USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 2 > Part 52
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 2 > Part 52
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 2 > Part 52
USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 2 > Part 52
USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 2 > Part 52
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highly respected citizen of the county, in his seventy-third year. Their daughters were seven in mumber, viz: Elizabeth, married to Jomm Swinchart, still resides in Beaver township and is now eighty-six years old ; Cathariar, divid single, in Beaver township; Mary, married to Enoch Dick, and died in Seneca County, Ohio ; Susan, married to George Fender, and died in Seneca County, Ohio; Margaret, married to George Fall, and died in Marshall County, Ind .; Barbara, married to Henry Etzler, and died al Beavertown in 1885 ; Leah, married to Martin Fogle, died at Beavertown.
In 1790 Johan Yost Kern bought a farm near what is now Beavertown, containing one hundred and fifty aeres, from Johm Switi. In 1806 it was conveyed to hisson Heury, and isnow owned by his grand-son Heury. Thus has the old homestead remained in the family ninety-is years.
John Kern was married to Catharine Royer. In 1811 he purchased two farms in Beaver township. One is now owned by 1. J. Middles- warth, and the other by Holm S. Smith. On the latter he died about the year 1823, and was buried in the old grave-yard at Hassinger's Church, in Franklin township. John Korn had three sons : John, Jr., Daniel and George, John, Jr., died in Center County without issue. Daniel still resides in Beaver township, and George resides in the Borough of Middleburg. He also had two daughters: Elizabeth, married to John Gift, the father of A. K. Gilt, Esq., of Middleburg. Catharine, married to Dr. Isaac Ziegler, of Rebersburg Centre County. She died in 1884.
Adam Kern, son of the original ancestor in this country, owned and occupied a farm in what is now Adams township. The farm was since divided, John M. Mover owning the eastern part, occupied by his son Harri-on, and the western part being owned by D. A. Kern, where Adam Kern died at an advanced age, and is buried in the old grave-yard near Troxel- ville. Nearly all the descendants of Adam Kern moved to the western States. His sons were Jacob, John and Daniel.
Peter Kern lived in Adams township, and
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Jacob Korn owned and occupied a farm in West Beaver township, one mile cast of MeClure. The farm was since divided, the eastern part now being owned and occupied by
these clocks are yet in good running order, and at. this day have become heir-looms, highly- prized. Upon her arrival Mrs. Miller first I lived with her nephew John, on the farm now Isme Middleswarth ; while the western part is owned by John S. Smith. John died soon after now owned by Ner B. Middleswarth, the , she came, when she made her home with AAdam, present sheriff of Suyder County. Both Peter Ohio, about 1833, where they passed the re- mainder of their days. They both acemulated a great deal of real estate. Many of their descendants reside in Seneca County and in Bellevue.
and died at his house at an advanced age. She and Jacob Kern emigrated to Seneca County, is buried in the old Muser's Valley grave-yard, near Troxelville. This old German lady had many peculiarities. Where she came from nothing was wasted. When her nephew John was making clearings, cutting down the pine timber and burning it in log fires, this old lady would often exclaim, " It is a sin to so burn this nice wood," or, in her native tongue, es ist eine sünd das schöne holtz so zu verbrenen.
Philip Korn had two sons, Renben and Michael; also three daughters, Rebecca, Susan and Mary. He died in Beaver township. An incident connected with the carly history of the Kerns is as follows : Some time after the death of Johan Yost Kern, one of his sisters, Elizabeth, widow of -- Miller was still living at Freischbach, Germany. She wrote to her nephews to send one of their number to tiermany to accompany her to the United States, and that in the mean time she would make her last will and testament, bequeathing all of her estate which was considerable, to the sons and daughters of her brother, Johan Yost. She stated that as her relations in the old country were very distant, and few in number, she wished to live the remainder of her life among her kindred in the United States. Henry, the father of our present Henry Kern, of Beaver- town, was selected, who, with a power of attorney to collect the legacies in case their aunt should be dead, started upon his voyage to the Fatherland. This power of attorney is still in the bearer's possession, and is dated April 26, 1824. In the fall of 1821 Henry arrived in Germany. For some cause his aunt, Elizabeth Miller, was not ready to go, and he returned without her. In 1823 he made a second trip. She had then converted all her estate into money, and was ready to go.
