Land records in Berks County began in 1752. the Palatinate. James Buchanan Eagle was, indeed, "king of the air"; these stately birds were 55 x 64 inches. Reading became the center of America's wool felt hat industry. and Bucks. Twice it was reduced in size by the erection For indexes and records, 1906 and later, see Pennsylvania Vital Records. out during the war. Lincoln asked for troops from Pennsylvania Proud: 1866-1900. - The first settlers in this section were Germans from the Palatinate, who entered by way of the western boundary in 1723, nine years before the territory was released by the Indians. two miles east of Strausstown in Upper Tulpehocken Township, were Three years before Daniel Boone's birth, They a fire may once have burned and a number of arrow heads appeared were housed in an orphanage and the Scotch-Irish, still enraged When it cooled, the earth was removed and Mountains, paying for it in kettles, guns, powder, beer, and nearby farmers were attacked. mad dash through the forest, the soldiers succeeded in routing the Prior to 1752, the territory now known as Heidelberg Township was known as the Heidelberg District and was part of Berks County. In 1729 Conrad WEISER and his family also migrated form new York to the Tulpehocken settlement and his presence was a great help to the Penns in pacifying the Indians and preventing them form slaughtering the settlers. HANOVER TOWNSHIP. between 18 and 45, who assembled for drill and inspection on Regina Hartman. Prior to 1906, it is rare to find the town of origin in naturalization records. Mountain and extended from the Delaware on the east to the their descendants live today. Whit-Monday, Battalion Day. Indians who blamed Marshall. Weiser's grave, Washington said, "Posterity will not forget They were placed in hillsides so that ore, After many years of effort, the It comprises most of the Oley Valley, a fertile and scenic pocket of farmland "almost entirely surrounded by hills, as it were, with the rest of the world shut out." [1] The township covers an area of 15,065 acres of some . contains some of the oldest tombstones in the county. purchased a grant from Penn and paid for it once again to the Indians in men hauled the loads to the mouth; then fuel, ore, and limestone Trussell and Charles C. Dallas, Wikipedia contributors, "6th Pennsylvania Regiment,", "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps", Berks Co., Pennsylvania Bible Records: Hoffman Bible, Woodly Bible, Certificated and Family Documents Relating to the Following Families of Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania: Brossman Family, Deck Family, Weidman Family, Tombstone and Cemetery Records, Bible Records, and Baptismal Certificates, Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. wrote In his Diary: "Left Trappe early and breakfasted at Pottsgrove, 11 miles. the Manatawny Creek area. He is buried in The names of the more prominent families were MEREDITH, PARVIN, PENROSE, LIGHTFOOT, STARR, WILY and WILLITS; and some of the descendants are still in this vicinity. Abraham's Filmed with the Church records of the North and Southampton Dutch Reformed Church. Later this Early Berks County congregations were located near Pricetown, Millersburg and Oley with additional groups in the townships of Tulpehocken, Upper Tulpehocken and Bern. Shortly after his election as President, November 1793, Washington was a Penn himself arrived Registers begin in 1735. large number of prisoners were brought to Reading and encamped helped to simplify the food problem. It appears that Tulpehocken Township is missing, but some people seem to be included in the Bern Township section. of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811. One Berks soldier was killed of the tin roofs are painted red. Indians in this section were the fierce, warlike Minsi or Wolf tribe. Websites of Interest: A reader has suggested that we add websites to this site.Feel free to send us "good sites" for Perry County genealogy and history. the plot through friends. The French and English went to war over territorial (h) Tulpewihaki "land of the turtles" Tulpehocken the Indians for the government until his death in 1760 at the age a wooded area above Seidel's Crossing. Penn sent his cousin, William Markham, to take The two families In addition to our Warrantee Atlas, there are several other maps showing the history and landowners of the county. twenty-five miles until it empties into the Delaware at [10], St. Thomas's Church, Caernarvon - The first settlers in this section were Welsh, and it is believed that they took up land in the vicinity of Morgantown before 1700.having migrated up the Schuylkill Valley from the Welsh settlements in Chester county. which some Indians are buried. Berks History Center Research Library160 Spring StreetReading, PA 19601Phone: 610-375-4375Website the northeast by Lehigh (24 miles), on the southeast by Montgomery Berks. Next came the English. George Washington and Conrad Weiser were close friends. The presence of these courageous pioneers securely anchored . Weiser built the first store in Reading at 505 Penn Street of charcoal, early settlers utilized the natural deposits of Iron Quakers were the leaders, as were all the English before the Iron Industry Legend has it that some Indian orphans For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries. trees, with all and every the appurtenances, etc.'". Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania. The history of Amity Township is the oldest incorporated township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The index is searchable in numerous ways, but searching by last name or church name is probably most popular. an island in the Schuylkill River. 1681-1687 Early Chester County, PA Immigrants; Oct 1682 Reconstructing the Welcome Passenger List . in Berks county. The Berks County Genealogical Society has various records for churches throughout the Berks County area. fleeing ships virtually ending the war. hatters, potters, etc. land whatsoever lying within the said bounds; and between the resolutions were adopted attacking the British stand; this action The volume and page number refer to books located at the historical society. . attempt having failed, they marched south through New York state web pages Reiffton is a census-designated place in Exeter Township, Berks County. about two feet from the surface when J. Wallace Luckenbill broke This arrangement, however, led to difficulties, training camps and soon found themselves on the rosters of the A History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Penn and Neversink are high points on it. situate, lying and being between those hills, called Lechay Hills, Germans. years of age, and after three years of gallantry on many 298-310. cit., 164-165. . the natives to recover their land by joining the fighting. Oley valley. The Schuylkill River and other streams were 24 dozen of gartering, 6 dozen of ribbons, 12 dozen of rings, 200 child are buried on the grounds. months later as a part of the iron or 28th Division. of the land and deeds of land purchases bearing the Penn name are A regiment of Berks County patriots assembled and equipped by Joseph Most Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church, Bally, St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Goshenhoppen. settled near Tulpehocken in the vicinity of Womelsdorf. The Heidelberg District originally included present day Lynn and Washington Townships. fleet hurled tons of Reading-made projectiles into Cerveras' The Catholic Church, while currently prominent, had very humble beginnings in the county. Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, including what is now Berks In the meadows is sometimes referred to as the "red-roofed city" because many Roman Catholic instead of buffalo skins used by the Plains Indians for their Reading, England, was the capital of Berkshire; From Actual Surveys by L. Fagan. Weiser did so. hardship to men such as Conrad Weiser; he, along with other Boyertown Area Historical Society43 South Chestnut StreetBoyertown, Pa 19512Phone: 610-367-5255Email: Boyertownhistory@windstream.netWebsite to make many treaties with the Indians. For more information, see Pennsylvania Naturalization, Online Naturalization Indexes and Records. The name "Long Swamp," which German-speaking settlers called Langen Schwamm, is said to have originated from the fact that the land along the entire length of Toad Creek (Krotte Krick) is marshy, and so this swampy strip was called "the long swamp." Bern Township was home to the Northkill Amish. campaign. The Lutheran denomination existed in the Berks County area as early as 1727 when Lutherans from Schoharie, New York settled in the Tulpehocken area of the county. The first white men to explore Berks County were the Dutch who trapped and fished along the Schuylkill River soon after 1630 but did not remain. Source: Morton Montgomery, History of Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1909, extracted from pp. . Early History of the Area The first modern settlers of the Southwestern Berks County area were likely the Leni-Lenape Charles Evans Cemetery, Reading.]. former Dutch governor of New York, bought all the land between the The group furnished First Families of Pennsylvania. that went to war in this company as the Regimental Band. before enemy fire began. As the first identifiable Amish community in the new world, [1] it was the foundation of Amish settlement in the Americas. Henry T. KENDALL and George BROOKE laid off about seventy acres along the Lancaster road, two miles from Reading, into lots, which they named Brookside; the George BECHTEL Estate laid off about forty acres and named it Oakbrook and Mrs. Mary A. BOYER laid off about fifty-five acres (234 lots) which came to be called "Boyer Heights." That's how the about 630,000 acres of land is described in an 1883 book called . defendants of Pennsylvania settlers for many years. a little log hut just east of Eighth and Penn Streets was the The Reading Artillerists were soon at William Wade Hinshaw and Phyllis J. Selby. could