USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 2
USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of the counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pt. 2 > Part 2
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6. Martin, the youngest son, lived on the home- stead of his father till 1820, when he moved to Mil- ford ( Upper), and lived there till his death, in 1854, aged seventy-six years. He left six sons and one daughter,-Philip, David, Henry, Solomon, Martin, Daniel, and Maria.
Philip and David emigrated to Ohio,
Henry, in 185.1, was on his way to Iowa to settle, and was killed on the route.
Solomon settled on the homestead in Upper Mil- ford, and died in January, 1864.
Martin settled on the homestead in Salisbury in 1843, and lived there till 1867, when he moved to Allentown, where he now resides.
Daniel settled in Upper Milford, and now resides there.
Maria became the wife of Adam Landenslager, and settled in Zionsville.
Henry Keek was a native of Upper Pfalls, Bavaria. lle left his home, with his wife ( Peter-on), of Hlol- land, on board the English ship "Clyde," and had to take the oath of allegiance to George II. before he landed in Philadelphia, Oct. 17, 1732. When he reached there he and his wife were sold as redemp- tioners for their passage-money to a man in Chester County, and served the time agreed upon,-about three or four years. After this he came to what is now Lehigh County, and settled on the tract which later he purchased, and which is still in the hands of his descendants. This tract of one hundred acres was warranted by Joseph Zimmerman, June 21, 1734. It was adjoining land of William Allen.
The title was in Zimmerman until Dec. 20, 1753, when in consideration of eighteen pounds he conveyed the tract to Henry Keek, who received, on payment of $15 10g., a patent for the land with King George Governor of the Province, dated March 19, 175-4.1
When he came to this place, abont. 1740, there was a clearing and a log house, log barn, and apple-or- chard. About ten or fifteen years after the purchase he built a two-story stone house, which stood till 1818, and was torn down by his grandson, Solomon Keek, who built a stone house on the site, and which is still standing and owned by Moses Keck. When Henry Keek came here, and for several years after, all his grist was taken to White Marsh, Sandy Run, Mont- gomery Co. The children of Henry Keck were Frederick, Henry, John, ---- , -- Andrew, and a daughter, who married a man by the name of Berger ;
1 This patent is in possession of Charles Keck, of Allentown.
406
IHISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
they moved West. Frederick and - went to South Carolina, and are lost. Henry married and settled in
descendants still live. John married a daughter of Nicolans Uberoth, of Salisbury, and settled on the old homestead. He died young, left three children, . who came to Allentown, and whose descendants are still there. Andrew, after Jolm's death, purchased the homestead, married Barbara, the daughter of George Blank, and settled there.
Henry Keek bought before his death, in 1828, about four hundred acres of land adjoining him. The farms are now owned by Moses Keck, Jesse Keck, John Appel, Phaon Diehl, and Robert Dnbbs. Frederick, , and Andrew were in the Revolutionary war,- battles of Germantown and Brandywine. In the war of 1812-15, George, son of Andrew, was in Peter Ruch's cavalry company, and George was second lieutenant ; John and David were in Capt. Abraham Rinker's company.
Andrew lived on the old farm till his death, in May, 1828, seventy-six years of age, leaving George, Solo- mon, Andrew, John, Jacob, David, and Charles; two daughters,-Maria, wife of Solomon Knauss; Eliza- beth, wife of William Horlocher. With the excep- tion of Andrew, who went to Indiana, they all settled in Salisbury and Allentown. Of these, Charles is the only one living, and now resides in Allentown, seven- ty-eight years of age.
The assessment-roll of 1781 contains the name of Lawrence Klein. This was doubtless a father or brother of Christopher Klein, who settled there about : that time. Christopher was in possession of two traets of land on the Little Lehigh River, one of one hundred and sixty-five acres, on which he lived, the other, adjoining, of one hundred acres. He left two sons,-Lawrence and Reuben. Lawrence was born in 1795 and died in 1882, leaving three sons and three daughters. Edwin Tilghman and Benjamin F. Tilgh- man reside on the homestead tract. Edwin and Ben- jamin F. live in Allentown. The daughters are Helena (Mrs. John Heinly), Lydia ( Mrs. William barrich), and Mary ( Mrs. John Hottenstine).
