USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 103
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In 1752 the first resident minister took charge, viz.,
1 Contributed by Squire Frank P. Grosh.
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MOUNT JOY TOWNSHIP.
John Schmidt, Other resident ministers were An- thony Wagoner, J. Schweishaupt, John Rothe, and John Martin Beck. In 1754 a synod was convened ' church." The Rev. Lischy was pastor in 17-11, and if here, and annual visitations were held by Bishops J. de Watteville, J. F. Cammerhoff, Peter Bochler, and Christian Henry Ranch. The following were some of the members in 1740: Jacob Lischy and wife, John Etter and wife, John Kopp and wife, Peter Ricksecker and wife, Frederick Stoller and wife, Nathan Baum- gardner and wife, Abraham Freiderick and wife, Peter Schneider and wife, Rudolph Kucatzle, and Verona Leypoldt. Their names indicate that they were of Swiss or German origin, and they were undoubtedly emigrants from those countries. There was also Al- bert Francis, from Zweibrücken, Holland, who met with a violent death on June 26, 1756, while plowing on the Fisher farm, near Swatara, where he was cap- tured, scalped, and cruelly beaten to death by Indians.
The graveyard, which adjoins the church, contains the mortal remains of some of Pennsylvania's earliest pioneers. The burial-ground is laid off into two see- tions,-those buried on the south side from the avenue leading from the main entrance were members and descendants of the church, and the remains buried on the opposite side were those of people belonging to other denominations. To persons who are fond of poring over relies of other days, this graveyard can- not fail to afford food for deep reflection. On the graves of all who were members of this church are sand or marble tombstones, which, without distinc- tion, lie flat on the grave, illustrating the old adage, " Death levels all." Among the persons who were earliest interred here were those of the following fam- ilies whose names appear upon the gravestones, viz. : Hunter, Banner, Schneider, Sehner, Kopp, Stoller, Bauman, Etter, Delkin, Bowen, Buehler, Bosanke, Bassoway, Pflantz, Kempty, Geophart, Delcher, Mou- rier, Leyphold, Hedrich, Cafteen, Koentzley, Leib, and Rickseeker.
For over one century this church has been the channel through which there has flowed a constant stream of life-rising in the cradle, emptying in the grave,-but its doors are now closed and as silent as the graves around, and are only thrown open to admit to the last rites of the church the remains of some former worshiper of this fold.
A Sunday-school was organized in connection with this church by the Moravians in 1742, and had an uninterrupted existence until 1757. There is proof, too, that one was carried on here in 1771 and later. Rev. A. B. Hamilton, of Scotland, a Moravian mis- sionary, who visited the old church five years ago, states, upon the authority of old records in the pos- session of the Moravians, that " Rev. Jacob Lischy, a pastor of the Donegal Moravian Church ( Mount Joy was then included in the former township), was ac- customed to meet the youth of his congregration ou Sabbath, not merely for catechetical exercises, but for recitation from the Bible, accompanied with familiar | present time :
instruction suited to the capacities of the young. In this exercise he was often assisted by members of the the Sabbath-school existed in his time, as there seems every reason to believe, it was one of the earliest in Pennsylvania.
Evangelical Association Church .- The first class under the Evangelical Association in Mount Joy town- ship was formed in 1850, and the membership con- tinued to increase up to 1$59, when it dwindled to twelve members. Services are now held every four weeks at the Moravian Church by Rev. J. W. Meyer. Meetings were held by this denomination twenty years before the class was organized, about 1830, on the premises of Christian Stern, near Milton Grove, under a white-oak-tree. The first local minister was Rev. David Boyer. Those who officiated after him were Jacob Moyer, Thomas Buck, and -- Zimmer- man.
Schools .- The first school in the township was es- tablished by the Moravian- in 1780, and held in a building erected for the purpose near their church, north of Milton Grove. This was kept up for quite a number of years, but finally was discontinued for want of support. Aside from the Moravian school there were none of importance until comparatively recent years under the free school enactment.
Mount Joy, by vote, accepted the terms of the school law of 1834 in the year 1842. In the year 1855 there were in the township (not including the boroughs of Elizabethtown or Mount Joy) eleven schools, in each of which one teacher was employed. The total nuni- ber of pupils was five hundred and twenty-two. The amount of tax levied for school purposes was eighteen hundred and sixty-eight dollars and six cents, and there was received from the State appropriation one hundred and eighty-two dollars. The cost of instrue- tion was one thousand and seventy-eight dollars, and other expenses a little more than one hundred dollars ..