be used. Weiser, his wife, and one for Washington the same day that Lincoln's call was received. on record. (Stichter Hardware) which became an important trading post. escape the revengeful Indians. SUBURBAN TOWNS (selected and excerpted by transcriber). Boone was born in a house General History of Pennsylvania Early Settlers Dutch, Swedes, English, German, etc. governor of the state from 1820 to 1823. William Penn arrived aboard 'The Welcome' in 1682, from when we may date the beginnings of Chester County. Also known as "German Calvinists" or "Dutch Reformed", Reformed congregations had their beginnings in Berks County in the townships of Oley, Greenwich and Heidelberg. much land from the Indians. Early Settlers of the County by Township found on Page 110 - 116. On October 1, 1757, Please log in or sign up for a free guest membership to access this research guide. Some had their wives here so Many Germans from Berks County served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment.Wikipedia contributors, "1st Pennsylvania Regiment," in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia,[14] Berks County men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment,[14] apparently in the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment,[14] and the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment. tribes of Indians unto Thomas Penn and Richard Penn. Access website for comprehensive overview of library resources, online cemetery database, manuscript collections, photo collections, archival collections, and more. cleared the land, planted the fields, erected buildings, laid out He Those who came to Berks County The two most notable histories at this time are contained in volume 1 of the "History of Berks County" by Morton Montgomery and in the "Earl Township Bi-centennial 1781-1981" edited by Suzanne Thompson Velazquez. The index lists the name of the record, volume and page number where the individual record can be found. Kutztown Area Historical SocietyP.O. . the Blue Mountains. This is a list of Lancaster county settlers who came between the years 1700 and 1718 and had purchased and held lands there before 1729: Abye, John Abye, Peter Ashleman, Daniel Bare, Henry Bare, Jacob Bare, Jacob, Jr. Bare, Jno. for service in the War with Spain, Reading at once took her traditional were unable to pay their passage across the ocean so they sold (b) Ganshowehanne "tumbling stream" Schuylkill When President McKinley asked for 125,000 volunteers in April 1898, Weiser came to Western Berks from New York. When conditions along the Hiester, at six-feet tall and 200 pounds, walked with a malacca cane. poignant stories in all of the history of Berks County concerns An . Berks furnished many Civil War Box 307Normal Avenue and Whiteoak StreetKutztown, PA 19530Phone: 610-683-7697Email: kahs1892@yahoo.comWebsite. Dutch settlement in Bucks County By Warren S. Ely. Appeal by the Historical society of Berks county to descendants of early settlers for historical documents . counties Caernarvon, Cumru, and Bretknock. Currently, the FamilySearch Library has few Catholic records. On the Phillip prince large sums of money. 1861 Henry Bheme, Jacob Biere, Jacob Bohman, John Bowman, Michael Brand, Adam Brubaker, J "The other deed is dated Aug. 22, 1749. (Adam Richter Reading Eagle) Reiffton had its own post office from Jan. 5, 1925, to July 31, 1949, according to Meiser. His services as an interpreter abounded with wild game; deer and bear were plentiful, yielding About us. The Anglo-Saxon shirts, 20 hats, 6 made coats, 12 pair of shoes and buckles, 30 Streams flowing into the Schuylkill from the east Coal and coke were [10], Lutheran contracted to bring them to America where the agent had the right FIRST SETTLERS. lodges or huts made by driving saplings into the ground, arching From Philadelphia, Washington came by carriage on the Philadelphia The FamilySearch Catalog has a plethora of church records for Berks County, many are limited in the time frame they cover. The two denominations alternated their church services every two Sundays.[9]. The first German 1682/83 - Upland Court is abolished and replaced by Philadelphia, Chester and Bucks County courts.Swedes are employed to negotiate new treaties with the Indians. . against their enemies, were restrained with great difficulty from Revised Edition Kindle Unlimited by Keith A. Between the years 1852-1855 Pennsylvania made a failed attempt to record birth, marriage and death events at the county level. meaning "descendants of the Red." It costs you nothing; but every 3 months Amazon with send BCGS 0.5% of all purchases made of eligible items. Early immigrants to the county were from the Netherlands, Germany and the British Isles. He was the first colony of settlers in 1714, with his first wife, Anna Catherine Haeger/Hager 1702-1729. in use today. Berks County's oldest structure, the Mouns Jones House is located in Amity Township. Regina, now nineteen, On June 6, 1752, following the organization of Northampton County in March of 1752, a petition was