History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 188

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418

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About 1835 Benjamin Haas opened a public- house in a building which had previously been used as a farm-house. Later, John B. Reber was a host at this place. In 1885 Philip Obold was the landlord. The first tavern in this locality was half a mile southeast, on the State road, and kept by Jacob Good. It was discontinued about 1830. A store was also kept there. Here is now the wagon-factory of Frank Gruber, oc- cupying a large building and operated by water- power since the summer of 1883

The first store in the village was kept by Elias Obold, who commenced trading in 1851, in the building which is occupied by E. Obold

& Sons, general merchants. The Lower Bern post-office was established here, with Joseph Obold postmaster, a position which has been held since 1864 by P. Reily F. Obold. The office has a daily mail from Reading.

On a farm just above the village Dr. Daniel Deppen lived and practiced medicine a period of forty years. He was the father of four sons, who also became physicians, namely, Darius Daniel Deppen (Bernville), James W. Deppen (Wernersville), Joseph F. Deppen and William P. Deppen (both at Reading). After Dr. Dan- iel Deppen, his son James was a practitioner a short time at Mount Pleasant, and was succeed- ed by Dr. Henry C. Moore; and he, in 1880, by the present, Dr. David H. Hain.

-Since 1867 Dr. O. E. Collins & Son, veter- inary surgeons, have extensively practiced their profession at this place.

The manufacture of cigars is carried on since 1877 by Jacob D. Madeira. In 1885 a fine factory had a working capacity for thirty-five hands. He employed from ten to twenty men and boys. Another factory, of smaller capacity, is operated by Darins Althouse.

Plow-making is carried on by E. H. Gruber, and coach-making by Isaac H. Gruber.

In the neighborhood of Scull's Hill, Jacob Hiester had an old-time tavern, afterward kept by Levi Balthaser, who opened and carried on a store in connection with the tavern. Under his management the stand became widely known. The store has long since been discontinued. Ben- jamin Haas also kept an early inn at this place, and northwest there were also country taverns for many years, which have been converted to other nses.

In the township, aside from the mills noticed in the sketch of Bernville, there were, on the North-Kill, several miles above the borongh, fulling and carding-mills, belonging to Peter Mogle and Daniel Klahr, both of which have been discontinued and the power used to oper- ate saw-mills. In their day a large amount of work was done and they proved a great accom- modation to the people of this part of the county. Below Bernville, on the Tulpehocken, are two good water-powers, which were im- proved by the Stoudt family, who there erected

1138

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

mills. The buildings now used were put up within the last fifty years. Jacob Bohn is the present owner of the lower mill and Harrison Kalbach of the upper. Intermediate is the old Conrad mill, on a small stream near the canal, on which a warehouse had been built for its ac- commodation. The water failing, steam was supplied, and it is still carried on, with this double power, by Joseph B. Conrad. Many years ago the Conrads had a powder-mill 1 at

dents attending either at Bernville Church, to the north, or the Bern, to the southeast.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

WILLIAM UMBENHAUER, is descended from German ancestors, his grandfather having been Thomas Umbenhauer, the founder of the pres- ent thriving borough of Bernville, who resided on the farm now owned by the subject of this

William Nembenhauer

this place, which was changed to a clover-mill, ; biography, when he was both a farmer and a also long since abandoned.

Near Bern Church was, in the early history of the township, a gun-barrel factory, operated by water-power and owned by Henry Deitz. Daniel B. Fisher converted this power to other use and it now operates a grist-mill. Subse- quently steam was added.

There is no church in this township, the resi-

1 An explosion occurred at this mill on July 25, 1838, and one man (Joseph Long) was killed.

carpenter. He married Maria Catharine Stoudt of Penn township and had children-John, Peter, Daniel, Magdalena, Catherine and Eliza- beth. Peter spent his life as a farmer on the homestead where he was born. He mar- ried Sarah, daughter of John Reber, of the same township. Their children are a son, Wil- liam, and a daughter, Mary, deceased, wife of Isaac Kalbach. William Umbenhauer, was born on the 21st of June, 1824, on the ances- tral land, of which he is now the owner. He

1139

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

received such educational advantages as the neighboring school afforded with additional op- portunities at a boarding-school in Unionville, after which two winters were spent in teaching. He then gave his attention exclusively to the labor of the farm, and on the death of his father, in 1869, inherited the property. He was, on the 7th of September, 1844, married to Su- sanna, daughter of Peter Spang, of North Heidelberg township. Their children are