Her money was exchanged for Bibles, Testa- ments and clocks by her nephew. The clocks were manufactured at Black Forest. (Selvcars wald). Upon their arrival in America these articles were sold, and thus was realized quite an amount of wealth for that day. Many of
In 1774 John Smith, the great-grandfather of T. J. Smith, Esq., of Middleburg, came from Lancaster County and purchased the Hopewell tract, of two hundred and eight acres, lying on the south side of Middle Creek. He erected a cabin, dug a well and planted an orchard. Scarcely had he made these improvements when, on account of the interference of the Indians, he was obliged to return to Lancaster County. Nine years later he again returned to his new home and found his cabin and well in good condition and the orchard in full bloom. This tract was now divided into two farms. From John Smith it passed to his son George, then to his grand- sons Henry A. and John 1., and is now in the possession of his great-grandchildren, T. J. Smith and his sister.
Paul Bowersox came to this county from Germany about 1772. He is the progenitor of all the Bowersoxes in this section of the State, and is now represented by his great-great-grand- children. He had six sons-Michael, Benjamin, David, John, George and Jacob -- and three daughters, each of whom was married to a min- ister of the Gospel.
Jacob Walter was born in Germany in 1727, and the Walters in this township, as well as in the county, are all his descendants. He lived one mile west of Middleburg, where the Swanns now live. For many years all ministers coming to this valley held services at his house.
About 1768 there emigrated from Germany to America three Gift. brothers,- Peter, Nicho-
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las and John A. Shortly after landing at Phil- adelphia they settled at Reading. Peter was a clock-maker, and spent his whole life at Road- ing, engaged in his calling. Nicholas soon left Reading, and, locating at what is now Franklin County, devoted his attention to agrienltural pursuits. John A. left Reading in the year 1771, and settled in Middle Creek Valley, then Cumberland County, on the left bank of Mid- dle Creek, three miles west of where Middle- burg now stands. This farm is now ocenpied by Adam B. Walter. In 1793, John A. Giti also bought a farm on the right bank of the same stream, a little west of where now stands Paxtonville. The bulk of this last-mentioned farm is now owned by Aaron K. Gift.
This carly pioneer, and progenitor of the Gift family in this county, had three sons,-Jacob, Anthony and Jeremiah, the grandfather of .A. K. Gift. There were also several daughters. Jacob was killed by the Indians in 1779, at Fort Freeland. The two surviving sons became the owners of the farms above mentioned, An- thony being the owner of the farm on the left bank of the creek, and Jeremiah the one on the right bank, near Paxtonville. Jeremiah Gift was married to Catharine Kline, one of the ancestors of the Kline family, living in the west end of the county. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and a man possessed of some scholarly attainments, studions, and a great reader. In his younger days he taught school, not in the comfortable buildings, with well-furnished rooms, as of to-day, but in log- cabins.
He died in 1813, at the age of sixty-eight years, leaving six sons, -Jonathan, John, Simon, Michael, Jacob and Daniel ; also three daughters, -Rebecca, Barbara and Elizabeth.
In 1826, John Gift was married to Elizabeth Kern. Their issue were Aaron K., William D., Amelia and Barbara E. Both died in Franklin township, the father in 1866 and the mother in 1876, at her son William's residence.
Aaron K. Gift, the surveyor, who now lives at Middleburg, son of John and Elizabeth Gitt, was born in Franklin township, Novem- ber 19, 1827, on the farm purchased by his grandfather in 1793. He studied surveying
with the late Hon. Sammel Alleman, and taught school from 1817 to 1899. In 1855 he was married to Miss Amelia Royer, a daughter of John and Catharine (emberling) Royer, resi- dents of Franklin town-hip, near Royer's Bridge, four miles west of Middleburg. Mrs. Gift is a great-granddaughter of Christopher Royer, who came to this country from Germany in 1718. At the breaking out of the Rebellion Mr. Gift was actively engaged in farming and surveying.
In June, 1863, he enlisted in Company I, Thirtieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, Colonel William Monies commanding. An account of' the movements of this regiment during the war will be found in the General ITistory.