In 1882 the number of schools was thirteen and the number of teachers the same, two of them being males. The number of pupils was six hundred and seventeen. The total amount of tax levied for school purposes was three thousand one hundred and forty- one dollars and eighty-two cents, and the amount re- ceived from the State appropriation five hundred and twenty-two dollars and sixty-four cents, the grand total of receipts being four thousand five hundred and forty dollars and ninety-eight cents. The amount paid teachers was three thousand one hundred and thirty-eight dollars, and the total expenditures four thousand four hundred and forty-one dollars and ten cents.
Justices of the Peace .- The justices of the peace elected or appointed prior to 1810 for the district of which this township was a part, will be found in the chapter containing the Lancaster County civil list. The following persons have served from 1810 to the
62
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IHISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.
James Dysart, April 14, 1840. Jacob Missemer, April 11, 1540 James Dysart, April 15, 1:43 James Misormer.
Jacob Souders, April 13, 1847. Admin team, April 9, 1850. Jacob Souder-, April 13, 1852. Adam Remm, April 10, 1855 Christian Coble, April 10, 1860. John H. Zeller, April 15, ING2. Daniel E. Gingrich, April 12, 1864. Christian Coble, April, 1865. John H. Zeller, Aquil, 1869. Christian Coble, April, 1870.
W. K. Barnhart, April, 1872. Jacob R Missemuer, 187J. C. C. Coble, April, 1873. Ihnistian Colle, Jr , 1>76. William Barnhart, 1-77 Christian Colle, 1877. Jacob R Missriner, 1878. Eilward C. Sample, 187s. B K Eshleman, 1879. Frank B. Grosh, Isal. C. Cable, 1582.
Frank B Grosh, 1882. Jacob G Zellers, 1883.
Florin, or Springville .- This is a pretty cluster of dwellings, lying one mile west of Mount Joy borough, on the line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and like its larger neighbor, it is partly in the town- ship of Mount Joy and partly in East Donegal, the Lancaster and Harrisburg turnpike being the dividing line. Christian Hertzler purchased, in 1812, the farm of one hundred and ninety-seven neres, on which the village has since been built, of Christian Hoffman, and laid out a portion of it in lots in 1813. He be- stowed upon the village the name of Springville, which is generally recognized by its people as the proper appellation of the place at present. Very few of the residents acknowledge the name of Florin. The village plat was resurveyed in 1844 by a committee of three, two of whom, Abraham Walter and Joshua Bishop, assisted in the original survey. They both lived for many years in the town, and died here,- Bishop in 1850, and Walter a few years later. The other early settlers here were George Miller, Samuel Yetter, Henry Shreid, Lewis Clarke, Michael Haag- man, Philip Farnby, John Portner, Adam Zell, Abra- ham Hertzler, George Winter, Adam Long, Richard Wilton, Michael Reigart, Jacob Finfrock, Philip Bailor, John Green, Daniel Miller, John Michael, Jolin Nettery, -- Risser, and - Roan. Jacob Souders has lived in the village many years, and is one of its best-known residents. He has served a- justice of the peace for a long period.
A school-house was built by the people in the year 1829, and used for a religious meeting-house as well as for educational purposes without change until about 1870, when the school directors of Mount Joy town- ship built a new one. A few years afterwards an ad- dition was made to the new school-house, and the trustees of the old one, with the people of the village, built another story upon it. It is now a town hall, and the play-ground a beautiful shaded park. The school directors of East Donegal built a brick school- house in 1851 in that part of the village in this town- ship, but it was destroyed by a storm soon after its completion, which resulted in the injury of the teacher and a number of his pupils. A few years later another school-house was built north of the railroad, but it soon proved to be too small, and was sold for a dwell- ing-house. The school directors then built a larger one a short distance from the village limits to accom-
modate the children from the country as well as those of Springville.
A post-office was established here July 1, 1864. Samuel Binney was the first postmaster. He died only two or three months after he was appointed, and his daughter Sarah succeeded him. After about a year she resigned, and John Bossler was appointed. lle held the office until his death, in 1870 or 1871, when Henry Hershey, the present incumbent, was appointed.
A few years since the Post-Office Department changed the name of this post-office, Spring Garden, as it was originally called, to Florin, and the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company changed the name of its station from Springville to Florin, but there has never been any authoritative change in the name of the vil- lage, although some of its residents give to it the name of the station and post-office.