Thomas S., married to Annie Stover, who has four children), Henry S. (married to Jennic Shadel, who has one child), William S. (married to Jennie Hain, whose only daughter is de- ceased), Milton S., Isaac S., John S., Daniel S., Catherine, and four who are deceased. Mr. Umbenhauer discontinued the management of the farm in 1883, which is now in the hands of his son, Thomas S., and retired from active labor. He is a Democrat in his political associa- tions and was in 1869 elected justice of the peace for his township, which office he still fills. His ability and upright character have caused his services to be frequently in demand as executor, administrator and guardian. He is a director of the Windsor Mutual Fire Insur- ance Company of Berks County. He is public- spirited and during the late civil war showed a high degree of patriotism by assisting in filling the quota of men required from Penn township. Mr. Umbenhauer is a member of the Lutheran Church of Bernville.

CENTRE TOWNSHIP.1

ERECTION OF TOWNSHIP .- Upon the appli- cation of inhabitants of Bern, Upper Bern and Penn townships for the erection of a new town- ship out of parts of the townships named, the Court, on February 16, 1842, appointed An- thony Bickel, James Donagan and Matthias S. Richards as commissioners to view the district. The commissioners went upon the premises, and finding that a new district would be advanta- geous to the inhabitants, laid off the following territory :

"Beginning at the mouth of the Mill Creek, on the

1 The papers relating to the erection of this township could not be found. The facts were taken from the record.

western bank of the Schuylkill; thence S. 64} W. 825 ps., and S. 46} W. 505 ps., to the line of Bern Upper and Penn townships ; thence along said line S. 80 W. 128 ps .; thence S. 24 E. 665 ps., S. 16 E. 560 ps., and N. 77 E. 1290 ps., to the Schuylkill River at the Alt- house Bridge; thence up the westerly bank of said river about five miles and three-quarters to the place of beginning?"

They suggested the name of "Centre." Their report was confirmed on January 2, 1843. The name of the new township was suggested from its locality, which comprised the central portion of territory between Bern and Upper Bern townships.

In 1857 a small triangular tract of land, com- prising the extreme southeastern corner of the township, was laid off and annexed to Bern township. The commissioners were Daniel Potteiger, Henry Reider and Daniel Schell. The following metes and bounds inclosed the tract :

"Beginning at the corner of Bern and Centre town- ships, on the river ; thence N. 51 W. 60 ps .; thence S. 42} W. 80 ps., to the township line ; thence N. 77} E. 104 ps. to the beginning."

The quantity cut off was about twelve acres. The early taxables of this township are in- cluded in the list of taxables of Bern township.

The industries of Centre, aside from agricul- ture, are few, and important only as they are use- ful, the small water-power limiting their capacity. On Irish Creek, where, in early days was the Wertman saw-mill, John Becker has in oper- ation a grist-mill, whose power is water and steam. Near the mouth of that stream is the Daubert mill, built by the Ludwigs and which was known at times as Westerman's and Kauff- man's mill. The Lenhart grist-mill, south of the centre, was built by John Ludwig about fifty years ago. It is operated on a small scale.

Along the Schuylkill, lime-stone has been profitably quarried for shipment and the manu- facture of lime, carried on by Jonathan George, Frank Bucks and others, more than a dozen men finding occupation in that employment.

Several miles north of Centreport is an old tavern-stand opened more than half a century ago by Henry Resch. Reuben Ludwig has kept the house the past twenty-one years.

1140

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CHURCHES.

BELLEMAN'S CHURCH (REFORMED AND LUTHERAN) is the oldest house of worship in the township. The present brick edifice was built in 1812, but has since been repaired. Its yard is neat and the cemetery on the church property is well kept. The land on which the improvements are situated was secured by patent from the commonwealth, November 30, 1809, when a little more than eleven acres were granted to Frederick Blatt, Samuel Vortman, Casper Freeman and Nicholas Klein, trustees of the Lutheran and German Reformed con- gregations, then already existing. The land was part of a larger tract which had been sur- veyed for Jacob Road, September 12, 1754. The organization of the German Reformed con- gregation was many years earlier. In 1752 the Rev. Wm. Stoy, who was at that time pas- tor ofthe old Tulpehocken (now Trinity) Church, preached in this locality and his efforts caused a small congregation to be formed. In 1769 the elder Rev. William Hendel began preach- ing here and soon after a log meeting-house was built. He remained until 1782. Eleven years later his son, the Rev. Wm. Hendel, D.D., began a ministry here whichi was terminated in 1815, but which was, in many respects, the most important period of the church, inasmuch as it witnessed the building of the present house, the acquisition of the property and the adoption of church regulations on September 11, 1813. At that time the pastor of the Lutheran con- gregation was the Rev. Frederick Moyer. After the Rev: Dr. Heudel had relinquished his charge, in 1815, the Rev. Philip Moyer became the pastor of the Reformed congregation and served until 1833. Then came a two years' pastorate by the Rev. Frederick Herman, fol- lowed by the Rev. John A. Liesse, until 1840. Next came the Rev. Isaac Miesse, who closed his twenty-four years' pastorate in 1864 and was succeeded by the Rev. Franklin H. Swartz, who left the congregation in 1870. In 1872, after the congregation had been with- out a regular pastor two years, the Rev. R. S. Appel took charge. A feeling of discontent, which had been brooding a long time, now manifested itself to the great detriment of the