George Kremer occupied a conspicuous posi- tion in the early days of Union County, and lived for many years at Lewisburgh, and in his later life on a farm near Middleburg, Snyder County, where he died September 10, 1851, aged seventy-nine years. He was the son of Jacob Kremer, and was born at Middle- town, Dauphin County, November 21, 1775. His father (Jacob Kremer) and undle (Peter Shuster) came from Germany, where the latter had been in the military service. General Shus- ter kept a store in Middletown and young Kremer became his clerk, and, in 1792, went to Selin's Grove, where he was in the employ of his mele, Simon Snyder, afterwards Governor, who then carried on a grist-mill, store, farm and warehouse. He remained in Selin's Grove until 1806, when he removed to Lewisburgh, then called Derrstown, and started a store there in 1808, which he continued until 1827. He was elected to the Legislature in 1812 and 1813. In 1816 he was a candidate for Congress, but was defeated ; not discouraged, he again became a candidate, and was re-elected to Congress in the fall of 1822, and re-elected in 1821, and served two terms, extending from 1823 to 1827. The district was composed of Union, Northumberland and seven other counties joined together for the election of three members.
Mr. Kremer, in his second term in Congres, became involved in a dispute, which brought him into public notice, of which a story is related
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by John W. Forney, in his " Ancedates af Pub -! lie Men."1
Mr. A. L. Guss, in an article upon Mr. Kremer, gives the incident from facts obtained from the Congressional Debates.2
1 .A good story is told of the celebrated George Kremer, sho figured conspicuously during the " bargain and sale" excitement about the time Henry Clay was appointed Sec- retary of State by President John Quincy Adams. Mr. Kremer represented the old Union and Northumberland Congressional district in Pennsylvania, and was a line type of the primitive manners and rugged Democracy of that period. He was firmly convinced that. Mr. Clay threw his influence against General Jackson, by which the electoral vote of Kentucky was given to Mr. Adams, for a consider- ation ; and when the first place in the Cabinet was tendered to and accepted by the Kentucky statesman, honest George "cried aloud and spared nol." The sensation he created disturbed the politics of the whole country, and led to matty differences between public men. John Ramlolpb, of Roanoke, dilated upon the accusation against Clay to such an extent that the new Secretary of State was compelled to challenge him to mortal combat. But I do not propose to write a chapter on the " bargain and sale." I write simply to revive an incident between Randolph and Kre- mer, characteristic of both.
After one of the peenliar speeches of the eccentric Vir- ginian, which he interlanded with copione quotations in Latin and Greek, Kremer rose, and, in a strain of well- acted indignation, poured forth a torreut of Pennsylvania German npon the head of the amazed and startled Ran- dolph. His violent gesticulations, his loud and boisterous tones, his defiant manner were not more annoying to the imperions Southener than the fact that he could not under- standa word that was spoken. And when honest George took his sent, covered with perspiration, Randolph rose and begged the honorable gentleman from Pennsylvania to enlighten the House and the country by translating what he had just uttered. Kremer retorted as follows : " I have ouly to say, in reply to my friend from Virginia, that when he translates the dead languages, which he is con- stantly using for the benefit of ns country members, into something like English, I will be equally liberal. in trans- lating my living Pennsylvania Dutch into something that the House can understand." The langh was completely against Randolph,
2. It is related that in a heated debate sous member of the House, in opposition to Kramer's views, made a beautiful speech, closing with a. Latin quotation, where- upon Kremer quickly retorted that all that amounted to nothing, that he could show lom a trick worth two of that, and commenced to hurt at him . Pennsylvania Dutch,' to the great ausement of the House.
