in Pinegrove Township; wf. Susanna, b. 1765, d. 1810; both are buried at Bellman's church, between Bernville and Mohrsville, Berks County. Andrew Schwalm was born in Tulpehocken Township, and is on the tax list of Heidelburg Township as a taxpayer, 1785. The only baptismal record found, which also corroborates his having lived in that town- (Note 1 — Tombstone inscriptions, Alsace church, outskirts of Read- ing.) 4i8 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families ship, is : B., 1785, June 23 ; bap., July 24, Schwalb, Elizabeth, da. of Andrew Schwalb and wf . Susanna ; sponsors, Christian and Elizabeth Michel.^ Andrew* Schwalm removed to Pinegrove Township, Berks County, about 1788, where he took up land on the Swatara Creek, in what is now North Pinegrove. He was a farmer and miller by occupation and ran an oil, clover and lumber mill. In April, 1793, he was badly burned in an ex- plosion in his oil mill, from the effects of which he died after several days of suffering. His wife continued to live on the plantation until her death, 1810. Letters of administration were granted the widow, Su- sanna, "relict of Andrew Schwalm, farmer, of Pinegrove Township, and Michael Schwalm, a brother-in-law,'' May 14, 1793.2 March i, 1810, John Schwalm, eldest son of Andrew Schwalm, says : "His father died sixteen years ago intestate, leaving a widow, who has since died, and the following issue : John, Elizabeth, wf. of Jacob Phillips; Phillip, Catharine, wf. of Peter Phillips ; and Andrew ; the three last named were minors then under fourteen years of age. The tract of land was two hundred and nineteen acres situate in Pinegrove Township, adjoining lands of Andrew Schoope, Bernhart Zimmerman and others. It was appraised at three hundred and fifty-six pounds. John Schwalm took it at the appraise- ments." From the above it would appear that John, the eldest son, managed the mill and farm for his mother until her death ; the two daughters married and Phillip and Andrew were thrown early on the world as subsequent events prove. John'' Schwalm (Andrew*, John^, Johannes^), b. March 16, 1788; married Susan Rahn; d. June 16, 1852, buried in the Evangelical cemetery, Womelsdorf; he left a childless (Note 1 — Hahn's church, Heidelberg Township, built 1745.) (Note 2— Berks County C. B. 4, p. 349.) (Note 3 — Orphans' Court Record Book, 6, p. 104.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 419 Allied Families widow. He lived for a time in Paxton Township, a part of Berks County, that was added to Dauphin. In Dauphin County lived also a John Schwalm, who may have been and doubtless was the son of John^ Schwalm (Johannes^) referred to hereafter. (Note — George Eahn came from Rotterdam, September 24, 1737; ship St. Andrew, John Stedman captain.) (Note — A Strausstown church record gives a John Schwalm as hav- ing married a daughter of Peter Weaver; he was of the third generation.) Phillip Schwalm, b. March 24, 1790, d. October 17, 1849. He learned the trade of tailoring at Rehersburg, where he lived six years, removing subsequently to W^omelsdorf where he engaged in the merchant tailoring business and became a prominent citizen. He was one of an incorporated board of directors of the Womelsdorf Academy, April 11, 1834, and a leading member of the Reformed church, the cornerstone of which was laid for the Lutheran and Reformed congregations June 30, 1792. He is buried in Zion's church, Union ceme- tery, Womelsdorf. The Womelsdorf Academy was carried on till 1851. He married Margaret Wingert, b. January 25, 1795; d. April 14, 1851 (Union cemetery.) The children of Phillip and Margaretha Schwalm were : John Emanuel, b. October 19, 1818, who removed to Iowa where he died; Reuben Andreas, b. October 11, 1826, went West but returned to Womelsdorf, where he died; Israel Phillip, b. July 10, 1829. Daughters: Susan, Maria, m. John Miller, of Philadelphia; Anne; Louisa, m. Levi Monderbeck; both are buried in the Union cemetery, Womelsdorf. A granddaughter of Phillip Schwalm, with her aunt, Maria Miller, of Womelsdorf, afterward of Philadelphia, vis- ited Pottsville relatives in 1856. Her name was Susan Basil. She lived in Virginia and was a daughter of one of the chil- dren of Phillip Schwalm. The writer remembers that mem- bers of the family performed the friendly offices of maid for her during her stay, she having been accustomed to black people waiting on her and relating in the meanwhile stories to the children of the slaves on her father's plantation. There was a large family and the girls all married and removed, 430 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families some of them, to Iowa. The children of Philip and Susan Kunkelman, nee Schwalm, were: Coral Phillips Schwalm, Samuel Schwalm, Philip Schwalm, Marie Kunkelman, Emma Kunkelman. Andrew^ Schwalm (Andrew*, John-, Johannes^), b. Au- gust i8, 1793, bap. 1798, d. June 5, 1857. He married Hannah Zerbe, da. of Andrew Miller and widow of Henry Zerbe^, 1819. Andrew Schwalm was thrown on his own resources early. His father died in April and he was born August 8, 1793, and was a posthumous son ; he died June 5, 1857. He worked among the farmers and assisted his brother John in the mill, but finally drifted to Buffalo, N. Y., where he learned carpentering and boat building. He returned and settled in Orwigsburg, 1818, opening a cabinet shop on the main street. After his marriage he returned to Buffalo and engaged in boat building for the Welland Canal, returning at intervals to visit his family. In 1832 he returned to Orwigs- burg and after engaging in partnership with his brother-in- law, William Wildermuth, in the building of boats for the Schuylkill Canal, he opened a boat yard of his own at Land- ingville. He also opened a general store on the main street, south of the cabinet shop where he ran a line of agricultural implements, a thrasher and straw cutter upon which he had a patent attachment, having a successful sale. He had large investments in the John, Richard and George Rickert's coal operations, near Middleport and New Philadelphia and for those days was considered a wealthy and prosperous business man. He was one of the first members of the Evangelical Association which had its inception in Orwigsburg, and with his wife is buried in that cemetery. He died of double hernia and tuberculosis. The children of Andrew and Hannah Schwalm were: Catharine, b. November 27, 1820; d. June 6, 1903. Mary A., b. July 18, 1822; living at the age of 93 (1915); (Note 1 — Zerbe-Miller History.) EL, o" a « o ■< a: O X o CO Q < SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 421 Allied Families Hannah, b. March 7, 1824; d. April 1, 1824; Hannah E., b. March 19, 1825; d. August 3, 1894; John A., b. December 19, 1826; d. June 3, 1894; Joseph M., b. February 27, 1828; d. January 15_ 1899; Sarah L., b. September 3, 1830; d. August 19, 1914; Esther, b. March 20, 1832; d. May 20, 1835; Amanda, b. March 9, 1834; d. September 11, 1895; Susan J., b. April 21, 1837; d. September 12, 1879; Louisa, b. August 18, 1840; d. September 21, 1846. FREDERICK HAESELER Catharine Schwalm, b. November 27, 1820, d. June 6, 1903; m. Frederick Haeseler, b. 1814, d. February 26, 1880. Children : John Schwalm Haeseler, wf. Catharine Bittle, of Cres- sona. They removed from Pottsville to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1870, where they live retired. He was a miller. Their chil- dren are : Oscar Biddle, wf. Gertrude Blessing, son, Melville Blessing; one daughter d.; Sara C, of Cedar Rapids, la.; Henry F., wf. Emma K. Home, son, John Arville, is a druggist, as is also his brother, Franklin P., wf. Anna E. Brenneman, da. Vera Elizabeth; both live at or near Chicago; Herbert G., wf. Georgia Wilcox, da's., Dorothy M. and Helen. Dora A. m. Ralph Meyers; Loren M. Haeseler. Herbert G. Haeseler lives at George- town, Col., of which city he was twice elected mayor. Francis G. Haeseler, b. November 25, 1842 ; wf., Caroline Rausch ; tobacconist and tax receiver, Pottsville, Pa. ; re- moved to Haddon Heights, N. J. Their children are: Emily F., m. John Cunningham, of Haddon Heights, one son John; and Maude H., m. George E. Gay, two children, Margaret H., Selwin F. ; live near Pittsburg. (Note — John Rausch came from Germany before 1780 and located in Berks County and afterward near Ringgold. His son John was sheriff of Schuylkill County, 1823. Henry was deputy sheriff in 1834 and John Rausch sheriff in 1861. Mrs. Haeseler was a daughter of the latter.) Joseph Haeseler, b. August, 1844, d. August, 1845. Albert S., first wf. Susan Smyth, d. May 18, 1893; one son, Fred. ; second wf., Annie E. Lippman, of a notable Phila- delphia family. Albert and son Conrad Frederick, photo- graphers, Philadelphia. 