Benjamin F. Klein owns the farm in Salisbury that in 1781 and 1812 was assessed to Henry Fetter.
Reuben, the brother of Lawrence, resides in Allen- town.
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Bieber, after 1781, settled on the Little Lehigh
River, near the Salisbury Church, purchasing a large tract of land, which is now owned by Henry Bieber, Charles Schmoyer, Charles Yohe, and Daniel Biery. He had two sons, Abram and George.
Abram married a daughter of Abraham Griesemer, settled on the homestead, and died young, leaving two sons,-Solomon and Abraham. The latter emi- grated to Ohio, and Solomon remained at home, where he died. His son, Henry, occupies the farmn.
George, brother of Abraham, married a daughter of a Mr. Klein, of Weissenberg, and settled on part
of the old Bieber tract. He lived to the age of eighty years, and left two sons, David and Jonathan, who Salisbury township, on the Little Lehigh, where his ' lived on the homestead, and died, leaving the prop- erty to Charles Schmoyer, a nephew. Polly. a sister of David and Jonathan, is now eighty-seven years of age, and resides on the place. Another sister married John Schmoyer. They also settled on the farm. Their son, Charles, owns the property.
About the year 1790, Philip Klein came to Salis- bury from Goshenhoppen, and settled on land now owned by Daniel Klein, the grandson of Philip. Hle had two sons, Daniel and Solomon, both of whom settled on the land of their father. Daniel died in 1848, aged sixty years, and Solomon in 1869, aged seventy-six years.
The children of Daniel were Solomon, Daniel, and a daughter, who became the wife of Henry Ritter. She resides in the township. Solomon lived on that part of the homestead which contained the saw- and grist-mill his father built. ITe died in 1881, aged eighty-six years. Of his children, Solomon R. and Tilghman are in Allentown, Gideon in Macungie, and Mrs. Daniel Berrier resides in Bethlehem.
Daniel remained on the homestead till 1864, when he removed to Allentown, where he. still resides.
Nicholas Uberoth and John Adam Uberoth settled in Salisbury township after 1781 ; John on the farm where Mrs. Catharine Uberoth now resides. In 1812 he gave his land in the township to Adam, George, Nich- olas, and David Uberoth. John Adam Uberoth had three sons,-Solomon, Adam, and Jacob. Solomon married Catharine, a daughter of George Geisinger, who lived on the Geisinger farm, on the south bank of the Lehigh River. They settled on the farm of John Adam Uberoth, where he lived and died, and where she still resides. Adam lived single, and died at the homestead. Jacob settled as a farmer at Friedensville, and owned the farm on which zinc was discovered. Of the daughters of John Adam, Elizabeth became the wife of William Markle, Hannah married Chris- tian Gies, Catharine became Mrs. Jacob Moore, and Mary married Joseph Gauf, who settled in Saucon.
The Line family were carly settlers in Salisbury, and in 1781, William Line was in the township, near the east end, and on the farm now owned by Daniel Giess. He died about 1792, and had three sons -Joseph, John, and Valentine-and three daughters, -Mrs. Christian Kaneher, Mrs. Henry Heunick, and Mrs. Frederick Kocher. Joseph settled near his father's place, and died there, leaving desse M. and Levi Line, of Allentown, and five sisters, -- Maria (Mrs. Charles Beers, settled in the township), Susan (Mrs. Straub, of Northampton County ), Mrs. Jesse Shafer, of Allentown, Pauline ( Mrs. William F. Mil- ler, of Allentown), Mrs. J. J. Hoffman, of Bethle- hem. John, brother of Joseph, settled near his brother, and died there. Mrs. Charles Diely, of Salis- bury, is a daughter. Valentine moved to Enzerne County and died there.
