USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 11
USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 11
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Character and Customs .- The people who settled Weissenberg were religious, honest, sober, and indus- trious, and were thus well fitted for settling a new country. The people as a whole were very sober, moral, and religious muitil after the Revolutionary war. But after the return of the soldiers their eondi- tion greatly changed. Many of those who had served in the war lost their habits of steady toil, and after the excitements of a soldier's life did not feel like farmuing or working at the bench or anvil. Many had also become labitnated to the excessive use of strong drink, whiskey then being plenty, nearly every farmer distilling his own apple-jack, and selling to all who
wanted to buy. Much drunkenness was caused among the people for a long time. Hotels also became more numerous, and every Saturday evening the landlords used to have frolics. It was seklom that a frolic was held where there were not several fights. It was cus- tomary for a long time for the farmers to make "corn- matches," to husk corn in the day and have a frolie in the evening.
"Snitzing" parties were also held. People who wanted to cook apple-butter invited their friends to come and help make the " snitz." After the snitzing was done a frolic was held, and the dancing often kept up till near daylight.
"Shooting in the new year" was another habit of the German people. All the people went "to shoot new year." Sometimes there were crowds of from twenty or thirty together, starting at midnight and going from house to house, shooting the old year out and the new year in. On all these occasions it was customary to have plenty of whiskey, and to give as much as people wanted to drink. But these were evils which now rarely occur. Frolies, "corn matches," "snitzing" parties, and "shooting new year" are things that nowadays but seldom happen. While drunkenness is still a great evil, it is not near as great as it was about seventy-five years ago. For a long time people thought they could not perform a day's work without having as much whiskey to drink as they wanted, and until a recent period it was customary for farmers, during hay-making and har- vest, to give plenty of whiskey to their hands. But it is now a thing of the past.
Hardships-Early Occupations-A Distant Mar- ket .- Naturally the first settlers of Weissenberg had to endure many hardships and difficulties, having Long Swamp, a large strip of unsettled land, be- tween themselves and Oley, over which they had to pass when they wanted to have any intercourse with the people of the latter place. Over this unoccupied region there were no roads, but simply paths, through which it was difficult to get with teams.
The people not being able to build mills during the first years, took their grain on horseback to Oley to mill, a distance of from ten to fifteen miles.
With the first settlers came many that had trades, such as carpenters, weavers, shoemakers, smiths, tan- ners, wheelwrights, nail-makers, hatters, dyers, tailors, etc. As weavers came Daniel Stettler, David Xander, Casper Sunn, Bernd Rupert, Nicholas Beesaker, etc. ; as a baker, Daniel Zoller; as tanners, Philip Henn and Jacob Greenawald; as a tailor, Jacob Stine; as a hatter, Gottlieb Ettinger ; as blacksmiths, Adam Bear and Killian Leiby ; as nail-makers, John and Killian Leiby ; as a sickle-maker, Daniel Knouse.
For a long time the only market at which the farmers conld sell their products was at Philadelphia. Everything the farmer wanted to sell he had to hanl with the wagon to Philadelphia. It took them from Monday morning till Friday evening to make a trip.
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HISTORY OF LEIIIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
Usually a party of from fifteen to twenty went to- gether. They took horse-feed and their own food along for the whole week. They slept in the bar- rooms of the hotels, lying on the floor, around the stoves. This was the only way of transportation till the Schuylkill and Lehigh Canals were built. After that they sold their products to dealers along the canals, who sent them by boat to market. The farmers generally were very rough in going to and re- turning from Philadelphia, and played many tricks on people living along the road.
Period of the Revolutionary War .- The people of Weissenberg took an active part in the Revolu- tionary war. As soon as the war broke out Michael Babst, of Hynemansville, raised a regiment of soldiers in Weissenberg and adjoining townships. Babst was to be their colonel, David Xander major, and Jacob Mummy a captain. A great many of the men of Weissenberg joined this regiment, as, for instance, four out of the Boger and two of the Holben fam- ilies. They went to New York to join the army of Washington, and were there deserted by their leader, Babst. They fought in the battle of Long Island, under Gen. Sterling. Many of them were captured after the defeat of the American army, among them being Jacob Mummy and three of the Bogers. Only one of them, viz., Adam, escaped. The three that were captured were among those that were imprisoned in a church for some time, and later in ships; and they all three died. Later in the war, while the British army was lying in Philadelphia, there was an encampment at Hynemansville to re- cruit and drill soldiers for Washington's army. They joined the army of Washington when the British evacuated Philadelphia, and were engaged in the pursuit of the British through New Jersey.