422 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Louisa H., m. Frank, son of Emanuel Hause, an early settler of Pottsville, who lived at Flowery Fields ; Francis Hause, b. May 7, 1838, d. June 6, 1900 ; children : Ralph E., clerk, Merchants' Bank, Pottsville, wf. Mary Wicks, one son, Francis; da's, Jennie and Dorothy, m. Gustave A. Muehlhof, drafts- man, C. & I. Co., no c; Fred, tobacconist, wf. Verda Kehler, da. Marion. Francis Hause, tobacconist, member of Borough Council and a soldier in the three years' service in the Civil War, was a self made man and amassed considerable property in Potts- ville, where he was prominent in business. Charles S. Haeseler, wf. Laura Medlar, da. of John Medlar, of Pottsville. Children: Helen M., Mary Laura, Katharine S., Charlotte S., live in Philadelphia. He was for- merly in the tobacco business in Pottsville, Pa. ; is employed now at Wanamaker's. Helen, da. of Charles S. and Laura Haeseler, m. Charles A. Bridge- man, of Ambler, Pa., October 7, 1916. George T. Haeseler, b. November i, 1850, d. November 20, 1855, the result of an accident in his father's fulling mill. Joseph, George and Amanda are buried at Orwigsburg. Anna Amanda, b. March 8, 1854, d. May 8, 1862. Emma M., m. J. H. Super, C. & L Co. police, Minersville. Albert H., Physician, AUentown, m., has children: John Henry, Jr.; Katharine M.; Dorothy E.; Sarah Louise; Frederick H.; two deceased. Family resides at Minersville, Pa. Sarah S., m. George W. Temple, of Pottsville; removed to Denver, Col., where he was a promoter and contractor and where he died, 1913, and is buried in the Baber cemetery, Pottsville; no children. Katharine A., d. June 6, 1886, unmarried, aged 25 years. Frederick S., d. November 8, 1870, aged four years. HAESELER FAMILY Henry Frederick Haeseler, wf. Amalia Schumacher, born at Nordheim, Hanover, Germany, 1785. Their children were: Charles Henry, b. May 20, 1810; Dorothea, Frederick, John Henry and Johanna. Charles Henry m. Louisa Henrietta SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 423 Allied Families Riihe, of Nordheim, 1829, whose father was the physician with whom he studied medicine prior to entering the Uni- versity of Goettingen from which he graduated. They came to America, 1834, with their young son, Charles Herman. They settled at Orwigsburg, Pa., where he entered the prac- tice of medicine with Dr. Benjamin Becker as a Homoeopath- ist. Their other children were : Henry, physician, d. in Coun- cil Bluffs, la. ; Frederick and William, d. ; Amelia, wf. of Major Jacob Wagner, of the 48th Regt. Pa. Vols, and subse- quently of the regular army. They had one son, Carl H. Wagner, lawyer, Pottsville, m. Mary Downey, no children. Emma R., wf. of Adolph W. Schalck, d., a prominent lawyer of Pottsville ; had two children, one daughter de- ceased, and Louise H., wf. of Dr. Wm. Francis Doyle, physi- cian, practicing in the Haeseler homestead, Garfield Square, where three generations of doctors, of the family have lived ; they have one son, Francis W. Dr. Charles Henry Haeseler was twice married. His second wife was Eliza Geanslen, who long survived him. Dr. Charles^ Herman Haeseler (Charles^ Henry, Henry^), was a successful medical practitioner, a graduate of the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, where he practiced before coming to Pottsville, where he became emi- nent in his profession. He was twice married. First wf., Barbara, second wf., Ada, da. of Judge Heilner, of Tamaqua, who survives him. Plis children with his first wife were : Louise, now Assistant Superintendent of the Girls' High School, Philadelphia; Lieutenant Francis J. Haeseler, d., of the U. S. N., left a widow, one da. Herman, a successful mechanical engineer, of Philadelphia. Has four children : Louisa Amelia, Francis J., Mary and Ada PL, wife deceased. The Shumacher Bible, brought to America by Henry Frederick Haeseler and his wife, Amalia Shumacher, which has been in possession of the family since 1555, and handed down from son to son in the Shumacher family until Amalia, 4-24 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families who had no brothers, is treasured as an heirloom in the Her- man Haeseler family of Philadelphia. Dorothea Haeseler (Henry Frederick), b. 1812, m. Phil- lip Rossweiler, at Orwigsburg, removed to Millersburg, P(a., subsequently to Napirville, 111. They had several children, among them a son, Henry, who is living at the age of sev- enty-five years at the above place. Frederick Haeseler was the last of his family to come to the United States, which he did only at the urgent solicita- tion of those who preceded him. He had served his term of military duty and was a clerk in the German government em- ploy with prospects of advancement under civil service rules. He came to Orwigsburg, 1839, and married Catharine Schwalm shortly thereafter. He settled on a farm a mile and a half south of that place, 1840, where he ran a fulling and clover mill, was a Justice of the Peace and farmed a tract of land. He removed with his family to Pottsville about 1865 and bought the John's property, corner of East Norwegian and Centre Streets, north side, the family living on Centre Street, where he and his wife died. John Henry Haeseler (Henry Frederick) came to Or- wigsburg with his parents. He began life as a weaver, studying medicine in the interim. He was a Doctor of the Homoeopathic School and practiced in Orwigsburg. He mar- ried Sarah Linder. They had a number of children, among them Charles H. Haeseler, shoe salesman, of that place, wf. Mary Beck; Mary, m. Edwards, lived and died in Read- ing; Thomas, in the shoe factory business at Landingville ; Charles Haeseler, da. Annie and other children. Thomas is married and has a family. Johannes Haeseler (Henry Frederick), m. John Koehl, a minister in the Evangelical church. They had one son. Dr. Jere Koehl, who practiced in Pottsville and Reading, subse- quently removing to Iowa, where he died. He was twice SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 425 Allied Families married and is survived by a widow and several children. The widow of Rev. John Koehl and children are living at Allentown, Pa. REMINISCENCE Mrs. W. M. Zerbey, d., eighty-three years of age, 1914, said : "Before my father, Andrew Schwalm, built the house on the lower street, Orwigsburg, there was a one and a half story brick house, in which we lived, that stood on its site. Joseph Morgan (father of Mrs. Jere Seitzinger, Mrs. Aurora Baum and Mrs. Fred. Foster) was a cabinet maker on the main street, south of our shop. When he removed to Pottts- ville my father bought his property and we moved and lived there until our new home was built. When we removed to our new house the Haeseler family, which had just arrived from Germany, rented our house on Main Street and occu- pied it for several years. Phillip Rossweiler lived with them. They established several looms for carpet and woolen quilt weaving, then a good paying business, when they removed to Millersburg. My father opened a grocery and general store in the building, which he conducted for five or six years. Samuel Yost I think, bought that house. Frederick and Henry Haeseler remained at Orwigsburg and Dr. Charles H. Haeseler returned