The village has three or four general stores, and a large tobacco warehouse is carried on by Kraybill, Nissley & Co. William HI. Shutte and Daniel Roop are engaged in coach-making.
The United Brethren .- The first members of this church who lived in Springville were John Geyer and his wife Elizabeth, Christian Hershey and his wife Elizabeth, George Geyer and his wife Mary. These persons were here in 1834. They had meetings in the school-house for eight years, and in 1842, the society having increased to about eighty members, they built the present house of worship. The early ministers were Revs. Wenger, David Gingrich, Sand, Peffey, and Daniel Funkhou-er. About ten or twelve years ago the German element of the society withdrew and built a church for themselves, so that there are now two United Brethren Churches in the place.
The colored people also have a society, known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Their or- . ganization and church building are about twenty-five years old.
Milton Grove.1- This village is comparatively in its infancy, and it is but recently that the wheel of progress has been set in motion. For the past ten years the changes have been most marked. Milton Grove is five miles east of Elizabethtown, and five miles northwest of Mount Joy, by which place it is connected with a daily mail-ronte that brings the news from abroad. Its location is on an elevated piece of ground, from which the eye sweeps over a great expanse of beautiful valley scenery. Adjacent flows the Little Chiquesalunga (or Chikis), a splendid stream of water, abounding with fish, and beautifully hedged on both sides with a fine belt of timber.
About the year 1820 there arrived in this locality a German immigrant named Hardtman, who in the same year purchased a large tract of unimproved land, including that portion on which the village is now located, and laid out a considerable number of
1 Contributed by Squire Frank B. Grosh.
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PARADISE TOWNSHIP.
building lots to establish a town to be named llardt- mantown. His extensive purchase of real estate, coupled with the extravagant habits he had acquired, led people to conjecture that he was a man of above ordinary means, and a town of fair proportions was anticipated in the near future. But when the day of settlement came Hardtman was unable to meet the obligations of his creditors, and the prospective town fell like a elap of thunder from an unclouded sky. Hardtman suddenly disappeared, and the land again reverted to the original owners. It remained uneul- tivated until 1849, when Benjamin Grosh, Esq., pur- chased a large parcel of the land, platted and located the present village and named it Centreville. The same year he erected a large frame dwelling and store- house on the northwest corner of the square, where he carried on a successful mercantile business until 1871, when he sold the store property to his son, Frank B. Grosh, who, after conducting the same busi- ness for a period of eight years, retired, and disposed of it together with his interest in stock to his young- est brother, Eli F. Grosh, the present proprietor. The same year the village was located Christian Groff, of Honey Brook, Chester Co., erected a build- ing on the opposite corner. These two buildings were the only ones erected prior to 1855, when Mr. Abram Groff built a stone house in the eastern part of the village, which was followed by the erection of the present hotel by Samuel M. Groff in 1857. It was in this year that the celebrated "Centreville Nurseries" were commenced by Daniel E. Gingrich, Esq., who did a thriving business for a number of years. ITis nurseries and name gained fame, but the war of the Rebellion followed and his stock depreci- ated, and he shortly became financially embarrassed. To meet the obligations of his creditors he disposed of his entire stock at sacrificing prices, and now the once famous nurseries are no longer in existence.
In 1862 the founder of this village utilized the only vacant corner on the square by erecting a fine residence, which in later years he occupied as his homestead.
Further building improvements were then aban- doned for a number of years in consequence of the Rebellion, and it was not until 1870 that a new im- petus was given to the place which enhanced in value the land within its limits. There were then only five buildings all told, but by the instrumentality of its founder the wheel of improvement was set in motion. The same year a post-route was established between Mount Joy and Sunville, Lebanon Co., vie Centre- ville. A post-office named Motley was established in the village, and Frank B. Grosh was appointed post- master. Subsequently, at the solicitation of the citi- zens, the name of the village and post-office were changed to Milton Grove. Buildings were now put up in rapid succession, and men of various occupa- tions were seeking homes in the prosperous village. Milton Grove now has a general dry-goods store, in-
cluding groceries, queensware, boots and shoes, drugs, notions, cedarware, etc., two boot and shoemakers, one fine hotel, two meat-markets, Houring-mill, black- smith, furniture- and house-painter, cigar manufac- tory, tailoring establishment, one shoe-store, hames manufactory, coopering establishment, one physician, one justice of the peace. Benjamin Grosh, the first settler of this village, died at his residence here in April, 1881, having been a resident of the place he located for a period of thirty-two years.
CHAPTER LXIX.