After the close of the war, those that had been Tories were required to take the oath of allegiance to the government. Some of the Tories of Weissenberg refused, one of them, George Koster, abandoning his property and fleeing the country. Another one, a Mr. Grow, was requested to come to Ilyuemansville to take the oath. He came there but refused to swear. The officers then took hold of him with the intention of tarring him. He was a very strong man, and a scuffle ensued, in which he kicked over the tar-keg. But at last they succeeded in getting him down, and rolled him around in the tar till he was all dripping, when they let him go and he started for home. It is said that his path could be traced by the tar from Hynemansville to his house. Several days later he came and took the oath of allegiance.
The people of Weissenberg were greatly excited, in 1798-99, about the house-tax, but no violence was committed.
Improvement of Condition .- As soon as the con- dition of the settlers had somewhat improved they commenced to put up better honses. By this time saw-mills had been built, boards and shingles became
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plenty, and stone was always to be had in abundance. This about the years 1750 to 1760 we find that many of the first houses are torn down and new ones built. People also built two-story houses with cellars under them. At first they used to go up from one story to the other by means of ladders, but now they put in stairs. Some of the houses that had been built were propped up and cellars dug out under them, but the houses were as yet all built of logs. About the mid- dle of the latter half of the last century the people commenced to build of stone, but it was in the beginning of the present century that those large stone buildings were put up which are still standing.
As soon as the settlers had cleared a small tract of land they feneed a portion of it as a garden. In that garden a part was set aside for the planting of the seeds that they had brought along with them, which included, besides the usual garden seeds, those of apples, pears, peaches, and cherries. Thus in the very outstart they commenced the raising of fruit-trees, the most important being the apple. By the time that they had portions of the land cleared they had also raised fruit-trees. Thus they commenced to set out large orchards of apple-trees. The trees grew rapidly, and soon the farmer found himself amply rewarded for his labor. About the year 1765 distil- leries were built, and the distilling of rye and apple- jack commenced. All that the farmers wanted to sell had to be hauled by the wagon to Philadelphia, and the farmers at once saw that the best way was to con- vert their surplus grain and their apples at home into whiskey, as that greatly lessened the cost of trans- portation to Philadelphia. The sale of whiskey was the main means by which farmers raised money for a long time. As the old trees gave out, new ones and more were planted, and thus the supply of apples was increased till about 1820. About this time the people neglected their orchards, and the quantity of apples yearly diminished during the next thirty years, until 1850, when nearly all the distilleries had been torn down. During the last twenty years people again commenced to set out fresh orchards, and the quantity of apples is again on the increase. The dis- tilling of rye was kept up till the time of the building of the Lehigh Canal, which opened a better market for the surplus grain of the farmers.
Weissenberg was all overgrown with heavy wood when the first settlers arrived, and, being a hilly country, interspersed with fine valleys, they com- menced to clear first the valleys, and sowed them with grain, usually the first crop being buckwheat, and then followed with rye, the virgin soil yielding heavy crops. So they kept on, clearing yearly more land and treating it in the same way, till towards the latter part of the last century the fertility of the soil had greatly decreased, in many cases the land becom- ing so poor that it was not cultivated for years. Sometimes that which was cultivated would hardly yield more than the seed. It thus became a serious
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WEISSENBERG TOWNSIHP.
question with farmers what to do. They turned their attention to the application of gypsum, or land plaster. This improved their erops for a while, but it soon be- came apparent that it would do only for a time, and that in the end it would make the land poorer. Many of the farmers soll out and went to other regions, and those who remained could not do more than make a living.
About the year 1820 the farmers began to put lime on the soil, and it greatly increased its fertility. Since that time mich lime has been applied to the land, and thus far always with marked effect. But as lime is only an incentive to the soil, and not a real fertilizer, farmers must be careful in their system of farming, or else the land will be as badly worn down again as it was in 1820. Indeed, many farmers assert that the application of lime does not give as good results now as it did forty years ago. While hardly anything would grow before the application of lime, afterwards all the grains grew abundantly. The grains usually cultivated were rye, oats, corn, wheat, and buckwheat. Buckwheat, which was about one hundred years ago the main crop, is now seldom seen. The grasses that are cultivated are clover and timothy. Flax also, for a long time largely cultivated, is now not seen, and has been very little cultivated during the last forty years, except from 1853 to 1868.