to Pottsville from Millersburg and opened up practice. Mr. and Mrs. Haeseler, the old people, died at Millersburg. I remember well visiting them twice at that place when small; we drove there, the railway was not built then, stopping over night on the way. Once we went with a sleigh and the snow disappeared and we had to borrow a wagon to return. My brother-in-law, Frederick Haeseler, took us on both occasions." Mary Ann Schwalm was married to John Hesser, 1842. He was b. March 12, 1822, and d. January 18, 1845. One daughter was the result of this union, Elizabeth Hesser, b. 436 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families October 26, 1843, d. January 12, 1852. Both are buried in the Evangelical cemetery, Orwigsburg-. John Hesser was a son of Frederick Hesser, drummer boy in the War of the Revolution, and brother of Henry Hesser. Mary A. Hesser, m. Henry Washington Hoffman, 1848, Orwigsburg. Henry Hoffman was a cabinet maker. He manufactured chairs and ran a factory worked by horsepiower in Orwigsburg. He removed to Cressona, where he con- ducted a furniture shop, subsequently entering the employ of the Reading Company at the Cressona shops. He is bur- ied at Cressona. Two children were born to them, Carrie and Anna. Caroline Louisa Hoffman m. David Stitzer, of Cressona, a painter, before the Civil War, when he entered the three years' service in the 48th Schujdkill Co. Regiment. On his return he was made Despatcher at the Gordon Planes of the Mine Hill Railway, a lateral road of the Reading Com- pany. On the abandonment of the planes he took charge of the company's lumber yards at Pottstown, from where he resigned and moved to Rush County, Kansas, where he took up several tracts of land and followed ranch life and where he died and is buried in the Union cemetery, McCracken, that county. They had no children. Anna Katherine Hoffman, b. February 10, 1853, m. Edwin Krecker, July 19, 1872, d. August 13, 1896, leaving these chil- dren: Heber A., Henry F., both m. ; Raymond H., Anna C, Louisa H., single, the latter of McCracken, Kan., the others reside in Philadelphia. Two children deceased. Edwin Krecker was raised in Schuylkill County, where his father. Rev. Frederick Krecker, of Revolutionary descent, filled the pastorate of several churches of the Evangelical Association. He was employed as weighmaster for the Reading Company, at Cressona, and removed later to Philadelphia, where he was engaged as clerk in the Reading Company offices at the Terminal and where he died, being interred in Cressona. (Note — Cornelius Hoffman emigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylva- nia, 1768, and located in Montgomery County. He was a captain in Col. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 427 Allied Families Magraw's 6th Penna. Eegt., 2d Brig., Continental Line_ 1776, and was with Washington when he crossed the Delaware. A sword presented to him by General Washington is in possession of the George Hoffman fam- ily, formerly of Cressona. Cornelius Hoffman came to Brunswick Town- ship, Berks County, about 1780, where he married Elizabeth, da. of Phil- lip Alspach, a soldier in the Eevolutionary War. Jacob Hoffman, his son, m. Catharine Bensinger, whose mother was a Dreher. They settled in Orwigsburg, where they had the following children: Lavina, m. Feg- ley; Catharine m. Jacob Day; George m. Anna, da. of John Morris, of Pottsville; Henry W. m. Mrs. Mary A. Hesser; Caroline m. Charles Boyer; Elizabeth m. H. Gross; Perry m. Eliza Sillyman. With one or two ex- ceptions, all had large families.) WILLIAM E. BOYER Hannah Elizabeth Schwalm married William^ E. Boyer (William^ Charles^ B., John^ Henry, Johni Phillip), 1847; born October 29, 1823, d. July 29, 1898. Their children were: Francis W., Laura H., and Edmund S. William E. Boyer was born in Orwigsburg and came to Pottsville in the early forties, entering the tobacco business, in which he was en- gaged up to the time of his death. Although nominally in the retail business, the latter years of his life were spent in whosesaling to other firms. He made many trips to the to- bacco fields in the West and in Pennsylvania, his knowledge as an expert enabling him to buy up whole crops of the plant at a venture and oftentimes with great financial success. He amassed a comfortable fortune in the business and was looked upon as one of the most successful self made business men of Pottsville. (Charles B. Boyer, b. about 1758, enlisted December 17, 1781, Berks County MiHtia.i) Francis W. Boyer, graduate of Hahnemann College, and holding degrees from other supplementary medical courses, is one of Pottsville's most successful medical practitioners, en- joying the confidence and patronage of a large clientele of patients and their families in this city and throughout the (Note 1— Feb. 17, 1782, Revo. War, Penna. Archives, Vol. 5, p. 293; Fifth Series, Vol. 4, p. 2B6.) 428 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families surrounding county. He m. Caroline G. Hammekin (of Gouv- erneur, Ogden, old Colonial stock, New England), January 7, 1874, Pottsville, Pa. On the maternal side, Mrs. Boyer is a descendant of Frederick McCutcheon, private, and John Ayer, ensign, of the Continental Line, Revolutionary War. Their children are: Anne A., teacher in the Pottsville High School; Marion G., b. December 26, 1879, d. February 21, 1896; Gouverneur Boyer, practising physician w^ith offices with his father, Pottsville, Pa. ; Laura Frances, Caroline G., b. July I, 1888, d. March 9, 1903; Judith McCutcheon Boyer, m. James A. Sprenger, of Cressona, July 19, 191 1; teacher in the Country Day School for Boys, of Boston, at Newtonville, Mass., where they reside. They have one child. Laura H. Boyer (William E.) married James A. Medlar, manager of the Schuylkill Trust Company, Pottsville. He was formerly employed in the Reading company offices, was a member of the Pottsville School Board, and is interested in Y. M. C. A. and other philanthropic work. They had one daughter, Louise G., b. June 28, 1881, d. January 3, 1895. Edmund S. Boyer (William E.), a prominent lawyer of Somersworth, N. H., married Charlotte R. Burleigh, of that place. They have two sons : Francis B. and William E., the former m., and manager of a paper mill. Charlotte Burleigh, wife of Edmund Boyer, traces her ancestry back through the Russel, Copp, Robison, Hall, Dudley and Hilton families to Edward Hilton, one of the founders of New Hampshire, and to Governor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Col- ony. She belongs to the society of the Colonial Dames. THE BOYER FAMILY The Boyers ai'e descended from the Gallic Boii, who were scattered over the Rhine domain during the wandering of the races and who were active from the second century. The Beyers, Bayers (Boyers) were Huguenots and involved in the complications resulting from the revocation of the edict SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 429 Allied Families of Nantes, many fled thence to the Palatinates and about forty of that name came to Chester, afterward Montgomery, Lan- caster and Berks Counties, before 1775. The first two of whom we have any record are Heinrich and Hans Boyer, who came from Alsace with the immigrants, i709-'io, and settled in Livingston Manor, N. Y., coming to Chester Coun- ty (Berks) Pa., with the second influx of immigrants, 1728.