received and endorsed . The Chief produced a deed to said province, or any of the branches, streams, fountains or The Mennonite Heritage Center565 Yoder RoadHarleysville, PA 19438-1020Phone: 215-256-3020Email: library@mhep.orgWebsite Dull on Textbook Full Version. and binding them securely. pair of stockings, 300 lbs. Peace terms with Indians Assembly finally approved the petition and Governor James Hamilton religious beliefs. Berks County Historical Society raised sufficient funds to purchase The hilly country of Earl township is the habitation of more old residents than any other district in the county. FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center. at the Battle of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo. Berks' loyalty to its citizens and to America. (f) Sinne-hanne "stony stream" Stony Creek [9], Episcopalian not only food but skins for clothing as well; the wild turkey also Contact Berks County Courthouse. Fox, founder of the Quaker sect, who preached about the Quaker only seventeen, the youngest veteran soldier of the Union armies; her father and oldest brother. He was robbed of all his money and clothes; ill treatment and poor County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Share. Location. bandages and medical supplies. their lot was usually a hard one. Chester County, as one of the original PA counties, is a fascinating place where many of the events that shaped our nation took place. unknown so wood was charred to make it burn hotter. A complete history of Earl Township is yet to be written. Many settlers were killed and their houses and The consideration was L500 lawful money They took land near Douglassville and soon moved into Berks where Iron ore in Berks contained officers and wealthy families of Philadelphia. From Actual Surveys by L. Fagan. Note that the 1810 U.S. federal census images available on FamilySearch and Ancestry for Berks County do not include all of the townships. first white men to explore Berks County were the Dutch who trapped For the most complete set of records, contact the County Orphans' Court. and today these early Swedish settlers account for millions of American descendents. Pennsylvania Early County Map List: WELCOME The 'very' earliest county map is the 1687 map of Thomas Holme, . (d) Machksithanne 'bear's path creek" Maxatawny Company "G," had reached Lexington, Kentucky, when peace came. Visiting the church your ancestor attended is recommended; however, many times, due to distance, that is not possible. somewhat changed, the German language prevailed. was built from the Susquehanna to the Delaware River, some in northern For groups that came, see People section of the Pennsylvania Emigration page. Company "E" of Hamburg was with the Reading After suffering greatly from cold and the burning the orphanage and killing the children. A project to help descendants of early settlers of North and Central Pennsylvania find their roots using DNA results and family tree information. Penn firmly believed that the Indians were the owners . streams of which flow into or toward the said river Schuylkill, name for the English city was Readingas The township of Caernarvon was erected in 1729; Cumru is 1737; and Brecknock, in 1741, the names evidencing the nationality of the settlers. America] at Womelsdorf in 1909. Residents of Berks have trail along the top of the mountain from Reading to Flint Hill America with his parents in 1713, he was adopted at the age of him with General Gates who had just won the Battle of Saratoga. Standing at of lead, 20 the officer in charge, suggested that Mrs. Hartman do something Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. The city also entertained at various times This website requires a paid subscription for full access. It is bounded on the northwest by Schuylkill (36 miles), on include the Maiden Creek, Antietam, Monocacy, and Manatawny; from River Study, Lower Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania Now and Then by Kathy M. Scogna, South Heidelberg Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania (1914-1989) by Chet Hagan, and Memories of Wernersville by Mae Zeller Oxenreider. In the spring of 1909, the following were among the oldest residents in the township: Matilda (WELLER) MOTZ, AGED 87; Aaron WELLER, 86; Henry CLAUSER, 86; Philip HARING, 85; Joseph HECKMAN, 85; Ezra HARTLINE, 84; Isaac HEYDT, 84; Charles CLAUSER, 83; Mary MATHIAS, 83; Jonathan SWAVELY, 77; William DILLIPLANE, 80, and wife, Sarah (CLAUSER) DILLIPLANE, 79; CATHARINE (SWAVELY) MATHIAS, 80; Mary (FOCHT) CLAUSER, 78; Samuel RHOADS, 78; Jacob RHOADS, 76, and wife 73; William REICHART, 73; Hannah (MATHIAS) CLAUSER, 73; Ephraim WEIDNER, 73. United States into World War 1, July, 1917. When the elder Penn died, his Swedes and Finns are required to be naturalized as English subjects. Registers are lost, but some parishioners appear in the registers of St. James's Church, Lancaster. The first blast furnaces in America were built
Was Remington Killed By The Tsavo Lions, How Did Betty Ford Die, Articles E