During the war cotton had greatly risen in price, and then many people sowed flax, and old spinning- wheels that had been stowed away for years were again brought into use. Potatoes, now one of the principal crops of the farmers of Weissenberg, of which every year from sixty to seventy thousand bushels are raised and sold, were not raised for sale till about the year 1840. Then they were mostly sold in the coal regions.
Language-Efforts to retain German and ex- clude English .- Weissenberg was settled by Germans, except the Werles, Bittners, and Gehringers, who were of French descent. They were French Protestants, who left France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They first went to Germany, and later came to America. By the time that they came to this country they spoke the German language. The Ger- man language was spoken by all the people prior to the year 1800. But soon after that time several Eng- lishimen settled here, who brought the English lan- guage with them, and made efforts to have English taught in the schools. This was strongly opposed by the people, and in many of the schools, partienlarly the church schools, it was positively forbidden.
About the year 1830 the Germans of Pennsylvania made a general effort to retain the German language. Die Alle und Neue Welt (the Old and New World), a Ger- man newspaper printed in Philadelphia by Dr. Wes- selhoeft, defended it with great ability. A general State convention was called to defend the German rights. To this State convention the German counties were to send delegates, and each township to hold meetings to pass resolutions in regard to the matter. Such a
meeting of German farmers and mechanics was held June 3, 1837, at Hynemansville, in Weissenberg town- ship. The purpose of the meeting was explained in speeches by Dr. Wesselhoeft and others. A com- mittee was appointed to draft a preamble and resolu- tions, which were unanimously adopted by the meet- ing, and were as follows :
" Es gewährt uns ein besonderes Vergnilgen, heute an einem Zwecke mus versammelt zu haben, welchen wir vor einem Jahre noch kaum zu erreichen hofften. Doch cine gerechte Sache schreitet inner voran und wir werden sehen dasz wir vor unpartheiischen Richtern siegen werden. In der Convention ist der Vorschlag gemacht worden, 'in deutschen Countys auch die Verhandlungen der Courten in deutscher Sprache zu führen.' Das war schon Bingst unser aller Wunsch, und unser ganzes Bestreben gehe dahin dies zu erreichen. Da dieser Vorshlag aber so ganz giinstig für unsere Sache ist, so tussen wir aus allen Kräften ihn zn unterstützen suchen ; denn lassen wir diese Gelegenheit unbenutzt voriiber gelten, so ist unsere Sprache unterdrückt, unsere deutsche Kirchen geben vu Grunde, und mit ihnen lassen wir unseren Kindern das Beste ranben, dealsche Redlichkeit, Glauben, und Fleisz. Das dart aber nicht sein so lange wir es noch verhiiten können. I'd das können wir jetzt,-in die Constitution müssen wir einen Artikel haben, der unserer Sprache glethe Rechne mit der englischen gibt, wenigstens in deutschen Countys die deutsche Sprache bei der Court einfahrt ; und min dies zu erreichen laszt uns Petitionen an die Convention zn Tausell- den schicken,-dann musz sie es thun wenn sie gerecht sein will. Aber alles was geschieht musz schnell geschehen, damit es noch frith genng an die Convention kommen kann : Daher
" Beschlossen, Dasz wir einen Artikel in der zu bildenden Constitution, welche die Einführung der deutschen Sprache bei den Conrten in dent- schen Countys beabsichtigt, unseren vollen nugetheilten Beifall geben, " Beschlossen, Dasz wir alle gesetzliche Mittel ergreifen wollen, dasz ein solcher Artikel in die Constitution kounmne, und zwar auf dem Wege der Petition durch Subscription.
" Brselloszen, Dasz wir villig übereinstimmen mit dem Vorschlage am 17. Juni, Samstags, am Wirthshanse von Gnth in Stid-Whitehall eine allgemeine County Versammlung zn luidten.
" Beschloszen, Dasz wir alle Townships vou unserem County dringend ersuchen ihre Deputirten an der County Versammlung an schicken.
" Beschlossen, Dasz auszerdem jeder Einwohner, der der Sache günstig ist, eingeladen wird, bei der County Versammlung zn erscheinen, um mit Nachdruck an dem Werke helfen zu können.
" Beschlossen, Dasz alle dentsche Countys im Staate aufgefordert werden so schnell als möglich ähnliche Maszregeln zu ergreifen, um durch Vor- sammlungen und Petitionen den Vorschlag in der Convention durch- zusetzen.