PARADISE TOWNSHIP.1
Geography and Topography .- Paradise township is situated in the eastern portion of Lancaster County, bounded on the north by Leacock and East Lampeter, on the west by Strasburg, on the south by Bart, Eden, and Sadsbury, and on the east by Salisbury. It has an area of eleven thousand nine hundred and eighty- six acres.
It originally formed a part of Strasburg, but in 1843 it was organized as a separate township. The principal portion of the surface is undulating and very fertile, and is considered one of the finest agri- cultural tracts of land in the county. It is in Pequea Valley, and is drained by Pequea Creek and its many tributaries. The soil is mainly limestone, except in the southern part, which is crossed by the Mine Hill, and is less fertile.
Pequea Creek, its principal stream, forms the northern boundary and supplies the motive-power to four of the principal flour- and grist mills. P. Schum's cotton- and woolen-mill is also situated on this creek. It abounds with a variety of fish, and during the hot summer months many an angler whiles away the hours on its cool and shady banks.
London Run, with its many tributaries, drains the principal part of the township.
Paradise was organized in 1843, and was first named Pequea, but the name was not satisfactory to some of the inhabitants, and it was subsequently changed to Paradise.
Early Settlers .- The first settler of Paradise town- ship was Mary Ferree (formerly called Ferrie), who came here in 1709 with six children. Mrs. Ferree came from the town of Landau, near the Rhine, in France. Her maiden name was Warrimbere, and she was married to John Ferrie, who, being a Huguenot, was among those who were slain during the insurrec- tion in France. Mary Ferree was the possessor of two thousand three hundred acres of land, situated south of the Pequea Creek. She died in 1716, and was buried -
1 By A. II. Smith, M.D.
-
1
996
HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY.
in Carpenter's Cemetery, which was selected by her, and is located in about the centre of her former pos- sessions. The tract of land taken up by Mary Ferree is now in the central portion of Paradise township. The western part of the township was taken up by Hans Groff, and consisted of one thousand acres. This was bought by Louis Dubois, and bequeathed by him to his son-in-law, Philip Ferree, son of Mary, and adjoined her estate. The eastern part of the township was first settled by Matthias Slaymaker, who came here in 1810 with five sons: Matthias, Henry, John, Daniel, and Lawrence. The latter started to the West and was never seen afterward. It is sup- posed he was killed by the Indians. The remaining sons were married, and a large portion of the land is still in the possession of the descendants of Matthias Slaymaker.
When Mary Ferree and family arrived in the val- ley of Pequea, she was met by Beaver, chief of the tribe of Indians that inhabited this section of coun- try at that time. Beaver, with the humanity that dis- tinguished his tribe, gave up to the emigrants his wigwam. On the following day he introduced them to King Tanawa, who resided on the Great Flats. King Tanawa had known William Penn, and called him the " Indians' friend."
Tanawa was a chief of the five nations, and always displayed a friendly feeling toward the whites. Ile sold his land to William Penn, and it was afterwards bought by the early settlers.
King Tanawa's remains, with those of many of his tribe, were buried on an elevation of ground in Para- dise, since named Lafayette Hill, and now used as a burial-ground by All Saints' Protestant Episcopal Church. His grave was marked by a pile of stones, which has since been removed, and part of his bones are still preserved in the neighborhood.
Thoroughfares .- Among the principal thorough- fares are the Lancaster and Williamstown turnpike, the Strasburg road, and the Mine Hill road, all of which traverse the township from east to west. The oldest of these is the Strasburg road, which was laid out as a publie highway during the administration of William Penn. The roads running north and south are Cherry Hill, Black Horse, Bellmonte, and Wil- liamstown. The Mine Hill is crossed by five roads, namely, Kenneagy's road, Wolf Rock road, Cedar Hill road, Coal Hill road, and Linville's Hill road, all of which intersect with the Mine Hill road on the top of the hill.
The Pennsylvania Railroad, which has a station at Leaman Place, is now the great avenue of travel and transportation. to and from this township.