^ (See Pioneer Map for land of Hans Boyer, and History of Heinrich Boyer, whose wife was Elizabeth Zerbe, on previ- ous page.) In 1728 there arrived from Rotterdam a Jacob "Bayer," wife and sons Valentine, Phillip and Jacob, who settled in Berks and Montgomery Counties, near the line and from whom sprang the Boyers in the vicinity of Boyertown. Col. Zaccur Praull Boyer, (b. 1832, d. 1900) commander of the 96th Regt., P. v., Schuylkill County, in the Civil War, was of this line. 1 73 1 there arrived others from Grunstadt, Palatinate, nine of them in the same vessel and of the same name, who settled in the same vicinity. John Phillip Boyer was among them. He died 1753 and is buried in Oley, Berks County. His son, John Henry, and Grandson Charles B. are both bur- ied at Amityville, Berks County. Charles B. had seven sons, of whom William'' E. of Orwigsburg, was one^. He had the following children with his first wife: Phillip, Rufus, St. Clair; Thomas, Iowa; Charles, Pottsville; Lewis, who went to Nebraska ; and William E., and one daughter, Maria, wf. of John Moyer, Pottsville, all deceased. JOHN ANDREW SCHWALM Was engaged in the furniture business in Orwigsburg prior to the removal of the family to Mahanoy City, where he entered the shoe business, being one of the pioneer shoe (Note 1 — Colonial History, New York.) (Note 2 — Ship Lists, Penna. Archives, 2d Series, Vol. XVII.) 430 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families dealers of that place. He subsequently removed to Shenan- doah with his son, where he died and is buried in the Baber cemetery, Pottsville. John Andrew Schwalm m. Catharine W. Hoy, December 25, 1848, da. of Henry Hoy, of Orwigsburg, who was b. May 5, 1829, d. January 3, 1887. Their children are: Emma E., wf. of Albert J. Luberg, d., who was promi- nently engaged in the hardware business in Shenandoah when he removed to Philadelphia where he engaged in the manu- facture of light furniture and the well-known Luberg chair upon which he secured a patent. He died March, 1914; c, Carrie S., m. Howard L. Kaucher, one da., ; Guy A. Luberg, m., and an infant deceased. Henry A. Schwalm, wf., Sarah K. Bowman ; c, Stella L., b. November 9, 1884, d. February 19, 1907; and Phaon H., electrician, of Philadelphia. Mr. Swalm is engaged in the merchant tailoring business in Mahanoy City, where the family has resided for many years. Thomas W. Swalm, one of the prominent homoeopathic physicians of Ptottsville, with a lucrative practice. He is president of the Pottsville School Board, having been elected to serve several terms. He m. Annie T. Rickert, da. of Col. Thomas Rickert, of Pottsville. No children. Allen H. Swalm, wf. Margaret W. Mofifatt, of Mahanoy City. They have two sons, John M., m. Dorris Richards, da. of W. J. Richards, Managing Superintendent of the Phila- delphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, and Robert A., single. On the removal of A. J. Luberg to Philadelphia, A. H. Swalm, with his father, John A., purchased the Luberg hardware business, Shenandoah, which he conducted many years, removing later to Pottsville, where he became the head of the Swalm Hardware Company doing a large business and with his sons is also connected with the automobile business and Swalm garage. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 431 Allied Families Joseph M. Schwalm, b. in Orwigsburg, learned the trade of coach maker and entered early in that business in Schuyl- kill Haven, where he owned property and had a shop about two blocks from the Reading depot. He removed from there to Mahanoy City, entering the grocery and truck business, his store being one of the leading ones in that line in the city. He removed from there to Philadelphia where he died. Joseph M. Schwalm married Angelina Boyer AUebach, of Middleport, b. December 9, 1828, d. October 29, 1912. Their children were: Andrew J., b. September 22, 1850, d. June, T913, m. Martha, da. of William A. Garrett, b. August 7, 1854, d. April I, 1906; c, Gertrude L., Florence M. and Marion K., d., wf. of E. K. Berlew, of Washington, 13. C. They had two c, Ebert Garrett, d., b. September 17, 1907, and John Swalm Berlew. Andrew J. Swalm was for many years manager of the Hooven Grocery Company at Sunbury, where the family have a handsome home and where he died. Sallie C. Swalm m. Robert A. Harper, of New Castle, Wyoming, rancher and English capitalist. No children. Three children deceased. Charles O. Swalm m. Carrie M. Oelirle. Is in the fringe, upholstery supply manufacturing business, Philadelphia. Children : Dr. Charles J. Swalm, pathologist, of the State Asylum, Norristown, m. Dr. William A. Swalm and Edna Caroline, also a graduated physician at the Women's Hospi- tal, Phila., and Ralph O., m. and in business with his father. Hannah E. Swalm, m. Madison Plish, November 24, 1880, live in HolHs, L. I., N. Y. ; da. Marian Plish, teacher. Mary E. Swalm, m. Thomas J. Andress, of Philadelphia ; children, Mabel S. and Thomas J. Ella A. Swalm, teacher in Philadelphia Normal School, b. September 3, 1866, d. December 19, 1905. Mabel A. Swalm, b. October 27, 1874, d. July 5, 1899; both of the above and the parents are buried in the Evangeli- cal cemetery, Orwigsburg. 432 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Sarah L. Schwalm (Andrew^) m. William M. Zerbey, (Zerbe history on previous page.) Amanda L. Schwalm m. Thomas Clouse, January i, 1854, b. April 4, 1831, d. March 4, 1903; cigar manufacturer and wholesaler, of Orwigsburg, with home in the large square near the old court house. He was a man of the strictest in- tegrity, one of the leading citizens of the town. Their chil- dren were: Clara L. Clouse, m. Charles W. Yost, owns mill at Lickdale, Lebanon County, Pa., where they live; c, Ella S. Yost, teacher of music in the public schools of Harrisburg, and Herbert C, at home; one deceased. Alice A. Clouse, b. August 17, 1859, d. 18C1. Ella H. Clouse, m. Newton H, Moyer, underwear manufacturer, of Or- wigsburg; lives in handsome home on Main St. No children. Franklin S. Clouse, twice married. First wf., Hannah S. Carpenter, one child, Clara; 2nd wf., Mrs. C. J. Yates; one son. Chief engineer, power house, Phila. Eapid Transit Company. Ida M. Clouse, m. George W. Garrett, cashier of the National Bank, of Orwigsburg; one son. Susan J. Schwalm, m. Thomas K. Wagner, of Schuylkill Haven, Pa. He was a boat builder at Landingville. They lived in the old Schwalm homestead, Orwigsburg, until boat building at Landingville was abandoned, when they removed to Cressona and from there to Rush County, Kan., where they took up government land and where both died and are buried. Their children were : John A. Wagner, m. Susan A. Wagner, of Cressona, prosperous farmer and ranchman, Rush County, Kan., insurance and land agent, lives in McCracken, Kan.; c. Bard D., died in young manhood, R. Susan and Bella E., at home ; John A., Jr., assistant to his father. Hannah Wagner m. John T. Boyle, lives in Chicago, da., Edith Boyle. Joseph S. Wagner m. Minnie Elias. Lived at Ness City, Kan., where he was city clerk for a time and held other politi- cal offices. They have a son, Joseph R., and live at present in Los Angeles, Cal. Harry Zerbey Wagner and Harvey T. are two other sons living in the West. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 433 Allied Families SCHWALMS OF THE HEGINS VALLEY It is claimed that John Schwalm, b. May 31, 1752, came to America from Germany, 1775, and settled in Hubley, orig- inally Mahantongo Township, Berks (Schuylkill) County, 1776. He died December 24, 1834. His wife was Odilla Bobb, b. February 16, 1765, d. February 24, 1836. The couple are buried at Coleman's church, Dauphin County, near the boundary line of Schuylkill County. They had but one child, Frederick Schwalm, from whom is descended all of the Schwalms of the west end of the county, now numbering about eight hundred persons of that name and inter-married. This branch are mainly farmers, although the professions are well represented among the younger representatives ; all are a highly prosperous, and intelligent, well-to-do, God-fearing race, some quite wealthy and all respected in the localities in which they live. Those that have made a research for the early records of the Schwalms in this county (Schwalms on previous page) find in the fact that John Schwalm (1752) was buried in Dau- phin County, where he had at his own expense built a church prior to settling in Mahantongo Twp. (This church was Mennonite, afterward United Brethren), the fact substantiated that he lived there and migrated to Mahantongo Township, Berks County, from another part afterward included in Dau- phin County, instead of coming there from Germany as claimed. The tax lists show a John Schwalm of the third genera- tion, (John^, John^), as having lived there, but there is, for reasons aforestated, no other record. If John Schwalm, of Hubley Township, was this man, then Odilla Bobb was his second wife, she having been thirteen years younger. Andrew Schwalm, of the other line, of the fourth generation, and John Schwalm, grandson of John (1752) were well acquaint- ed with each other and claimed kinship, although tradition does not state how it was proven. 