" Beschlossen, Dasz alle deutsche Zeitungsdrucker in unserem Staate, welche der dontschen Reform günstig sind, gebeten werden, diese Ver- handlungen in ihren respectiven Blitter aufzunehmen ; dagegen alle Drucker, welche der Sache just halber oder gar nicht gunstig sind, hier- mit dringend ersucht werden diese Verhandlungen nicht aufzunehmen, damit wir endlich einmal in deu Stand gesetzt werden Frennd und Feind zu unterscheiden."
Translation.
"Preamble: It gives us particular delight to be as- sembled to-day for a purpose which a year ago we did not hope to obtain. Yet a righteous cause always moves forward, and you will see that before. impartial judges we shall win. The proposition was made in the convention to have in the German counties the proceedings of the courts held in the German lan- guage. This was already for a long time our wish, and our whole exertion will be to obtain it. As this proposition is so entirely favorable to our cause, we must try to assist it with all our strength, for if we let this chance pass by without making use of it, then our language is suppressed, our German churches go to destruction, and with them we rob our children of that which is the best, German honesty, faith, and
448
HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
diligence. This must not be so long as we can pre- vent it. And this we ean do now. We must have an article in the constitution which gives to our language ; ried to Jacob Walbert), Catharine (married to Jacob equal rights with the English, at least to use in Ger- man counties the German language in the courts, and to obtain this let us send petitions by thousands to the convention, then the convention must do it if it will be just. But all that is to be done must be done quickly, so that it will reach the convention before it is too late. Therefore, .
" Resolved, That we give our full and undivided assent to an article in the new constitution, which in German counties tends to introduce the German language into the courts.
" Resolved, That we will use all lawful means, by the way of subscriptions to petitious, to have such an article in the constitution.
" Resolved, That we fully agree with the proposition to hold a general county meeting at the public-house of Guth, in South Whitehall, on Saturday, the 17th of June.
" Resolerd, That we urgently beseech every township in our county to send its deputies to the county meeting.
" Resolved, That besides these deputies every in- habitant who is favorable to the cause is invited to be present at the county meeting to assist the cause by his presence.
" Resolved, That all German counties in the State are requested as soon as possible to take like measures to put, by meetings and petitions, the proposition through in convention.
" Resolved, That all publishers of German news- papers in our State who are favorable to the German reform are requested to publish these proceedings in their papers, whilst all publishers that are not favor- able, or are only partially favorable, are hereby car- nestly requested not to publish these proceedings, so we shall at once be able to distinguish our friends from our enemies."
The Pioneer Families .- Egiithius Grimm, a native of Würtemberg, subsequent to 1728 a resident of Deal, came to this country in 1733, and settled in what is now Weissenberg township, on the farm now owned by Jesse Grim. Ile took up six hundred acres of land, partly in Weissenberg and partly in Macun- gie. He was married before he came to this country. He had two sons, viz. : Jacob and Heinrich, of whom Jacob was the oldest. Jacob Grim obtained a portion of his father's farm (that part lying in Macungie). He married and left three sons,-Jacob, Peter, and Henry. Of these, Jacob went West, Peter lived in Weissenberg, but never married, and Henry received his father's homestead. Henry left eleven children,
viz. : Elizabeth (married to Jones Neff), Rachel (died single), Jones, Levi, Abraham, Solomon, Judith (mar-
Herman), David, Annie (married to Benjamin Wal- bert), and Hetty (who died single). Of these, Jones received the homestead, and Elizabeth, Abraham, Solomon, Judith, and David settled and lived in Weissenberg. Solomon is the only one that is still living. lle lives on a farm on Silver Creek, about two miles above New Smithville. He is over eighty years of age.
llenry Grim was the youngest son of Eguthius Grimm. He obtained his father's homestead. IIe was married and left seven children, viz. : Jacob, Gedion, Henry, Peter, Jonathan, Maria (married to Jacob Sassaman), and Catharine (married to Peter Trexler). Jacob settled on the homestead, and had five sons and two daughters, viz. : Jacob (who went to Saucon), David ( who moved to Maxatawny ), Henry (who settled in Philadelphia), Jesse (who has his father's homestead in Weissenberg), Samuel (who moved to Macungie), Sarah ( who married John Baily and moved to Hamburg), and Judith ( married to John Apple, of Saucon).