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407
SALISBURY TOWNSHIP.
Jacob Merkle was assessed on property in Salisbury in 1781. He lived in Bucks County, near Quaker- town. His son, William, was born there about 1793, and about 1813 came to Salisbury, and settled on the property part of which is now owned by Jacob Moritz. William Markle died in 1872, and left six children,- Jacob, Juliana (Mrs. Solomon Boehm), Mary (Mrs. David Sheetz), Reuben, Adam, and Diana (Mrs. Jo- siah Siegers). Of these, Reuben and Mrs. David Sheetz now live in the township.
A family by the name of Stout were settled on the farm now owned by Reuben Spinner before 1768. In that year Jacob Spinner came from Philadelphia, attracted by the shad-fisheries in the Lehigh River. He married one of the daughters of the Stout family, and in 1781 his name appears on the assessment-list. He settled on the Stout farm. Ile had four sons,- Jacob, Abram, David, and John. They all settled in the township. Jacob settled where John Miller now owns ; his family all emigrated. Adam settled where Edwin Miller now lives; his family all died in carly life. David settled where Addison Morey-whose wife is a granddaughter-now lives. John settled on the Stout farm, and married Susan Walton. He was born in 1777, and died in 1869, aged ninety-two years. Ile left two children,-Reuben, who owns the ; homestead, and Mrs. Solomon Diehl, who lives ad- joining. The old Stout house is still standing, and is probably the oldest in the township.
In the assessment-roll of 1781 appears the name of Christian Giess. Later, Philip Giess was a resident, living on the road from Salisbury to Emaus. In the year 1806 he built the tavern known as Salisbury Square Hotel. He had two sons,-Solomon and David. Solomon lived and died on the homestead. David now owns the property. The tavern is kept by Mrs. George Gauf, who is a daughter of David. A distillery was built many years ago on the place and in operation. It was rebuilt in 1862, but not again opened.
William Moritz came from Germany before 1781, as in that year he is assessed on real estate. He had a son, John, who also settled in the township. John had three sous,-Daniel, David, and John George. Daniel was born in 1800, and settled on the farm of his father ; David, now living, was born in 1803, and settled near the homestead, where he still resides. John George settled in Saucon township.
Daniel Diehl came to Salisbury township from Upper Saucon, and settled on the Lehigh Mountain, where Winfield Butz now lives, about 1790. He was at that time married. His sons were John, Jacob, and Abram. In 1812, Daniel, John, and Jacob were all assessed. John settled on the homestead and died there, eighty-seven years of age. Solomon Diehl, his son, now lives in the township. Mrs. Solomon Mowry, of Upper Sancon, and Mrs. Joseph Roth, of Allen- town, are daughters. Abram, son of Daniel Diehl, settled in Columbia County, Pa. Jacob, also son of
Daniel, settled in the township, and died on the Gro- man homestead.
Early Roads .- In the year 1753 the road from Bethlehem to Macungie was laid out, and passed through the south part of the township. In Decem- ber, 1756, the following action of the Court of Quarter Sessions was recorded : " Petitions of divers inhabit- ants of Upper Milford and Salisbury townships for a road from Sebastian Knows's to and through Bethle- hem to the road leading to Easton was allowed, and Sebastian Knows, Francis Roth, Adam Shaler, Lewis Klots, and John Okely, or any four of them, are ap- pointed to view and, if they see occasion, to lay out the said road, and to make return thereof and an ex- act plan to the next court after the same is laid." Counter-petitions were presented at the June eourt, 1757, and the court refused to confirm the original. It was not laid out until 1760, and is now the road to Emaus.
In 1760 also a road was laid out to "Solomon Jen- ney's Plantation." A road was later laid across the hill which connected with the fording-place aeross the Lehigh, near the okl Griesemer farm-house. This passed through Rittersville and Shoenersville.
