In The Swatara Region
A Two Days’ Trip Through the Valley in 1895
Names mentioned are Jacob Albert, Alberts, Abraham Blough, Cyrus Blough, John Blough, George Bomgardner, Bomgardners, Deininger, Bishop J. Erb, John Elder, Ezra Early, Squire William Early, sister of Major Leidig, Rev. Funkhouser, Jacob and Appolonia Goetz, John Nicholas Goetz, Adam Harper, Harpers, Mr. Heintzleman, John Kean , Barbara Krause, David Krause, Henry Krause, Regina Krause, Revs. Felix, John and Casper Light, Rev. George Mark, Eve Maulfair, Michael Maulfair , Mr. Miller , Millers, Adam Mosser and brother, Henry Moyer, Henry Neidig , Rev. John Neidig, John Adam Ney, John Peter Ney, Nicholas Ney, Adam Orth, Raysor family,David Rittenhouse, Rev. Roop, Pert Sherk, Sherks, Shellenbergers, John Stauffer, Ulrich, Weis,Samuel Worthington, Zimmerman
It was June 9th that a long contemplated trip was begun, in company with a citizen of this city to the beautiful Lebanon Valley, Pa. We started north from Palmstown, now Palmyra, across the gravel hill and soon turned to the east, passing the school house knows as Early’s from the fact that Squire William Early led the German element against the Scotch-Irish citizens in that section of Lebanon County in the free school fight. The Germans were not as much opposed to the free school system as they were to give up their parochial school at Bindnagle’s church, where they educated for more than seventy-five years their children in both religious and secular training; but the election was gained by the Scotch-Irish for the free school system. No sooner, however, was this adopted, when Squire Early donated the land in the locality mentioned for the school house we have just passed on our trip to New Market Forge. Here we arrived after passing the home where Rev. George Mark resided many years, up to the beginning of the late war, and who with his ancestry were early pioneers in Methodism and afterwards leaders in the U.B. Church in that section.
We soon arrived at New Market Forge, or rather first at the factory mill, where about the year 1812 a number of wealthy gentlemen from Lancaster, Pa., at the head of which was a Mr. Heintzleman, established a very large cotton and woolen factory at a cost of $96,000. The product of the mill was counted equal to any manufactured in the country. They located here on account of the large water power on the Quitopahilla creek, which empties into the Swatara a half mile below the factory.
At the close of the war of 1812-14, the opening of our ports to foreign manufactures, brought ruin to this concern. It is now owned by Ezra Early and run as a chopping mill. Here it was that our companion began merchandising at the close of the year 1849,and it was with much pleasure we entered the house where our companion of life was born. The house is built against a hill, which we soon ascended to look upon the old graveyard which contains a number of graves, yet only two tombstones, with the following inscription:
John Stauffer, D. August 14, 1822, aged 56 years 5 months 19 days. He at one time was the operator of this mill in its declining days.
The other tells us of the name and death of the son of any Englishman, who at one period expended his energies in this factory, Samuel Worthington, b. July 11, 1819; d. March 5, 1827
Here we saw what was at one time, more than sixty years ago, a log school house which stood and did duty at “McGilles Settle,” but now occupied as a blacksmith shop, having been brought here years ago by our companion.
Proceeding up the creek a half mile we come to New Market Forge, which was one of the early iron industries in Dauphin, now Lebanon county. The forge was erected at the close of the year 1792 by Adam Orth and David Krause. The land upon which it was built and that on which the dam spread its water, covered many acres.
Some of the land was purchased from Peter Ney (a descendant of Nicholas Ney, b. June 6, 1742, in Germany and came to America in the year 1751) on January 13, 1792. This was patented by the Province of Pennsylvania October 26, 1765, to John Adam Ney. He, by will dated December 14, 1792, left the same to his son, John Peter Ney, as above.
Another tract of 171 acres, patented November 7, 1761 to Cyrus Blough, which, by will dated February 24, 1793, left to his sons, John and Abraham Blough. They sold the same to Adam Orth and David Krause, with this “imprimis:” “Those lands and premises that shall or may hereafter be flowed, overflowed and covered with water on the above mentioned tract of land and premises by a dam intended to be erected and built on Quittapahilla creek, by the said Adam Orth and David Krause, to raise such dam to be erected for use of certain water works to be erected or built by the same Adam Orth and David Krause,”
October 4, 1793, David Krause and wife, Regina, sold their half interest in the plant to Adam Orth. Adam Orth died in the year 1794 and left the property to his son Henry, and he with his wife Barbara, January 19, 1797, sold the same to Henry Moyer, and the latter, in the year 1798, disposed of the same to John Kean and John Elder, of Harrisburg, for the sum of 22,000 pounds and the following year Mr. Kean removed his family there.
Since then the same has been owned and operated by a number of different persons and was in operation until a few years ago, since which time the building has gone into decay and destruction, and no doubt the sound of the forge hammer on the banks of the Quitopahilla has been silenced forever, and the wrecking of capital by this enterprise is fulfilled for the last time, in the language of the Pennsylvania German post:
Forgehammer, du grosz, ershrecklich’s Thier,Du hoscht, schun, g’fresse drey order fier;
Den funfte hoscht du a’h in Rache -
Dem werscht’s ja woul, net besser mache.
The mill dam is still there, backing up a lake of water covering eighty acres.
