USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > Blue book of Schuylkill County : who was who and why, in interior eastern Pennsylvania, in Colonial days, the Huguenots and Palatines, their service in Queen Anne's French and Indian, and Revolutionary Wars : history of the Zerbey, Schwalm, Miller, Merkle, Minnich, Staudt, and many other representative families > Part 5
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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.)
(Note 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.)
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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."1
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.2
Thomas Ebling says "his father and grandfather frequent- ly showed him the place where the fort stood."3
Of the old fort nothing remains except a hole in the field twenty-four feet from the road marking the cellar. A spring nearby would indicate that this was the water used.+
(Note 1-Penna. Archives, Vol. II, p. 665.)
(Note 2-Bernard Reilly, 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.)
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SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 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 Allemaengle.
The Pennsylvania Gazette, September 1, 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 Allemaengle, (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'."1
(Note 1-Zerbe History, Part 2.)
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BLUE BOOK OF Indian Troubles in Penna.
Fort Franklin was not an important fort and was aban- doned 1757.1
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.2
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. III, p. 152.)
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...... .
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
FORT LEBANON, BERKS CO. (SCHUYLKILL CO.,) PA., 1755
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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 Shamokin road. Fort Swatara was southwest, the forts were twenty-five miles apart. Seventy-five people were killed and their houses burned in this district.1
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.3
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.4
(Note 1-Conrad Weiser's letter, Penna. Archives, 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. Rec. VI, p. 756.)
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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."1
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.)
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SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 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, lumber merchant of Pinegrove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.1
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 1, 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. Rec., Vol. VI, p. 771.)
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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
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SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 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."1
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"2; 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, "Allein und doch nicht ganz allein bin ich," were from Union County and not Lebanon.3
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 I-Mrs. Hartman and her daughter, Regina, are buried in the old cemetery of Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, Berks County.)
(Note 2-Penna. German Society Magazine, Vol. VII, p. 12.)
(Note 3-No. 8, Vol. III, Schuylkill County Historical Society Publi- cation.)
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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.1 23
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 has 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 Ediet 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.)
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SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 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 Alle- maengle, among them Heinrich Adam Ketner and his wife Katharine.1
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 Scheffer, 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.2
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 Scheffer 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. III, p. 36.)
(Note 2-See Miller History, Part 2.)
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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.12
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. 77, 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.3 4
(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-Rupp's History of Berks County contains an extract which says, "the Finscher massacre was the cause of the desertion of all the settlements north of the Blue Mountain.")
By the PROPRIET ARIES.
Pennsylvania, ff. W Land
HEREAS Conrad Munich requested that we would allow fein
of the County of Berks hath
to take up Que funded a
Acres of (adjoining h: Schwarty, In. Dunder and Martin (Bodoger's Lands Beyond The Blue Mountains Hand to include an Improvementet of by the ad formad Munich four years before the breaking outof thelast Indian War in 175 which lige him tofly from his Sad improvement and all his headings of consider alles Value were (Bon't By the Indiany)
Return of denvery into to
envoyer Errate this Warrantand,
To Daniel Brother Brat Deputy
in the daed County of (Beats for which he agrees to pay to our Ufe, within the Term of Six Months from the Date hereof, at the Rate of Fifteen Pounds, Tan Shillings, current Money of this Pro- vince, for every Hundred Acres; and alfo to pay the yearly Quit-rent of One Halfpenny Sterling for every Acre thereof, to us, our Heirs and Affigns for ever : Thefg are therefore to authorife and require you to fur- vey, or canfe to be furveyed, unto the faid Pomad Munich
according to the Method of Townships appointed, the faid Quantity of Thehundred at the Place aforefaid,
Acres, if not already furveyed or appropriated, and make Return thereof into the Secretary's Office, in order for Confirmation ; for which this fhall be your fufficient Warrant: Which Warrant and Survey, in cafe the faid Conrad Munich. fulfil the above agreement within Six Months from the Date hereof, fhall &be valid, otherwde. void. GIVEN under my Hand and, the Seal of the Land-Office by Virtue of certain Powers from the fald PROPRIETARIES, at Philadelphia, this Fileet Day of January/ Anno Domini One Thoufand Seven Hundred and 221 na fifty fiveex.
Choli Folie
Forthen Liche ne Gras
"To John Lukens, Surveyor-General.
Ihn Jenn
ORIGINAL DEED FROM JOHN PENN TO CONRAD MINNICH FOR SEVEN STARS, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PROPERTY.
Interest and Quittent from 1 March 1760, (By Special Order ofthe governor_
Suretars Office
make C.P.
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SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Indian Troubles in Penna.
BY THE PROPRIETARIES
(Copied from the original)
Interest and quit Rent from 7 March 1760 By Special Order
of the Governor. Wm. Peters,
Sect.
To Daniel Brodhead, Esq., Deputy Surveyor. Execute this Warrant and make
return of Surety into the Secre- tary office-
for John Lukens, Esq. Robert Dill
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 and Martin Bodorgers lands, beyond the blue mountains, and to include an Improvement setled by the said Conard 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.
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