At the first term of court held in Lehigh County, Dec. 21, 1812, there was presented a petition of the inhabitants of the upper end of Salisbury township for a road "to begin at the public road leading from Emaus to Allentown ; thence from said road to Martin Ritter's tavern, a southeasterly course up a valley and near to the top of Lehigh hill, to intersect the public road leading to Philadelphia at Nicholas Kreamer's lot of land. Abraham Griesemer, Peter Dorney (sad- dler), John Grobel, Jonathan Knauss, John Hor- lacher, and Goddard Morey, were appointed viewers to examine and lay out."
On the 24th of February, 1813, a petition was pre- sented to the court setting forth that the road lately laid out from the public road leading from Emans to Allentown, near Martin Ritter's tavern over the Le- high hill, was totally unnecessary, and (if confirmed by the court) would be extremely burdensome to the inhabitants of said township at large, and praying the court to appoint other viewers to the road and report. Other viewers were appointed, who made a report on the 4th of May, the same year, in which they declared they had laid out a road. This action was confirmed by the court on that day.
On. Sept. 5, 1815, viewers appointed in May last to view and lay out a road reported road laid out. Be- ginning at the Emaus and Bethlehem road, near the house of Martin Ritter, Jr., in Salisbury township; running into the public road leading from the borough of Northampton to the city. of Philadelphia, near the house of Jacob Kacehline, in said township; rnu- ning through land of Martin Ritter, along land of John Kemmerer, Andrew Keek, John Wagner, and Jacob Warman; and to vacate part of a public road, beginning at the bridge of David Deshler's mill-race,
408
HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
and from thenee into road leading from Emaus to Bethlehem, at or near the corner of Henry Ritter's fence, in said township.
This last road mentioned as vacated is recited in the order as having been laid out in 1770, and is noticed as being " useless, ineonvenient, and burthensome."
At August session, 1818, viewers appointed at pre- vious court reported road laid out from mill-dam of James Wilson, Esq., in Salisbury township, to inter- seet public road leading from borough of Northamp- ton to Water Gap, near the house of Jacob Newhard, in South Whitehall. November term, report con- firmed so far as relates to road from mill-dam of Wil- son to borough of Northampton.
With the exception of the road from Allentown to Hellertown and from Emaus to Allentown, the dates of laying out have not been ascertained; the roads here given are all the roads of any importance laid out before 1820.
Old Taverns .- In the year 1763 there were no tav- erns in Salisbury township. The first shown by the Northampton County records to have had license to keep tavern in the township are in 1786. At the June term of court Martin Ritter, Caspar Weaver, Christian Hummel, and George Krush were licensed.
In 1818, William Gruber, Philip Giess, Lewis Christ, Martin Ritter, and Rudolph Smith were li- censed.
The old tavern-stand on the Mountain road, above the Idlewild Hotel, was established by John Keck in 1826-27, and kept by him eight or ten years, when he died. His widow kept it for several years, and mar- ried Henry Wolf, who kept it till his death. His widow is still living, and the tavern is still kept by her.
The tavern-stand between Allentown and Moun- tainville was opened in 1812 by George Keck, who kept it many years, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law, John Appel, whose son, John G. Appel, is the present proprietor.
Justices of the Peace .- Prior to 18440 the justices Iraving jurisdiction over this territory were elected by districts, and their names will be found in the civil list of the general history. Those from 1810 to the present are here given :
Commissioned.
John D. Lawal ....... April 11, 1840 | Jeremiah Roth ....... May 11, 1861 A. Ziegenfuss ......... 14, 1840 M. Kimmerer ......... April 11, 1865 A. Ziegenfuss. ...