spiritual condition of the congregation, which was almost rent in twain. Lately these differ- ences have been harmonized to some extent and the congregation again supplied with preaching. In 1885 the pastor was the Rev. M. H. Mishler, and the membership of the congregation was nearly four hundred. The Lutheran congregation was about one hundred less and the Rev. B. D. Zweitzig was the pas- tor.

Near the church is a new cemetery, recently opened by Isaac Graeff, which has been neatly improved.

JERUSALEM CHURCH (Evangelical Associa- tion) is near the village of Centreport, on a lot of land set aside for church purposes by Chris- topher Kline. It has sittings for about five hundred persons, and was built in 1862. A short distance from the church is the cemetery of half an acre of ground, maintained by the congregation. Among the first members here were Christopher, Benjamin and John Kline, Joshua Reber, William Zuber, John Dunkel- berger and Daniel Lindenmuth. In 1885 there were nearly fifty members, who had their ministerial service supplied by the Womelsdorf Circuit. A Sunday-school, formerly main- tained here, is now held at the school-house at Centreport.

BRETHREN MEETING-HOUSE .- East of Cen- treport is the meeting-house of the Brethren or Dunkards. It has a fine location for the wants of its worshippers, on half an acre of ground secured from the farm of Reuben Yoder. The house is a plain brick, of large capacity, and was built in 1867. One-fourth of a mile distant is the burial-grouud, taken from Emanuel Yoder's farm. The members come from the surround- ing townships to worship here and number about eighty. The preachers in 1885 were Jeremiah Rothermel and Joshua and Israel Koenig.

VILLAGES.

MOHRSVILLE .- After the completion of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and the location of a station opposite the hamlet of Mohrsville, in Perry township, a small village was beguu in that locality. It includes now about thirty buildings. The depot was built in the

1141

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

fall of 1841, and since December, 1842, Seth Zimmerman has been station agent. Being a central shipping-point, with easy roads leading to it, a large amount of business is done. The hotel opposite was built in 1851 by John Y. Heffner, and was kept by him sixteen years. Since 1867 it has been the property of Daniel Kauffman. The store building was put up at a later day by John G. and John Y. Heffner, and had a number of occupants. The firm at present in business is composed of Isaac Fraunfelder and James Wagner.

A few miles up the road is Shoemakersville Station, also in Centre township, consisting of a depot building only. It was located in 1862.

CENTREVILLE is a village in the south- western part of the township, near the Bern line. It became a business point more than half a century ago, when John Rick opened a store there and also carried on a tannery in the neighborhood. Subsequently Charles Rick was in business. The last merchant was William Bentz. Here is a post-office called "Garfield," supplied with tri-weekly mails from Mount Pleasant. It was established January 28, 1880, with Joseph L. Loose as postmaster, a position which is now held by Monroe Bender.

BETHEL TOWNSHIP.

ERECTION OF TOWNSHIP .- The township of Bethel occupies the extreme northwestern por- tion of the county. Its boundary lines are the apex of the Blue Mountain on the north, the Swatara Creek on the east and south, and the Lebanon County line on the west, which enclose about twenty-seven thousand aeres.

In the course of migration the early settlers entered this territory about 1733, immediately after the Indians had sold the land lying be- tween the Blue Mountain and the South Moun- tain. Previously, at least ten years, the country lying to the west of the Swatara Creek and to the south of the Blue Mountain was known by the name of Lebanon ; and to the east and south of this distriet the country was known as Tul- pehocken Manor. These districts were then included in Chester County, and in 1729 they became part of Lancaster County. In May,

1739, the court at Lancaster ordered the town- ship of Lebanon to be divided by a line " be- ginning at the Swatara Creek, at a stone ridge, one-half mile below John Tittle's, and continu- ing along said ridge eastwardly to Tulpehoeken Township, to the north of Tobias Biekel's, so as in its course to leave Jolin Benargle, Adam Steel, Thomas Ewersly and Matthias Tice to the south of said line ; that the northern division be called Bethel and the southern division Lebanon."