" An examination of the Congressional Debates shows the story about quoting German to be well founded. It was March 13, 1821, on a planse in the general appropriation bill to grant $25,000 for the rrection of the north portico of the White House. Mr. Cushman, of Maine, in his speech said : . I ask, in the language of the Roman orator,
Upon his retirement from Congress he pur- chased about three hundred acres of land in Franklin township, near Middleburg, and moved his family frion Lewisburgh to the farm April 2, 1827, where he lived until his death, September 10, 1851. Mr. Kremer, on the 27th of May, 1811, married Catharine, the only danghter of Colonel Frederick Evans. She was a woman of fine culture and of extraordin- ary memory. She died at Middleburg, Sep- tember 13, 1880. Samuel O. Evans married Amelia, a daughter of George and Catharine Kremer, who now lives on the Evans home- stead, in Delaware township, Juniata County. Mrs. Thomas Bower, who now lives on the Kremer homestead, near Middleburg, is also a daughter. Mrs. Bower has in her possession a pamphlet of twenty-five pages, which contains it copy of his letter dated Washington, January 25, 1825, published in the Columbian when he was a member of Congress, and in which he explained the bargain and sale alleged to have been entered into by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay in order to defeat General Jack- son's claim to the Presidency. Also a and from Henry Clay, published in the National. Intelligencer, dated Jannary 31, 1825, followed by a reply from George Kremer, and an appeal by Henry Clay to the House, dated February 3, 1825, followed by Mr. Kremer's protest in a letter to the committee appointed to investigate the charges, dated February 8, 1825, and a let- ter published in the Washington Gazette Feb- mary 26th, by Mr. Kremer, on the liberty of the press. And this letter is followed by a long and forcible address from Mr. Kremer " To the
but not with the same views, Quam republican havemus? In qua urbe rwamus?' Kremer in his reply said : Ile Thought it (the proposed portico) was a monument of pride and extravagance and not of republican principles. He could not undertake to answer the gentleman's fine > peech. To him a great part of it was unintelligible and in reply to sue quotations he had made in it, from a dead language,
he should answer in his own mother therman tongue : . Ich habe es nicht verstanden.' Kremer went on to say that the nation was now in debt. He did not believe that any man had a right to entail debt on posterity. As to this portioo, it. was, in his opinion, as unnecessary as a fifth wheel to a wagon. He did not think Congress had a right even to put up a necessary building till we were able to pay for it."
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Electors af the Ninth Congressional District of | them. A bomb-shell hitting her, exploded and Pennsylvania," in which he reviews in forcible language his connection with this transaction.
Mr. Kremer was a Quaker in sentiment, and often said had he lived among them, he would have attached himself to thal denomination, as he believed they came nearest to the teaching of Christ of any Christian association. He made peace between two adjoining farmers living near Lewisburgh, who had gone to law for some trivial cause. He went to the house of one of the parties, invited him to take a ride, and as they passed the house of the other, he proposed inviting him along, to which he consented, and after riding a short distance he proposed resting under a shade-tree. The party tied their horses and seated themselves, when Mr. Kremer drew from his pocket a Testament, and read from the sixth chapter of Corinthians: "Dare any of yon having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints." The contending parties were church members. After listening to Mr. Kremer's reasoning they shook hands, dropped their controversy and separated as friends. He gave liberally to the support of the church and often reproved church members for the small support they gave to the Christian ministry. He was a devoted friend to Rev. Fries and Rev. Win. German. On one occasion he effected a reconciliation between Rev. Fries and some members of his congrega- tion, who had become dissatisfied at Rev. Fries' plainness of speech.
Frederick Evans settled in Union County before 1800; was in the War of 1812, and was commissioned captain in the Second Regiment af Artillery July 23, 1812. He assisted in building Fort Mellenry, at Baltimore, and was one of its noble defenders September 13, 1814. He often described the scene inside as terrific. Three bomb-shells struck and exploded inside of the fort, and he remarked one man shaking as if he had a chill. He asked to sit under one of the cannon. Evans gave him permission, when shortly another shell struck inside and killed him instantly. Another man was killed within three feet of him. Their coffee ran out, and they had very little to cat for three days. He spoke of a woman who brought water for
she was blown to atoms. He brought a small piece of her dress home with him, the largest part of her remains that he could find. The fourth shell that came in was marked " A pres- ent from the King of England." This did not explode. It weighed within two pounds a- much as an ordinary barrel of flour. This he brought away with him, and it still may be seen at the mill of S. O. Evans, in Delaware town- ship, AInniata County. An article by .1. L. Guss on the Hon. George Kremer, makes interesting mention of Captain Evans .!
1" Among the heroic defenders of Fort Mellenry, at Bal- timore, ou that memorable uight in which the 'Star Spau- gled Banner ' was born, was Captain Frederick Evans, of the Second Regiment of Artillery, under Armisted. One of the uuwelcome visitors cast into the fort from the British fleet was a large bomb, which did not burst in the air but emne rolling around loose in the fort, Captain Evans took charge of it, and, having removed its explosive conteuts, kept it as a relic and a plaything for the children.