Obadiah Ueberoth ... 17, 1866 John D. Lawall .... 15, 1815
John M. Jacoby ...... 14, 1868 M. Kimmerer ;. =
14, 1846 ! J. Owen Knauss ..... 14, 1868
W. 11. Kannss .... 15, 1873 Josiah Rhoads. 9, 1850
15, 1851 John M. Jacoby ...... 15, 1873 M. Kimmerer .... ...
Joshnn Sieberling ... 11, 1854 Charles B. Kline ..... March 25, 1878
Jacob Expeller ........ 16 16, 1856
W. Il. K minss .... .... . 25, 1878 M. Kimmerer. ... 66
28, 1859 9, 1861
O. A. Groman ......... April 6, 1583 Martin L. Yosl .. .... :
History of the Salzburg Church.1-To write the history and enumerate the important facts of a church or congregation whose organization antedates the recol- lections of the oldest members is, indeed, a task ; the more so, however, when the missing links to complete the chronology of the same cannot be found and the
records at hand fail to give the desired information. "For a time the sayings and doings of our ancestors may be left to the preservation of a grateful remem- brance and to the unrecorded traditions which parents hand down to their children. But snch traditions soon grow dim and uncertain, aud at last vanish away. As the setting sun leaves firsta glory, then a twilight, and at last darkness, so the deeds of the past, as they sink beyond our personal recollection, are first bright, then dim, and then gone ; and too late we mourn that we have no picture of the faded beauty. Our parents relate to us stories of our grandparents, but our grand- parents themselves are gone, and tell us no more what was before them." This is the case with the Salz- burg Church, situated about two miles in a north- easterly direction from the old Moravian village of Emans. Although the church is known ecelesiastic- ally as Jerusalem's Reformed and Lutheran Church, yet the name by which it is commonly called is the Salzburg Church. The organizers of the bro congre- gations are buried beneath the mounds designating their resting-places in the old graveyard of the church. The grandparents are gone, the fathers are going, the history of their toils and achievements is beginning to swim in half-uncertain twilight, and there is but barely time to record the doings of their life's day before the oblivious night sets in, when records and traditions will no more recognize one another. It cannot be uninteresting even to strangers, and much less so to our own children, to be presented with the picture of this church and these two congregations, even though it be very imperfect of the social and religious features of the olden time among onr Ger- man forefathers.
When the congregations were organized is not nor ever can be known from history this side of the grave, and only those faithful ones who have gone before and have seen the " books opened" above the starry heavens, have seen the records of those who often at the peril of their life, and under the heat of the noonday sun, have planted on the hill this sheep-fold of our blessed Lord's followers.
But we know that the first church was built in 1741. The land was owned by Henry Roth and John
Commissioned. | Martin Bamberger, and contained two acres. It was deeded, Dee. 15, 1743, to Rev. J. W. Straub for twenty shillings, the owners resigning all rights to the already-built Reformed and Lutheran Church.
A second church was built, when is not known, as there is no record extant of the same.
The third edifice, which will give way in a few weeks to something more modern in church archi- tecture, is forty hy sixty feet in size, and was built of stone in the year 1819, in the summer. These walls look as though they might serve for many years to come the purpose for which they were put together.
The old churchyard shows by its moss-covered and antiquated tombstones that at this carly day it was I used as a place for the burial of the deadl. It was
1 By Rev. Thomas N. Rabor.
1
= 15, 1845
409
SALISBURY TOWNSHIP.
thus used for a period of one hundred and nine years, when, in 1850, an acre was purchased from Solomon Kline for two hundred dollars, which traet lies imme- diately opposite, on the other side of the road.
In 1867 another acre adjoining the above was pur- chased for five hundred dollars from Solomon Kline, Jr., son of the above-named owner of lands, adjoining the church property. This traet was ent up into family burial-plots, which are selling to-day at from twenty-five to forty dollars apiece. All the lots are sold, and the congregations are negotiating for the purchase of an additional adjoining aere for the same purpose.