Shortly before this division was ordered, a Moravian meeting-house was ereeted in that locality, not far from the Swatara Creek, and named "Bethel." When the surrounding ter-

--- --- ritory was erected into a township, the prom- inence of this building, in connection with the religious sentiment of the inhabitants, naturally suggested a proper name by which it should be known. In 1752, upon the erection of Berks County, the county line extended through this township and divided it into two nearly equal parts. The eastern part, ineluded with Berks County, retained the same name. And it has been so recognized till now. No efforts have been made to divide the township into smaller districts on account of its large extent-it being in length nearly eleven miles and in width four miles-as they were made in the division of other large townships in this section, Tulpehoeken, Heidel- berg and Bern.

In 1791 the northern boundary line, on the top of the mountain, was established by a survey and proceedings in the Court of Quarter Sessions.

EARLY SETTLERS .- In 1733 a patent was issued to Thomas Freame (described as residing in Philadelphia), for ten thousand acres, situa- ted on the Swatara Creek and adjoining the land of the proprietaries and of Thomas Lower, This large traet was taken up in pursuance of ten warrants. It extended across the Swatara into Tulpehocken township. It was sometimes called a " Manor."

The following tracts were sold out of this manor, in Bethel township. Freame died possessed of a great portion.

Acres.

1740 Freame and wife to William Parsons (Philadelphia.). .34316

1742 to John Heberling .. 168

1142

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

1755 Freame's Executors to William Parsons .. 109

1725

to John Etries.

188

1759

to George Lash 441

1763

to Leonard Swartz. 271

1766

Freame's Devisee (daughter) to Batdorff ..

443

1766

to Christopher Royer.

150

1766

to George Emmert

250

1766

to Leonard Miller and Martin Emmert .. .1901%

1768

to Christian Newcomet.

173

1770

to Peter Meyer.

247

1770

to George Anspach. 147

Other tracts were taken up as follows :

1738 Martin Cappeller, for 200 acres.

1746 George Dollinger, for 352

1759 Jacob Hoffman, for 180

INDIAN CRUELTIES .- This township was conspicuous during the incursions and cruelties by the Indians from 1756 till 1763.1 More than sixty of its inhabitants were murdered. A prominent fort stood in the township, several miles north from Millersburg, on the road to Pine Grove, immediately below " Round Head," having been erected there about 1754. It was called "Fort Henry."" The spot is still pointed out by the neighboring inhabitants. This fort was a large log building, about forty by sixty feet, surrounded by a stockade. It af- forded protection to many alarmed people who fled into it for refuge when the Indians entered the township. It was situated in " The Hole," a peculiar, large depression of the earth's surface between two ridges of the mountain. It was called by the early neighboring inhabitants " Der Loch "-the hole or hollow. This hollow extends some miles to the east and west of the

gap in the ridge of the mountain where the fort stood. The eastern side is formed by the rocky eminence called "Round Head" (in German " Rund Kopf"). The people here call the eastern extremity of the hollow " Der Klein Loch" (The Little Hole) and the western or greater extremity "Der Grosz Loch" (The Big Hole). The latter extends to the Swatara Creek. It is sometimes called " Monroe Val- ley," having taken its name after a furnace of this name erected in the valley by Jonathan Seidel, from Robeson township. The lower boundary of this valley is called "Steinig Berg" (Stony Hill).3

3 Extracts taken from an article entitled " Round Head," which was prepared by the author of this history and pub- lished in the Reading Times July 22, 1880:

"Over a thousand feet above the level of the sea, and overlooking the fertile valleys and rolling hills of Berks and Lebanon Counties for six hundred square miles, it stands high above the surrounding country, a monument of natural wonder, a witness of nature's terrible convulsions, a mark of prehistoric times. Where is the mind that can penetrate into its hoary history, where the pen that can portray its grandeur and glory ? How many million times have the magnificent beams of the morning sun crowned its towering head with a halo of light, first before reaching the rocks and trees below, as they flashed over Penn's Mount, across the Schuylkill and the rolling country, far on to the West; and how many times have the same beams, after showering their life-giving warmth and brightness upon industrious villages and towns that now are along the Tulpehocken and Swa- tara, and upon the valleys and hills that now are divided into numerous productive farms, left it last before they were drawn in behind the western hills !