" lle had a brother, Louis Evans, living within a mile of Thompsontown, Inviata County, Pa. After the war hnd elosed these brothers brought this shell up the Susque- hanna and Juuiata in a river-boat, propelled against the current by pure muscular strength. Having arrived at Thompsontown Landing, Lonis obtained his team; the shell, placed in a temporary box, was put upon the wagon, and they started for Evans' mill, it being then after night. Just after they had passed through the little village the shell suddenly broke through the box and wagon-bed and fell to the ground. Louis wanted to reload the precious keepsake, but Frederick said : ' Let the damned thing lay till to-mor- row ; nobody will run off with it.' So they went home. When they returned for it in the morning they found all the inhabitants of the town gathered around it. There were men, women and children, all excited and wondering whence this curious stranger had come and what it was. Some thought it must have come from the heavens above, and seut as a token of some impending calamity. Numbers of them had tried to lift it, but a certain Mrs. Kessler was the only one that had succeeded in raising it from the ground. " This shell is to-day in the saw-mill of Samuel O. Evans son of Louis, n veritable relic of the bombardment of Fort Mellenry. Being somewhat rusty, it does not seem to have as much ' business' iu its appearance as it had when the captain first saw it, when he extinguished the fire-spitting fuse and thus prevented it from making un uuwelcome fragmentary visit. li is one foot in diameter : its walls are one juch and a-halt thick ; it has a cavity of nine inches nud weighs one hundred nud eighty-six pounds. It is ane of four shells that fell inside of the fort, and it is said that it. originally had marked on it : 'A present from the King of England,' though when the writer saw it he neither heard of nor observed any such marks; but they may have been obliterated by the rust."
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Frederick Evans resided at Selin's Grove, and stranger upon a foreign shore and rested not until he had crossed the Susquehanna and pen- etrated far into the forest, there to begin for himself and his descendants a place they might call home. The immediate locality of his set- tlement was near what is now known as Kreamer. The first land acquired by him was by trading one of his rifles to the Indians, who placed a far greater value upon this weapon about 1806 removed to Lewisburgh. He was surveyor of Northumberland County, which then embraced Union and Suyder, and was a member of the State Legislature in 1810 and 1811. His only daughter, Catharine, mar- ried, in 1811, George Kremer, afterwards member of Congress. In his later years he re- sided with Mr. Kremer, near Middleburg, Suyder County, where he died December 4, I than upon the land they gave in exchange.
John of Schach
1844, aged seventy-nine years. He and his | Jacob Schoch, a son of the early settler and the wife and the Hon. George Kremer are buried in the old cemetery on the Kremer homestead, now the property of Thomas Bower.
JOHN A. Senoen .- Among the first settlers to inhabit what is now the fertile valley of Middle Creek was Mathias Schoch, a native of Germany, and who was the grandfather of John A. Schoch. Leaving his native land to try the fortunes of the new continent, he en- countered the perils of the deep, landed a
father of John A. Schoch, was born and raised in what is now Middle Creek township. In his youth he learned the trade of blacksmithing, which he industriously pursued throughout his life. By economy and faithful attention to his trade, he was enabled to acquire much of the now valuable land in the valley, so that at the time of his death he had become the owner of no less than four large farms. Jacob Schoch was married to Miss Elizabeth Hendricks, a lady of
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JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
English descent, and a Quakeress, who resided with her parents in Chester. John A. School was born Jannary 5, 1808, a short distance above what is now Kreamer. In his early days he remained on the farm with his father, assisting in the laborious duties that came to the lot of the husbandman at that period. On the 24 day of December, 1880, Mr. Schoch was joined in wedlock to Miss Lydia Houtz, from near Freeburg, eldest daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Houtz, the former of whom orig- inally came from what is now Lebanon County, but at the time Lancaster, and the latter, whose maiden-name was Zellers, from Berks County. In 1831 Mr. Schoch, with his young bride, moved into the stone house, at that time the ouly building where now stands the village of Kreamer. This house was afterwards known as the Half-way House, having been converted into a tavern when it passed out of the owner- ship of the Schoch family. This building was erected by Jacob Schoch, the father of John A., in 1822, where he resided with his family for nine years, and then disposed of the sumne to his son prior to his occupying it, as above stated. In 1836 Mr. Schoch, with his finnily, moved to what became the family homestead, a beautiful and productive farm, situated in Franklin township, three miles west of Middleburg. Here he passed the remainder of his days in agricultural pursuits, and raised and provided for a large and intelligent family. From this place went forth the influence of an indus- trious and honorable life. Here, on the 15th day of December, 1863, his spirit was sum- moned to take its flight to a better world.
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