In the spring of 1883 a small plot of little more than half an aere adjoining the lower burial-ground was bought from Reuben Kratzer for one hundred and forty dollars.
names of quite a number of such were repeated. Finally, when the name of Leydich was mentioned, she threw up her head, her eyes brightened, and smiles covered her face while she said, " Oh, yes! Leydich, he was a good man." From 1771 to 1779, Rev. John George Wither (when he died) served this people; 1779-82, Conrad Steiner, Jr.
In 1796 the church record shows that Rev. John Henry Hoffineier, pastor of neighboring congrega- tions, administered the communion in the spring of the year to thirty-one, and in the fall of the year to twenty communicants. This small number owing undoubtedly to the fact that they had no regular pastor. From 1808-15, Rev. Jacob William Dechant preached to these people regularly, when at the latter date he was sent by the Synod to the State of Ohio to do missionary work for the church. Rev. Daniel Zellers served the people faithfully for forty-two years as pastor, immediately succeeding his predecessor, Rev. Dechant, and continuing until May, 1857, when, active duties of the ministry. Rev. A. J. G. Dubbs following him as successor to the ministry of the congregation, continued as such until 1876, when the present pastorate began,-the Rev. Thomas N. Reber serving the congregation.
The first pastor regularly serving the congregation seems from the deed to have been Rev. John William Straub. He was the first Intheran pastor as far as is known. He was followed in 1754 to 1762 by Daniel : on account of declining health, he retired from the Schumacher; 1769-93, Jacob van Buskerk; 1793-96, George Frederick Eligsen ; 1800-3, Rev. John Paul Ferdinand Kramer; 1803-5, John George Roeller; 1805-8, John Conrad Yeager; October, 1808-17, Rev. lleiney ; 1817-19, Henry G. Stecher.
In 1819 the third church was built, and Benjamin Jerusalem Church .- Tradition says that over German became the pastor and preached first in the i one hundred years ago a church stood on the site new church. and continred twenty-nine years, to 1848 when he died. His brother, William German, was unanimously elected as his successor, served only two years, when he also died. of the present one, that it was occupied many years, fell into disuse, and was abandoned. The graveyard that belonged to it is still in use. About the year 1843 the scattered people of the Lutheran In 1852, Jacob Vogelbach became the pastor, who served until 1857, when William Rath succeeded him, and has continued from that time on to this day and date to minister regularly to the people, extending his pastorate to twenty seven years. and German Reformed congregations in this neigh- . borhood reorganized. The Rev. Joshua Yeager be- came the pastor of the Lutherans, and served until Dee. 25, 1883, when he was succeeded by Professor Wackernagel, of Muhlenberg College, Allentown. This congregation numbers about one hundred and fifty members.
Although, as before stated, the first church was erected in 1741, yet we have no record of regular pas- tors on the Reformed side. If the congregation was served, it must have been by " vagabond pastors," :s was generally the case. Rev. Michael Schlatter, who set sail from Holland for America as missionary in 1746, mentions in his journal, oder date of June 27, 1747, this church as one which he on this day vis- ited, found vacant, and connected it with two other adjoining vacant congregations, with the hope that soon they would have the exclusive services of a regular pastor.
For the German Reformed people the Rev. Max Stern served about two years, and was succeeded by the Rev. Simon K. Gross, Rev. A. J. G. Dubbs, Rev. D. F. Brendel, and in 1872 the present pastor, the Rev. N. 7. Snyder, took the charge, in connection with the First Reformed Church of Sonth Bethlehem. This congregation mimbers about one hundred mem- bers. The present stone church, forty by sixty foot, was erected about the time of reorganization.
Jerusalem Sunday-school was organized about 186 1, largely through the efforts of J. W. Larash, John Ab- bott, Thomas Cope, and William Bower. It now has abont seventy pupils, twelve officers, and ten teachers. President, George Shall; Secretary, E. Buchecker; Treasurer, Angustus Shall; Superintendent, J. W. Larash.
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