434 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Frederick^ Schwalm (John^ 1752), first wf. Catharine, with whom he had thirteen children, six of whom are now living. Second wf., Sarah Suffing, no issue; third wf., Harriet Dieter, three children. They were: William, re- tired farmer. Valley View, m., has family : Emanuel, Post- master, Hegins ; Daniel, farmer, Hegins ; Peter, retired far- mer, Reiner City, b. August 21, 1836; twin sister, Catharine, Indiana ; Louisa, Illinois. All married, with large families ; Jackson lives in Hegins Township ; two deceased. John Schwalm, son of Frederic, b. Mahantongo Twp., December 25, 1818, served two years, i8S7-'58, as steward of the Schuyl- kill County Almshouse. His father, Frederick, was a director of the first public school in the township. Samuel, brother of Peter, served three years and three months in the Civil War, Peter taking charge of his farm. Peter bought the Schrob grist mill and farm of 129 acres, which he improved until it is now one of the model farms of the county, and upon which his son George M. lives, Peter having built a residence in Reiner City, to which he retired. He has been school di- rector and tax collector, and is a member of the Reformed church at Orwin. He married Maria Schrob, b. October 29, 1843, ^y whom he had seven children, two deceased: Ira, wf. of Elizabeth Jobe; son Elbert, Ellsworth, farmer, Hegins Township, seven children; Albert T. (son of George), school teacher for eighteen years, Porter Twp. ; William C, retired merchant, Tower City. John P., hardware merchant, Rei- nerton. Emanuel Schwalm and wf. Maria had eight children. Son, Morris, for thirteen years assistant on the survey of Schuylkill County, and for nine years managed a farm for Preston Miller, of the State Survey Corps. Charles is fore- man in a chair factory, Sheboygan, Wis. Alfred A. Schwalm, of Hegins, one of the prominent men of that name in the West End, Justice of the Peace, lives re- tired, farming a small tract more for pleasure and recreation SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 435 Allied Families than remuneration. He was engaged in school teaching for nineteen years. He married Alvaretta Fisher, by whom he had four children. He has educational certificates of high order and owns a fine library. He was a son of William and Sarah Schwalm. Joseph Schwalm is a prosperous merchant of Pinegrove, with one of the largest stores in that town. His mother, Sarah (Deibert), of Orwigsburg, wf. of William Schwalm, died 1904, aged 65 years. Joseph Schwalm worked on the farm, taught school and clerked in Pine Grove before em- barking in business for himself, being now one of the leading merchants. He married Lizzie Saltzer, by whom he had seven children: Alvin Quay, Allen Clay (twins), Harry, Guy, Stanford, Esther, living. Mr. Schwalm was president of borough council three years, but declined renomination. Andrew J. Schwalm, of Klingerstown, secretary and his- torian of the Schwalm Family Association, lives at Klingers- town. He owns a tract of land and is in the green grocery and truck business. He is married and has four children : Andrew J. Schwalm, (Daniel E., John, Frederick, John), (1752.) The Schwalms are family men and it would be impossi- ble to note all of their connections and the names of their offspring. If the reader doubts this assertion let him visit the annual family reunion held annually, August 15, at Valley View, and he will verify it beyond a doubt. The following is an incomplete list of the heads : Schwalms of Hubley Township, Formerly Mahantongo. Henry C. Schwalm, Fearnot; Samuel R Schwalm, Val- ley View; Rev. Clarence Schwalm, Valley View; A. T. Schwalm, Muir; Henry G. Schwalm, Fearnot; Albert Schwalm, Klingerstown ; Ellsworth Schwalm, Valley View ; Frank Schwalm, Valley View; M. S. Schwalm, Hegins; Samuel E. Schwalm, Hegins; Harrison Schwalm, Elkhart, 436 BLUE BOOK OF Allied Families Ind. ; Ellis Schwalm, Valley View ; Reilly Schwalm, Donald- son ; Daniel E. Schwalm, Valley View ; A. P. Schwalm, Klin- gerstown ; S. E. Schwalm, Hegins ; A. A. Schwalm, Valley View; C. H. Schwalm, Gratz; Harvey Schwalm, Williams- town ; William and Clarence Schwalm, Williamstown ; Ezra Schwalm, Tremont; Ira Schwalm, Valley View; John Schwalm, Samuel Schwalm, Frank H. Schwalm, S. E. Schwalm and Ellis P. Schwalm, all of Valley View. Of the many women of the Schwalm family, over a hun- dred of them have intermarried with other families and no record of them has been taken for these pages. (Note — Some of the younger members of this branch have adopted "Swalm" as the spelling of their name.") SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 437 PottsvUle Erected Pottsville Erected THE GREAT ROAD OR KING'S HIGHWAY pHE Lightfoot survey, of 1759, was the forerunner of the Great Road or King's Highway, built 1770. This sur- vey led from Reading to Fort Augusta, Shamokin (now Sunbury). From the Conrad Minnich tract (Seven Stars, Manheim Twp.), on which there was a roadhouse when the road was built, 1770, and from Francis Yarnall's tract ad- joining, there was not a single dwelling till Fort Augusta was reached, where food or shelter for the surveyors could be obtained. Nothing but a howling wilderness for a distance of forty miles. January 30, 1768, Governor John Penn laid before the Provincial Council, a petition from the people of Berks County, stating that "the building of such a road to the head of the Susquehanna would tend greatly to advance trade and com- merce with the Indians." The route of this road followed the "Tulpehocken Path," and was completed early in 1771. At Pottsville it crossed the Schuylkill opposite the Pottsville Hospital and wound around the hill to East Norwegian Street, fording both branches of the river. One branch of the road ran up the hill (near the Robert Ramsey residence) and wound around where the Henry Clay monument stands, and out along the famous Indian Path to near Fifteenth and Mahan- tongo Streets, where it descended on the Arthur Sheafer grounds, then to York Farm, and finally joined the branch 438 BLUE BOOK OF Pottsville Erected that ran along Coal Street and over the Bull's Head road to Minersville and thence to Sunbury. THE SWATARA ROAD At court, held November 6, 1811, in Reading, before Judge Porter, viewers reported that they had laid out a public road, in pursuance of an order from court, through the lands of Thomas Lightfoot, John Reed, Jacob Faust, Phillip Klauser, Martin Dreibelbis, to Mathias Bechtold's, on the old Sunbury road, through the Swatara Gap, a distance of four- teen miles, to the "Great Road." The first report was made August, 181 1. The viewers were: George Raush, Jacob Dreher, Daniel Bensinger, William Green and George Orwig (all from the vicinity of McKeansburg). They received seventy-five cents, each per day for the work, which was afterward increased to one dollar. — (Court house records.) THE FIRST TURNPIKE ROAD In America was chartered, April 9, 1792. It was sixty- two miles in length and extended from Philadelphia to Lancaster. The Germantown and Perkiomen road, of twenty-five miles, and the Perkiomen and Reading road, of twenty-nine miles followed. The Centre Turnpike, of seventy-five miles, was chartered and incorporated March 25, 1805. It connected Reading with the Susquehanna at Sun- bury. Its course ran through Pottsville on what is now Centre Street, out to where