Jesse Grim was the only one of Jacob Grim's sons who lived in Weissenberg. He is the owner of the Grim homestead, containing over two hundred acres of land, the place where Eguthius Grimm settled when he came to this country. Jesse Grim was several times elected to the State Legislature, was one of the commissioners to choose the property tor the Lehigh County poor-house, was several times elected as poor director, and served in various minor township offices. He is now living at Allentown, at the advanced age of ninety years, but is hearty and well preserved. Jesse Grim's children are Ephraim, Jacob, William, Walter, and Deborah (who was mar- ried to William Edleman ).
Gedion Grim, son of Jacob Grim, settled in Berks County, and one of his sons, Benjamin, came to Weis- By such strong efforts the German fathers succeeded for a long time to prevent the speaking of the English senberg and bought what is now Grim's mill. Benja- min had five sons, viz. : Benjamin, Jonathan, Gedion, language in our township. But now it is wholly the , and Willoughby, who live in Weissenberg, and Na- language of the schools, and ere long will also be the language that is spoken.
than, who lives in Macungie.
Heinrich Grim's son, Henry, settled in Maxatawny; Peter, in Whitehall ; and Jonathan, at Kutztown.
Grim's farm is probably the oldest settlement in Weissenberg. It was settled in 1733. The farm is situated in the southern part of the township. On this farm there was a place where the Indians used to stay for several weeks on their passage from the Le- high to the Blue Mountains. There are many places still pointed out as Indian graves. On this farm is a large stone house, which was built in the year 1802. The barn was built about the same time.
Jacob Holben was one of the first settlers of Weis- senberg township. He came from Odenwald, in Ger- many, and settled in the vicinity of the Weissenberg Church. He was one of the first elders of the Weissen-
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WEISSENBERG TOWNSHIP.
berg congregation, being mentioned as sneh as early as 1743. He lived for some time in a log building on which there was no door. For a stairway the family used a ladder, on which they erawled up to the garret. Around this house the wolves would howl at night, and often entered the lower apartment while the family slept in the garret. Sometimes the wolves made attempts to get up on the ladder or to crawl up on the logs. Jacob Holben was married to Catharine Weiss, and had six children, as follows : Anna Mar- greta (who was born Dec. 24, 1743), Theobald, John Jacob, Lorentz, John Wendel, and Anna Catharine (who was born Feb. 26, 1756).
Theobald Holben was born in what is now Weis- senberg, then Allemängel, Aug. 16, 1745. He was a farmer by occupation. He was married to Sarah Gerber. They had no children.
Job Jacob Holben was born Feb. 23, 1748. He was married, and had several children.
Lorentz Holben was born Jan. 29, 1750. He was a farmer by occupation and had his father's home- stead. He was a member of the Reformed congrega- tion at Weissenberg. He married Catharine Kram- lieb, Jan. 25, 1774. He died June 23, 1842, leaving seven children,-Solomon, Peter, Jacob, Lorentz, Christian, John, Friederich.
Wendel Holben was born July 1, 1752. He lived in Weissenberg township, was married, and left chil- dren, some of whom were Magdalena, Catharine, Catharine Elizabeth, and Regina Barbara.
Of Lorentz Holbein's children, Christian went to Ohio, John died in the war of 1812, Friederich went West, and Solomon, Peter, and Jacob divided the homestead, each one taking a portion. Solomon was married, and left two sons, viz. : Solomon and Pheon.
Peter left four sons and several daughters, his sons being Gedion, Peter, Reuben, and Joseph.
Jacob left seven children,-four girls and three Sous, -his sons being David, Gedion, and Jacob.
The farm originally taken up by Jacob Holben is still in the hands of his descendants, being owned by his great-grandchildren, Reuben, C. Joseph, Solomon, Phaon, and Jacob.
Jacob Schumacher came from Germany, about 1745. On the voyage of the family across the ocean they encountered a great storm, and were nearly wreeked. Schumacher settled in "the back parts of Macungie," now Weissenberg. The farm which he settled is now owned by Nathan Mohr, and is situated near Seipstown. The family located temporarily in the vicinity of the present Ziegel's Church. The father then went out, accompanied by his son George, to find a suitable place for a home. They came to the place now owned by Daniel Fenstermacher, and commenced to cut wood for buikling a house. After working there several days they came one evening on their way home to a large spring of pure water in a fine location. The next morning they abandoned the former place and went to work to put up a house by
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