On retracing our steps again to the factory our attention was called to a green sward to the left of the road, once enclosed by a post and rail fence, which was the family burial place of the Raysor family, some of whom reside in this vicinity, while a U.B. church a few miles east of Harrisburg derives its name from that surname, and all evidences of fence and graves have disappeared.
After leaving his place, Syner, which is the post office name, we proceed in a northeasterly direction, soon come to the Swatara Creek and are driving through the Maulfair farm, which Michael Maulfair (Maulvier or Mohlwehr), had warranted to him by the Province of Pennsylvania, November 14, 1754. He was a French Huguenot and came to America early in life. He was born in 1729; died in 1807, and left numerous descendants, who continue to reside in that section. Michael Maulfair is buried at Bindnagle Church, where he was a communicant and follower of the Reformer. His wife, Eve, born October 2, 1736; d. March 6, 1793, and lies buried by his side.
We next come to the Swatara Creek, along whose shores we drive for some distance when we arrive at “Oil” Miller’s ford, so named from the oil mill located nearby and owned by a Mr. Miller a century ago. Here we cross the historic stream, yet not as they did a hundred years ago, but over a two-spanned iron bridge, and are now in the east end of Hanover township or Swatara region proper, originally settled almost wholly by the Germans, except in that section we are traveling where a few Scoth Irish assisted in forming the nucleus of Hanover Presbyterian church, situate along the mountains at the Manada, some ten miles to the north and west of this point.
As we descend the hill from the bridge, we cross the Union canal bed, which wasone of the greatest and earliest internal improvement the American country witnessed at the close of the eighteenth century. As early as the year 1762 the celebrated astronomer, David Rittenhouse, and the provost of the University of Pennsylvania, surveyed a route along the Swatara and Tulpehocken, for a canal to connect the waters of the Susquehanna and Schuylkill, and this very canal, now overgrown with pond lilies, grass and weeds, with here and there a lonely frog creaking his doleful melody, passes over a portion of this old survey. Great were the plans of the progressive originators of this canal who foresaw a large highway for commerce from Lake Erie and the Ohio with the Delaware river. At this early date no such avenue was in existence in England, and, for our poor weak colonies to undertake this stupendous work was a Herculean task. The canal was not however finished until after a number of failures and as many renewals of American grit, when in the year 1827 the same was completed, after expending over $1,600,000 and using the lottery, which was sanctioned by the Legislature, in assisting to raise money.
We now proceed on our journey along this artificial stream, which was, but is not, our objective point, as the sun is nearing the meridian hour, and we reach the location of a great aunt to my children, but not until we pass the Goetz’s locks, three in number in less than half a mile and if we had faith in “spooks” we would not venture to pass the lock houses at night. Here settled John Nicholas Goetz, born June 22, 1736, in Europe, emigrated to America in 1775, arriving October 9th, in the ship “King of Prussia.” He was the son of Jacob and Appolonia Goetz. He married March, 1775, just before his departure for American, Barbara Mechlin. He died at the age of 66 years, 7 months and 10 days. His descendants reside in Dauphin and Lebanon counties. After enjoying a dinner such as only a Pennsylvania German woman can prepare, we left the Goetz settlement to return again at even tide.
We now go direct north, passing Sherk’s meeting house, owned by the United Brethren. This is an old preaching place; the first church being erected in the year 1826. Here the late Bishop J. Erb, while traveling this circuit, organized in the year 1827 the first class ever enrolled in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The ground upon which the church stands was deeded by Pert Sherk and wife and in 1842, by an act of the Legislature, the same was sold by the Mennonite trustees to Jacob Albert, Henry Neidig and George Bomgardner in trust for the U.B. Church. Here are buried the Harpers, Sherks, Shellenbergers, Millers and Bomgardners. In the early days the ministers who spoke the Word at this place were the three Lights, Felix, John and Casper, John Neidig, Roop and Funkhouser.
After leaving this church we soon reach the well known public highway “Jonestown Road,” below Zion Reformed and Lutheran church. Here are buried many of the descendants of the early German ancestry who settled here while the Indian yet traveled through the valley along the “Blue Mountains.” The most numerous buried here are the Alberts, Deininger, Ulrich, Weis and Zimmerman.
We soon arrived at Harper’s tavern, a place for the entertainment of man and beast since 1740, where Adam Harper settled. It is on the north bank of the Swatara. Adam Harper was one of the earliest pioneers in the eastern part of Hanover township as originally organized. He was surrounded by Indians, who had a wigwam village near his cabin. Here, about 1755, the Indians killed a number of white persons, and one, a sister of Major Leidig, was scalped and then escaped and remarkable to relate survived the barbarous act and lived for years afterwards. Many were the atrocities perpetrated by the red men along the mountain in the neighborhood of the Manada and Swatara Gaps. Not far from here is where, during the year 1757 in the month of August the savages bore down upon the early settlers and murdered and captured many; while during the following year, to the east of this location, between Indiantown Gap and the Swatara, the depredations were numerous and the Indian cruelties very severe. Like the heaviest downpour of rain is at the end of the shower, so in this section, as we have said the cruelties were the mose severe, they were also to be the last, which murdering occurred October 23, 1758, by Adam Mosser and brother losing their lives.
E.W.S.P.
[Source: Notes and Queries Historical and Genealogical /Chiefly Relating to Interior of Pennsylvania Series 4 Volume II, 1895, William Egle, Page 200- 203 - Contributed by N. Piper]