the Odd Fellows' and Catholic cemeteries are located, and thence to Sunbury. Centre Street was then a vast marsh and the lowest points, from Mauch Chunk Street to the gas house, were filled in with logs and stones, the first "Corduroy Road" in this vicinity. EARLY STAGES John Coleman ran stages once a week from Reading to Sunbury and back, carrying the mail. On June 27, 1829, a SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Pottsville Erected I daily mail commenced running between Philadelphia and Pottsville. So great was the traffic that soon after it started three wagons were required to conve}' the passengers and in 1830 there were three stage lines competing for the traf- fic, the "Clover," the "Reside," and the "Coleman." The time for leaving Pottsville was two o'clock in the morning and the time of arrival in Philadelphia was eight P. M. of the same day. THE SCHUYLKILL CANAL March 8, 1815, an Act was passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature incorporating the Schuylkill Navigation Com- pany. The work was divided into two sections extending from Philadelphia to Reading and from that city to Mill Creek, Schuylkill County. The distance was 108 2-3 miles and the canal was completed and open to navigation, 1821. In 1825 the port at Mt. Carbon was doing a large business in the shipment of lumber and merchandise. FIRST RAILWAYS IN AMERICA At the close of 1826 there were only two railroads in America with the following mileage: Leiper, tram road, at the stone quarries, Crum Creek, Delaware County, Penn- sylvania, mileage, one mile. Quincy, tram road, Quincy, Mass., mileage, three miles. April 8, 1826, the Danville, Northumberland County, and Pottsville, Schuylkill County, railroad was incorporated. This road passed through many misfortunes and finally became insolvent in 1842, and was sold at sheriff's sale, January 16, 1851. In 1826 Abraham Heebner, of Port Carbon, built a rail- way one half mile in length to connect his mines with the Schuylkill Canal. MT. CARBON RAILWAY An Act to incorporate the Mount Carbon Railway Com- pany passed the Legislature 1829. The Mine Hill Railroad 440 BLUE BOOK OF Pottsville Erected was chartered March 24, 1828, and was built to the canal landing, Schuylkill Haven, October 8, 1831. The main line extended from Schuylkill Haven to Locust Gap. It was leased to the Reading Company May 12, 1864. The Schuyl- kill Valley railway was built to the coal landing, Port Car- bon, 1830. The Mt. Carbon railway extended from Mt. Car- bon to Mt. LaflFee and Wadesville. Horses and mules were first used. When engines were adopted the roads using them reserved the right to return to horses if the locomotives did not prove practicable. These cars for the carrying of coal and freight only, did not run faster than three or four miles an hour. Ground was broken, 1835, for the Philadelphia and Read- ing railway, from Mt. Carbon to Philadelphia. In 1827 a dissension arose as to the name of the new borough, Potts- ville, incorporated 1828. Mt. Carbon wanted to be the main city and wanted the name of the combined settlements to be called Lewisport. January i, 1842, the first trip of ninety- one miles, from Mt. Carbon to Fairmount, was made over the Reading railway and consumed eight hours. The cars were miniature affairs and the engines were small, and as compared with the trains of the present day, they looked like toy engines and cars. FIRST DISCOVERY OF COAL The Norway and Pinegrove tracts, in Norwegian and Manheim Townships, were surveyed, 1766. William* Scull (Nicholas^, Nicholas^ Scull) was of the third generation of surveyors of that name. His father, Nicholas^ Scull, had surveyed other tracts in this township, and his grand- father, Nicholas! Scull, was Surveyor General of Pennsyl- vania. In 1769 William Scull and William Maclay were employed to fix the boundary lines between Berks and Northampton County, and near where Ashland now stands they noticed the existence of coal. The map of his grand- SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 443 Pottsville Erected above, who removed from the forest to near the site of the Pottsville Hospital, where Jeremiah Reed was born, Decem- ber 19, 1800. In 1804 John Pott bought from Lewis Reese, Isaac Thomas and Sarah Morris, the furnace and ground upon which the settlement had been made (for there were other settlers living here, at that date, who worked at the forge and grist mill. Stein's Mill). Lewis Reese had no children ; Isaac Thomas had several, one of whom, Isaac' Thomas, lived in a log cabin at the forks of the Schuylkill and Norwegian Creek, which he named "Norway," and from this the Norway and Norwegian tracts and subsequently the townships were named. The purchase of John Pott also included the ground of the Minnich, Zoll, Mayfield, Wilson, Moorfield and Physic tracts of land in. Norwegian Township. WHEN POTTSVILLE WAS BUILT On April 27, 1808, Lewis Reese sold to John Pott, two hundred and twenty-seven acres of land, which covers the old site of Pottsville, and a straggling row of houses was built, i8o6-'o8, to accommodate the workmen. The town was laid out in 1816, to which subsequent additions were made, but Pottsville was not regularly incorporated as a Borough until 1828. John Pott removed here in 1810. He died October 23, 1827. John White, in 1829, President of the Schuylkill Navi- gation Company, built the Kleinert mansion and the block of houses opposite, afterward included in the Mansion House block, Mt. Carbon.. In 1818 Henry Donnelly built a log house where Penn Hall now stands. There was one 'house in the town plot, 1816, Schwoyer's, near corner of Railroad and Union Streets, when the town was laid out. Others fol- lowed, in 1818, George Dengler built a two story hotel on the site of the Allan House; a log house was put up by John Pott on the corner where the Episcopal church stands; William Casserly erected one on the corner opposite, occu- 444 BLUE BOOK OF Pottsville Erected pied now by Miller's ; an oil mill and distillery was estab- lished on the northwest corner of East Norwegian and Rail- road Streets by John Pott, Jr. ; Joseph Blockley built a log house where the Reading telegraph office and N. C. Morrison's store now stand, and the Cheney's built a log house on the site of Centennial Hall ; the log school house was built cor- ner of Centre and Race Streets, and others followed until 1824, when there was a straggling row along Centre Street, and other houses began to be erected on the three intersect- ing main streets until the town was incorporated, March 11, 1828. 1829 — Ten houses were erected on Coal Street, ten on Mahantongo, called Clinton Row, on site of the late Academy. 1830 the present Miners' Bank was erected and ten small frame houses on Coal Street, where the Pennsylvania Rail- road watchbox now stands, near Callowhill (East Arch Street) ; the two stone houses. Fifth and Mahantongo Streets; and "Pleasant Row," between Sixth and Seventh, Mahantongo Street. Jacob Alter was a prominent builder engaged on the above. John C. Offerman, above referred to, who lived and kept store where the D., P- & S.'s store now stands, corner Centre and Mahantongo Streets, built the ten small stone houses known as the "Hospital" (owing to the upper part of them having been used as such during an epi- demic of smallpox and for a short time subsequently.) John Shippen, James Beatty and James Carpenter built three brick residences where the P. & R. Company building now stands, Mahantongo, near Second Street, and E. Fister, John Ruch and A. K. Whitner followed with the three stone houses in the square above Third and Mahantongo Streets. Job Rich and the father of Ben Erdman (who died in 1913 at the age of 97), came to Pottsville in 1824. Dr. James Carpenter came 1829. Hugh Carlin, 1832. John C. Offer- man was an early progressive citizen. Pie was a one armed man but did much for the advancement of the borough. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Pottsville Erected 445 Other progressive citizens who came later from 1828 to 1850 were : Samuel Heffner, the Gillinghams, Mardis, P. W. Sheaffer, Decatur Nice, Christopher Loeser, Charles Witman, Judge E. O. Parry (N. H.), Charlemagne Tower (N. Y.), Dr. Chichester, Charles Frailey, Samuel Lewis, George Halberstadt, M. D., Lebbeus Whitney, Thomas Walker, the Taylors, Ruchs, Hills, Mills, . George M. Gumming, Francis B. Nichols, John Crosland, Benjamin Heywood, G. W. Sny- der, the Bocams, Thomas Hopkins, C. M. Baber, Samuel Sillyman, Charles M. Atkins, the Fosters (Mass.), John Ship- pen, Bosbyshells, Hiram Parker, James Beatty, Robert Woodside, Yardleys, Charles Hill, Nathan ^^'etzel, Wooli- sons, Lords, Emanuel Hause, Samuel Griscom, Jacob Ulmer, and others of more recent date. 446 BLUE BOOK OF Old Time Stories SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 447 Old Time Stories Old Time Stories STORIES RELATED OF JUDGE HEGINS ; NE of the early jurists of the Schuylkill County Courts was Charles W. Hegins, appointed 1850. Judge Hegins had a fine legal acumen and was noted for his strict technical jurisprudence and unswerving probity of character. He was afflicted with curvature of the spine and like King Richard III, was badly humpbacked. The court was held at the old county seat of Orwigsburg before the seat of justice was removed to Pottsville. Pine Swamp, in Brunswick Township, was the home of a mongrel race of a bad mixture of negroes, whites and half- breed Indians, some of them runaway slaves, and criminals and fugitives from justice. They maintained themselves by hunting, fishing, basket making and stealing from the far- mers, working at intervals during haying and harvesting. One of these, a negro, was arraigned before the court for stealing a ham and sausages from a neighboring farmer. He was sentenced by Judge Hegins to one year's imprison- ment in the county jail. The negro could only speak Pennsylvania German and being inclined to resent the mandate of the court, shouted across the aisle in the prevailing vernacular to one of his cro- nies who was seated there: "Wass hut der Shillgrut ksawt?" (What did the mud turtle say?) "Two years," said Judge Hegins. 448 BLUE BOOK OF Old Time Stories DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE Judge Hegins was a bachelor and boarded at the Penn- sylvania Hall Hotel, where Washington Garrett served as mixologist. Every morning he fixed up a fancy cocktail as an eje-opener for the Judge, who was not an intemperate man but a good liver; and "Wash" did his best to tickle his palate with a drink with all the "frills" in it. Garrett got into trouble with a neighbor and suit was brought against him. Judge Hegins had so frequently ex- pressed his appreciation of "Wash's" efforts to please his tastes that he thought the Judge might do him a favor and he related to him the circumstances and asked him to favor him when the suit was brought up before court. Judge Hegins replied: "Washie, you had better settle that case, I am not the same man up at that bar, if you come before me, that I am when I come before you, at your bar." The case was settled. Judge Hegins died about 1855 and was succeeded by E. O. Parry, who was appointed Judge by the Governor. (Washington Garrett was in the Mexican War and a good soldier.) LONE GRAVE IN TUMBLING RUN VALLEY On the south side of Tumbling Run Mountain (Sharp) is a lone grave in the wilds. It has a small headstone and on it a rude inscription, which deciphered states, that Nathan Webb, hunter, lies beneath the mound. The Joseph Webb family, father of Mrs. Samuel Gumpert, of Pottsville, lived in the Tumbling Run Valley. An Obadiah Webb, of Manheim Township, bought a town lot in Orwigsburg, 1795. They were of the same family, doubtless, brothers and sons of John Webb, settled on land (near McKeansburg, 1750.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 449 Old Time Stories A POTTSVILLE AMAZONIAN Hannah Gough, who kept a hotel on the site of the Phila- delphia and Reading Railway depot, Pottsville, was a large woman and conducted her place as orderly as could be ex- pected in the early days, along in the 'sixties, with the rough element that came down from the mountain to attend court or other business and who visited Hannah Gough's in droves before going home. Often she was compelled to clear out her bar room before train time, that its patrons might sprint down Railroad Street to Union to the station. Or if on a Saturday night after pay, the crowd became too unruly, she alone and unassisted, put out the unlucky offenders. Her fearlessness and prowess as a queller of disturb- ances was often a subject of comment. She kept a number of boarders too, and one day one of them propounded this question at the table : "What is stronger than Hannah Gough?" No one could answer, when he said, "Her butter." HOW THE WOLVES WERE EXTERMINATED. In the early history of the county wild animals abounded. Wolves, catamounts and panthers terrorized the tillers of the soil, who seldom left their humble abodes without a shot gun or rifle. The depredations of wolves about butchering time in the late Fall of the year, when they scented the odor from the freshly killed domestic animals, were particularly annoy- ing and dangerous. After the war of 1812 the U. S. government ordered the sale of all condemned horses (a precedent established that was followed at the close of the Civil War). 450 BLUE BOOK OF Old Time Stories These animals were sold for a mere song and hundreds of them were bought by the Pennsylvania farmers, many of them being brought to Schuylkill County. An old Pottsville settler (Jeremiah Reed), said that, "from close confinement in the vessels in which they were transported, these horses contracted the glanders." The far- mers worked them as long as they could, in most cases iso- lating them from their other cattle and when no longer fit to work, took them out into the woods and shot them. The wolves came in packs and devoured them, were poisoned by the score and died. This exterminated the wolves. OLD NORTHKILL CHURCH, BERNVILLE The old Northkill Church, built of logs, stood upon an acre of ground donated December 25, 1745, by Gottfried Fid- ler, to which Samuel Filbert subsequently gave another acre to be used for church and cemetery purposes. Each acre was in the form of a triangle, the two making a perfect square. In 1791 the old log was superseded by a brick structure, which was in turn replaced by the handsome red sandstone building erected 1897. This church was Lutheran until 1834, when the Reformed people obtained an interest in it. John Caspar Stoever was pastor of the log church, 1745. It is related that one of the original donors of the land upon which the log church stood, committed suicide and was buried outside of the stone wall that surrounded the ceme- tery. Subsequent generations of this man discovered his tomb and on applying to the church authorities for a lot, his remains were re-interred in the cemetery to which, and to the church, he had been a generous contributor during his life time. (The "Penn Germania," January, 1913, Vol. 11, No. I, contains a partial list of those persons, born prior to 1801, from inscriptions taken from the tombstones in this cemetery.) SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 451 Old Time Stories HOW DEVIL'S HOLE WAS NAMED Tuyful's Loch obtained its name from an Orwigsburg peddler who traveled about the southern part of the county about 181 1, soon after it was separated from Berks. As is well known the section of the country along the Blue Moun- tains, between Port Clinton and Tamaqua, is among the wildest and most picturesque to be found anywhere, either in the United States or abroad. Several spurs of the moun- tain unite here separated in the prehistoric ages by a mighty upheaval of nature and the wierd result is a huge bowl-like series of short valleys or outlets between the mountains, which tower high above them on every side, throwing their shadows