"Thousands of years ago, when the waters under the heaven were gathered together and the dry land appeared, what a spectacle must have heen in this locality ! The first speck of earth- as upon Ararat's famous height-to feel the rushing of the mighty winds and to see the roaring waters assuage, what a witness of ages gone by ! And when the angry waves ceased to wash its rugged sides, and the great law of gravity was exerting itself to the utmost to reduce all things to a common level, what a crashing and a thun- dering must have reverberated in the valleys round-about, as the great rocks rolled from their primeval beds down into the gorge before it, seven hundred feet below !

" And this is 'Round Head'-so called for over one hundred years-a projection from the Blue Mountain in Bethel township, the northwestern section of Berks County, three miles north from the village of Millersburg and twenty-eight from the city of Reading. *

* * *

* *

" What was all this grand country a thousand years ago ? Where are the records to give us to know who inhabited these mountains and hills, these valleys and streams ? Were wild animals here alone and undisturbed ? Was the eagle

1 Sce Chapter on " French and Indian War."

2 Dr. W. II. Egle, in his " History of Pennsylvania,' p. 867, locates this fort in Lebanon County. He states : This fort was erected in 1756 by Captain Christian Bussc, by order of Governor Morris. In January, 1756, Governor Morris ordered him "to proceed as soon as possible with the company under your command to the gap where the Swatara comes through the mountains, and in some con- venient place there to erect a fort of the form and dimen- sions herewith given, unless you shall judge the stockade already erected there conveniently placed, in which case you will take possession, and make such additional work as you may think necessary to make it sufficiently strong." It is possible that Dr. Egle is correct in locating a fort in Lebanon County where the Swatara passes through the mountains. But it is certain that Captain Busse was sta- tioned in the fort in Berks County; and it is probable that when he reached this locality -- " The Hole" -- he found " the stockade already erected there " and " con- veniently placed ; " and, upon taking possession, he added certain work "to make it sufficiently strong."

1143

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

TAXABLES OF 1759 .- In 1759 the assess- ment list comprised the following taxables. The tax levied then was £12 19s. Wendell Seidel was the collector :

€

Peter Bickeler . 3

John Meyer . 3 -

Christian Battorf, .

Christopher Newcomet .

Peter Bickeler, Jr.

Nicholas Poncins . . 3

Henry Berger

Christopher Royer 3

George Berger

John Reed . . .

Adam Cassel . . . 10

Abraham Reiver 8

William Crickbaum . 2

Christopher Stump . 15

Henry Cerring . 1

Casper Snevely . 4

Andreas Creitzer

Wendlo Seidle 4

Jacob Cerven .. .

Wendle Schutt . 1

Ludwig Derr . . . 10

Leonard Swartz

Adam Daniel . 3

Balthaser Smith 1

John Frantz

Ulrich Spiese . I

Conrad Ferster 1

Daniel Snider 2

Nicholas Gebhardt 2

Martin Shuy . 1

Christopher nerrold

Dietrich Sixth 3

Lorentz Hautz .

Nicholas Seitzinger

Andreas Kreamer

Martin Trester . 2

Christopher Knebel . 2

Frederick Trester

George Laslı . .

.20

Jacob Teny .

Peter Mower .

Nicholas Wolf

Peter Meyer

Adam Wałborn .

Rudolph Meyer. . . 5

Michael Willand

soaring aloft with wings unturled over this rocky eminence watching the sparkling ripples in the meandering stream helow or the gambols of the deer and fawn laving here and slaking their thirst? Were men and women and children here struggling, as now they are, in the hot sun for subsist- ence ? Were buildings and temples and peace and pros- perity here ? No paper, no parchment, no papyrus is here to inform us what civilization existed ; the ploughshare has turned up no ornamented and finely-chiseled stones with hieroglyphic inscriptions ; no famous Bayeux tapestry has heen handed down from generation to generation to tell us that here, too, as in Britain, a William reigned.

"Even five hundred years ago our whole country was unknown-so it is supposed-and one hundred years far- ther down in the course of time Columbus was only con- cluding that a country must be here where we now are. and begging for aid to help him realize the grand venture of his life ; one hundred years more settlements were only begun along the Atlantic coast, and the first ideas of gov- ernment were only introduced in this benighted land ; fifty years more the Swedes only began their settlements on the Delaware and Schuylkill, and fifty more Penn only landed here with his great charter from King Charles the Second for the government of Pennsylvania.

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History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 188

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards Number of Pages: 1418

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418