Paradise .- In 1804 the village now called Paradise was made a post-town, and, needing a name, it was called Paradise from an expression of Joshua Scott (publisher of Scott's map of Lancaster County ), who, while standing in the middle of the turnpike with others, and looking over the country, remarked that
this should be called Paradise, which name the post- office has retained from that time. When the township was laid out, in 1843, and passed by the Legislature, it was named Pequea, but some not liking the name, applied to their representative and had it changed to Paradise township. The population of Paradise is four hundred inhabitants. It has two extensive ear- riage-factories, one tannery, one hotel, owned and conducted by Nicholas Danner, a drug-store, owned by Dr. George J. Hoover, one general store, owned by Mrs. Amanda Witmer, and conducted by T. F. Carnthers and A. P. Witmer. There are three bakeries, one blacksmith-shop, four cigar-factories, two tin-miths, and an extensive coal- and lumber- yard, conducted by A. K. Witmer's Sons. The build- ing now occupied by this firm was originally a stable connected with the hotel, and owned by Samuel Le- fevre. This building has been enlarged, and is now a large two-story stone and frame structure, the first Hoor being used as a general wareroom, and the sec- ond for the offices of the Lancaster County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In 1843, A. K. Witmer built a railroad from the main line of the Pennsylvania Rail- road to the present warerooms,-distance, about one- half mile,-which is still used for the transportation of coal, lumber, grain, ice, etc.
Williamstown is a flourishing village in the east- ern part of the township, and was named from the first builder, Amos Williams, who kept at that time a small store. The second building was a hotel, and the third was the private residence now occupied by Nathaniel E. Slaymaker. At present there is one hotel, kept by Jacob Bair, one general store ( Harry Brackbill being its proprietor), one shoemaker, one saddlery, and one butcher. There are twenty-three houses and one hundred and thirty inhabitants.
Kinzer Place .- Harry Kinzer, in 1834, built a hotel at what is now called Kinzer Place for the ac- commodation of the railroad workmen, it being the time when the Pennsylvania Railroad was being con- structed. About ten years afterwards the building was burned. He then built a stone structure, which he afterwards took down, and erected on its site a large brick building, which is now occupied by Enoch Passmore as a hotel, and also by the railroad com- pany as ticket-office and waiting-room. Kinzer post- office is in the same building, Mrs. Joseph Aiken being the present postmistress. Christian Hershey & Bro. have a large coal- and lumber-yard and gen- eral store at this place.
Leaman Place .- Prior to the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad there was only the farm-house of Henry Leaman where this village now is. In 1835, Mr. Leaman erected a hotel, and soon afterward a railroad station was established there. The hotel has from the first been need as the passenger depot. Gradually a little village came into existence, and it now consists of about a dozen houses. It has a store, a post-office, a warehouse, a coal- and lumber-yard,
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PARADISE TOWNSIIIP.
and the railroad buildings. The Strasburg Railroad connects with the Pennsylvania Railroad at this point.
Harristown. - This hamlet was named after Thomas Harris, who was one of the first settlers. It has a population of about one hundred. The Har- ristown school is located here.
Public Schools .- The school system had been ac- cepted in the township of Strasburg before the sepa- ration from it of Paradise. The first board of di- rectors elected after the erection of the township consisted of Daniel Esbenshade, Benjamin Herr, and four others whose names cannot be ascertained. The number of sub-districts at that time was seven, and the houses in these districts were built of stone or of logs. As time has gone on new and more taste- ful and convenient houses have taken the places of these, and the only one still in use is the Harristown school-house, a stone structure.
The annual school term in the township has during `many years past been sometimes seven and sometimes eight months. The wages of teachers are from thirty to forty dollars per month. The present teachers are Miss Celia Gable, Miss Carrie Norton, John Weaver, Mrs. Martha Rowe, Miss Lizzie Bair, Thomas G. Wise, Mrs. Clara Bair, Harry Denlinger, B. A. Book, Alfred Lesher, Miss Annie Phenegar, and Miss Emma Wiker. The present directors are Benjamin Ranck, president ; D. D. Edwards, secretary ; Jacob E. Ranek, treasurer ; C. H. Hershey, H. C. Musser, and Daniel Esbenshade. The number of children in attendance in 1883 was five hundred and eighty-five.
All Saints' Church (Protestant Episcopal) .- On July 31, 1841, a meeting was held at the public- house of Amos Witmer, for the purpose of organizing a parish. The persons present were Redmond Con- yngham, J. Lightner, Adam K. Witmer, John Yates, J. Eshelman, Jr., David Witmer, J. Yates Conyng- ham, and the Rev. E. Y. Buchanan, rector of Christ Church, Leacock township. The following vestry- men were elected to serve until Easter Monday, 1842: Redmond Conyngham, J. Lightner, A. K. Witmer, J. Yeates, J. Eshelman, Jr., J. Yates Conyngham, I-aac F. Lightuer. The first two named were ap-
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