Journal of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Summer 1967
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28 THE JOURNAL S. Duss and his wife, Susie, cook charge of (obtained from some distant neighbor) to affairs, and still continue, though Dubs is keep the cold out at night. In the morning very old. they found their window gone, and upon looking out saw some deer were walking The community of Economy prospered until their estimatedwealth became twenty away af ter having eaten then: straw. millions. When the original leadersdied the Doctor Holler during his winter in Ger- oi:ganization became corrupt and is now mantown had become a Dunker. and al- rapidly disintegrating though his company were reformed Luther- ans (bur nicknamed Pietists) they were In the colony at Economy were relatives of settlers in blooming Grove, and one of easily persuaded to accept this form of fain) them, Samuel Hendricks, came occasionally, and practice which was an easy transition, so that they came to Lycoming county when an old than, to visit among his friends, known as Dunkers. and, as though uneasy as to the disposal of his estateafter his death.wanted his kind- red to visit him in order to establisha claim. O]UGINAL COLONISTS None would go, until after he had passed The colony of 1804 comprisedthe f allow away, when on [wo occasions about 1890, SamuelGoetz and Conrad Solomon wcnt to ing named persons: John and Gottlieb Heim, Leonard Ulmer and family, Leonard rhe community authorities to claim their Steigerand fatnily, John GeorgeWaltz and inheritance.After being royally entertained family, John GeorgeKiess and family, Da- f or a week, they were presentedwith a bot- vid Young and family, Wendel Harmon and tle of wine, tickets for their return and po- family, Michael Gross and family, Michael litely conductedto the Crainfor Williams- Diehl and family, Ford. FrederickSchell port. The courtesy of their hosts was so and family, Michael Burghardt and family. overwhelmingthat no opportunitywas ever In 1806 came Christopher Kress, George offered for so much as alluding to che ob Kiess and Michael Waltz with their fam- cect of their visit. Omer people froiaa ilies. From this time emigrationwas pm- Blooming Grove have been in Economy and hibited for ten years,after which Johi} were entertained with lavish hospitality, Heim returnedto Germanyand brought n,hen they made themselvesknown to the out the families of Christian Heim, Jacob authorities. Heim, Frederick Schafer,John Wagner, Ja- THE The remaining members of the ship's cob Guinther, Jacob Srreile, Abraham 'Sch- company spent the winter at Germantown. iedt, Jacob Kurtz, John Kurtz, Uhich Stab- les, Abraham W'olf. and Michael Stroble. During this time their pastor, Rev. Doctor Conrad F. Holler. who had come over the Other families came also from time to time. Some became converts with the Dunkers. previous year, now joined with Wendel Harmon in organizing a colony to settle in bu-t many only settled near by and inter- married b/ the interior part of the state. It is probable JOURNAL that Doctor Holler, Wendel Harmon, John Previousto this time ohetraffic in human and Gottlieb Heim and perhapssome others souls by the "Newlanders" as depicted by OFTHE who were unmarried, accompaniedthe land Gottleib Mittelberger (an organ builder agent to locate their purchase, later in the fall after their arrival in America. There is from Wurtem-burg) known [o us as the "Re- a tradition to this effect and also that the demptioners," had been broken up. Thou- sands of children too young, or parents too young men remained all winter and were old for use as servants ha;i perished from LYCOMING HISTORICALSOCIETY almost starved. They girdled some heavy starvationand exposureafter being turned timbers to help along the clearing, but found adrift at Philadelphia. Buc the emigration in the following spring that tile dealened treeswere hardenedand becamemuch more agents, or as they would now be called, promoters' or ''steelers" worked up parties difficult to cut thanwhen green. In their of colonists in the interest of ship owners, little cabin there was one window hole and Wurremburg continued tc t; one of which they stuffed full of buckwheatstfau the most fruitful fields ur-ti! as :lte as 1835. VOLUMEIV SUMMER NUMBER ONE 1967 the J OURNAL of the LYCOMING HISTORICAL SOCIE'lY PUBLISHED BIANNUALLY IN WlllIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA 1)aNAl.D M. CARSON, PRESIDENT WM. A. TURNBAUGH, JR., 3l\D V'ICE PIIESIDENT DR. R. MAX GINGnICn, IST. VICE PRESIOENT MARY B. RIDDEN.L, SECRETARY JAMES P. BltESSLER, 2ND VICE PIIESIDENT ABI\Ab£ M. SNYDER, 'j'I\EASURER DIRECTORS 1966-1968 DIRECTORS 1967-1969 hIllS. JOAN M. LINT)EMU'm blISS MARGARET B. CORYEI.L EDWARD J. DUI\RWACHTER SAR[UEL J. DORNSIFE MBS. EDITH L. WRIGHT MRS. J. W. BITTER THOXtAS T. TAPER DR. L. F. DORR EDITOR MR. L. RODbIAN WURSTER ASSISTANT EDITOR NII\. WII.LIANG JACOB REYNOLDS Extra Copies of The Journal Fif ty Cents Each llm. NlLemory of CONTENTS Lloyd E. Wml'st:er,X't. D. The untimely death of Lloyd E. Wurster, M.D. will leave a blank spacein the In Memoriam 3 lives of alJ who knew him. During the busy yearsof his professionalwork he made a host of friends, not only in his belovedmedical profession,but amongstthe popula- A Letter of Yesteryear Author ? 