on the limpid and silvery stream at the foot even on the brightest sunshiny day. The rocky declivities are covered with moss, and during the spring or after heavy rains these rocks are overflown, forming cascades and water falls adding to the scene which is one of indescribable beauty and grandeur. The peddler with his pack had been gone on his accus- tomed trip, but not arriving home at the usual time, his family became alarmed. At last he came looking rather the worse for his experience; he had lost himself in the wilds, and on being questioned said : "Ich wahr drei tag im Tuyful's sei Loch, uhn bin yusht rouse cumma." And Devil's Hole it has been called ever since. "SIILY BILLY" BUSINESS The foolish claims, on the part of many persons who may, perhaps, be of the same name as some great dignitary abroad, or military chief who achieved distinction in the early wars in Europe or America, to establish a relationship with them or claim them as founders of their families, is becoming 453 BLUE BOOK OF Old Time Stories a craze with some in this country. The story of a Pottsville man, whom we will call Platz (it was not his name) is apropos of this foolishness. The Pottsville man had achieved some distinction and was highly popular in his home town, when he went abroad. Traveling in Germany he heard of a Von Platz, who stood high at the German court and belonged to the Royal family. With characteristic American independence, Platz visited the royal castle and sent in his card, "Herr Platz, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, United States of America," and requested an interview with his supposed august relative (?). He could not obtain an audience with General Von Platz and the court police, or royal flunkeys, surrounded him on the return of the emissary, he had liberally tipped to represent him and he was told in the vernacular (German was his mother tongue) "to make himself scarce at once or he would be arrested and imprisoned as an imposter." Platz was cured of his desire to connect himself with the German aristocracy and no one relished the story more than Platz himself on his return. Another story of Platz, who died some years since, was, that, like many a good man he dreaded death, and was very explicit in his directions as to what he wanted done when he was ready to "shuffle ofif this mortal coil." His good wife demurred at the multiplicity of directions he gave, as death drew near, when he remarked, "Never mind, Maria, I have to do the dying, not you." OH ! POOR NATTY MILLS One of the good old tales handed down by a resident of Orwigsburg is to this effect: At a political meeting held in the ancient county seat, Lawyer Neville and Natty Mills had a little tilt between SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 453 Old Time Stories them that gave origin to the poetical saw on Mills that was afterward so popular, appearing on the banners of his po- litical opponent and sung by the Whig Clubs as they marched along. In the course of his speech Mr. Neville said : "Oh! poor Natty Mills, Oh ! Poor Natty Mills, We'll give him a dose of castor oil And then a dose of pills." Not to be outdone Natty Mills, who was on the plat- form and succeeded the speaker, retorted : "Oh ! poor Lawyer Neville, A native very queer, One leg he left in Ireland, The other one is here." Neville was a one-legged Irishman and Natty Mills a popular local Democratic politician, who kept a hotel on the corner of Second and West Arch Streets, Pottsville. The same resident of Orwigsburg, at this writing, 1914, eighty years of age, is authority for the statement that Charlemagne Tower, Esq., of Philadelphia, late Ambassa- dor to the German Empire, was not, as claimed, born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, but in New York. The Tower family lived in Pottsville, northwest corner of Fourth and Mahantongo Streets. Mr. Tower was raised and educated in the place; before his birth, however, his mother, Mrs. Mulvina Tower, visited friends in New York and the ac- couchment took place in that State. The house in which the Tower family first lived prior to coming to Pottsville, a modest two-story frame building opposite the Evangelical Church, Orwigsburg, was razed this summer, 1914, to make way for a more modern dwelling. 454 , BLUE BOOK OF Old Time Stories COULD NOT BE FOOLED When the first train came up to Mount Carbon after the Reading railroad was built, January i, 1842, it excited considerable curiosity and the people assem,bled along the line to see it pass. The cars were small box cars and the engine was a miniature afifair that puffed and snorted and seemed to move with great effort and the train was four hours late from Reading. On the knoll at Auburn a crowd of people from the surrounding country waited to see the "iron monster" and discuss the merits of such locomotion. After the train passed an old lady, much excited, jumped up and waved her arms and said : "Kannscht mich net foolah, 'sin guile unner die inchine, Ich hab sie gesehne schnaufe" ("You can't fool me, there were horses under the engine, I saw them breathing.") Note : — When the Reading railway was completed from Reading to Mount Carbon, trucks with planks laid across them for seats, were provided for such as chose to avail them- selves of free transportation and try a ride on the new road. Many took, as they imagined, their lives in their hands when they ventured to take advantage of the new method of locomo- tion. When General Winfield Scott, commander in chief of the United States army, visited Pottsville, after the close of the Mexican War, a like privilege was afforded by the Reading Company to the people from the southern end of the county. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 455 Old Time Stories HESSIAN ANCESTORS February 22, 1776, and after, nearly 30,000 German troops were sent to aid the British during the Revolutionary War, more than half being furnished by the Prince of Hesse-Cas- sel. All were called "Hessians" by the Americans, although over 6,000 were from Brunswick and 7,000 from other smaller principalities. Most of these men were serving compulsory terms in the German armies when they were sold by their mercenary rul- ers to the British and sent to fight the colonists. The de- scendants of some of these are among the leading families of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Some were mere students and others were men of high education and some brought their wives and children with them, all were sufiferers of military despotism. In 1785, several families who were of the 1000 or more encamped as prisoners at Reading, who had deter- mined to remain in this country, crossed the Blue Mountains and after some wandering settled in the extreme western end of what is now Pottsville. They called the little village- "Hesse Stettle^" which name was finally merged into that of Yorkville. The Hessians were frugal and industrious and their descendants are among Pottsville's best citizens. FROM WILLS PROBATED BEFORE 1800, NAMING EARLY SETTLERS OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (Berks County Register's Office) 1795, November 2, Peter Neuschwender, Manheim Twp. 1798, August 20, Peter Buechler, Pinegrove Twp. 1799, October 15, Martin Dreibelbis, Manheim Twp. 1799, December 24, Jacob Schnell, Manheim Twp. 1785, October 19, John Dietrich Fahl, Brunswick Twp. 456 SCHUYLKILL CO. BLUE BOOK Old Time Stories 1788, February 28, Ludwig Herring, Innkeeper, Bruns- wick Twp. 1793, August 27, Jacob Kimmel, Brunswick Twp. 1799, March 4, John Kopp, Pinegrove Twp. 1798, June 25, Peter Meyer, Manheim Twp. 1788, January 12, Balzer Neufang, Brunswick Twp. 1795, June 22, Matthews Reich, Manheim Twp. 1785, June 22, John Runckle, Brunswick Twp. 1793, May 4, Frederick Schnock, Pinegrove Twp. 1789, May II, Jacob Sheafer, Brunswick Twp. 1785, March 25, Richard Stephens, Brunswick Twp. 1799, October 21, Simon Strause, Manheim Twp. 1786, October 2, George Jacob Uh'ich, Pinegrove Twp.