4 tion at large. Robert Covenhoven Compiled by Carlton E. Fink, Sr. 8 He alwaysseemed to havethe energyand find the time to aid in carryingon the work of the civic and cultural activities of the local community. We will especially Larrys Creek Plank Road Milton W. Landis 8 miss his influence and guidance in our own Lycoming Historical Society. W'e can only say,''well done, [o a busy and useful life Beauty's Run Carlton E. Fink, Sr. 12 Berton E. Beck,D.D.S Presidents Who Visited Williamsport -- Louise Nicholson 13 History of Montoursville -- ElizabethChampion King 16 Parc I of "Blooming Grove ' 24 4 THE JOURNAL 5 A LETTER OF YESTERYEAR V('e might wish the writer had been a Catharine was welcomed in the Beck fam- Editor's Note Tha name of the conti'ibutor of this a.Ride has been lost due to circum- little more specific regarding the accident ily, sharing the love and joys, also the hard stclllcesbeyond ouf colttrot.Wit! stw pleasecoiblaunicate with the socetfy far credit al\c] in which "Mises"Webster died, but we can work. With the family she worsMppedin ta n.;ttscl'ipt be sure it was not causedby an automobile; the Friedens Lutheran Church. and with the The nl)t. t that is printed here was toritteit bu Mute M. Taylor to her sister Catharil e but horses and even oxen have been known Beck children attended the subscription A. Ta!/Zof on. August 1, 1840. It { p feted here, tooth tio changes. to ''run away," causing fatal accidents. school, the parents of the community had August che Ith Liberty Tioga (A post script but not so indicated.) established in 1820. The parents erected S Mary had receivedher sister'sletter only the log schoolbuilding, and paid the I)ear sisterI embracethe precencopper- . !his eveningwhen me and.julian went the day before, and here she was writing teacher.Each family was to furnish the tcxt tunity to inform you that we are all midline before the dore i seen some thing i.sed to her reply the very next day. How of ten aU books f or their children. This was fif teen of us are not so prompt in answeringour years before the State set up its public edu- well 'and hope that these few lines may julian there is somethin the dore stood open: friends letters. find you well [oo we was glad to hearfran) ed and we both run in the houseshe sed cation systemin 183). but I would be much pleasedto have you calf then i took the candleand went ta Thoughthe two girls were not fifteen A short conversationwith you and if it was che dore and seen it was only A bunch of Other than being called subscription miles apart, we note that Catharine'sletter schools, they were known as ''blab schools, not more than two ours our grain and gar- smart weed was written on the preceding Monday, and den is midling good we finished curing the now i will go [o bed for the teacher taught the alphabet [o the not received until Friday. Buc then this }'oung "scholars"by reciting aloud and in was long bef ore the days of Rural Free deli- unison a-b, ab, a-d, ad, i-b, ib, and so on week ago lace commenced makenghedyl A nvirenty-five..nis ,letteryears takes to usan backerathat .oneis hund:led all but very, and Mary had to travel three or four throughthe alphabet.Until the late eigh- miles to Liberty for the mail. teen hundreds, all young persons attending iRg£R':}.U'h\31?£j!1?g1?"'2: .['t.::]E! t,'E':W.;j!.]'. !gq:i: school were called scholars, which accord is not doe vet but it looks good we have in the dark recess of a .partition between Let us turn backthe calendarto 1840,and ootatoes beens cowcumbers and Dcas and two rooms in a farm house in Jackson read "betweenthe lines," by consulting the ing to Webster is correct. But the moderin Taylor genealogy.We find that Jonas Tay- usage of the word scholar indicates one of H:;12..=:s"..!\.u"u;:R;=:: lor and his wife Mary Eschbach,were bout great learning," or a person of advanced education- Students or pupils is now the 1??p= =d .h!?iiE91:.TFF,kTT ' w?ly.:!il! in Muncy in 1781 and 1784.