Montgomfc COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA Jsrorr/Srowjv
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BULLETIN jo/'tAe- HISTORICAL SOCIETY MONTGOMfc COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA jsroRR/srowjv PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY AT IT5 BUILDING )65'¥ DEKALB STI^EET NORRI5TOWN.PA. APRIL, 1957 VOL. X NUMBER 4 PRICE ONE DOLLAR Historical Society of Montgomery County OFFICERS David E. Groshens, Esq., President George K. Brecht, Esq., Vice-President Foster C. Hillegass, Vice-President Hon. Alfred L. Taxis, Vice-President Eva G. Davis, Recording Secretary Mrs. H. Donald Moll, Corresponding Secretary Mrs. LeRoy Burris, Financial Secreta/ry and lAhrarian Lyman a. Kratz, Treasurer TRUSTEES Kirke Bryan, Esq. Harry L. Christman Mrs. H. H. Francine Donald A. Gallager, Esq. Herbert H. Ganser David E. Groshens, Esq. Kenneth H. Hallman George M. Harding Nancy P. Highley Foster C. Hillegass Arthur H. Jenkins Mrs. a. Conrad Jones Hon. Harold G. Knight Lyman A. Kratz Mrs. Franklin B. Wildman, Jr. ' f, ^ ( V-. THE NEW GOSHENHOPPEN EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH (See page 25^) THE BULLETIN of the Historical Society of Montgomery County Published Semi-Annually—October and April Volume X April, 1957 Number 4 CONTENTS George Welker, The Miller of New Goshenhoppen Kenneth H. Hallman and H. E. Faulk 255 Reports 346 publication committee Mrs. LeRoy Burris Mrs. H. Donau> Moix Charles R. Barker, Chairman 253 Illustrations^ The New Goshenhoppen Evangelical And Reformed Church In Upper Hanover Township The Congregation was in existence in the earliest 1700's, although October 12, 1727 is the first recorded date in its history, being the day on which the newly arrived pastor. Rev. George Michael Weiss, held Communion for the pioneer group. The present building, the third on the site, which borders the borough limits of East Greenville, is one hundred years old this summer and was built during the pastorate of the widely known Rev. Daniel Weiser. George and Margaret Welker came to this new land on the WiUiam and Sarah with Rev. Weiss, who very possibly was instrumental in their settling in the New Goshenhoppen area. George and Margaret and two of their sons. and their wives are buried in the oldest section of this cemetery. The grave of Rev. Weiss can be seen in the photograph, directly in front of the church. IFrontispiece"] Life In Rural Ohio In 1890 This.drawing represents the farm of John S. Welker (1845-1924) and his wife Francesca (Muckley) Welker in Sandy Township, Stark Co., Ohio. Our reproduction was provided by grandson Homer T. Welker (4352 21) of North Canton, 0., who photographed the original after the owner's death in 1924, and who has this to say about it: "The charcoal drawing was roughly three by five feet in size and used to hang in the living room of my grandparents' home. My father considers it a good likeness of the farm in that day. It was done by an itinerant artist who came there and asked permission to do the work. He took about a week to make it, and then asked for a large crock of cream. Laying the drawing on the lawn, he poured the entire contents over the picture, using the cream as a fixative and preservative." In the lower left corner is the artist's signature: "E. A. Brader-743." Attention is called to the wonderful detail of bits of farm life as possibly some of our members may remember it: the various items of harvesting machinery, the horses, cows, sheep, chickens, the neat vegetable gardens, the dinner bell, the drying laundry on the line, the many varieties of fence, the turkeys and rabbits in the woodland. {^Facing page 2881 The Old Welker Plot At New Goshenhoppen Here in the oldest portion of the cemetery of the New Goshenhoppen E. & R. Church in Upper Hanover Tovmship are the graves of the immigrants George and Margaret Welker along with those of two sons and their wives. The stones face the front of the church, which stands somewhat above this part of the cemetery. The inscriptions, in German, are quite legible, but those of the parents unaccountably are in better condition. From the left, the six graves are those of Margaretha (Erb) Welker (Feb. 28, 1767-May 19, 1888); George Welker, Jr (Nov. 14, 1729- May 4, 1812); Susanna (Kurr) Welker (May 1, 1747-Aug 24, 1823); Jacob Welker (Mar 27, 1746-July 17, 1832); (Anna) Margaret Welker (Apr 3, 1704-Feb 27, 1782); and (John) George Welker, Sr. (Feb 6, 1697-Mar 8, 1782). From the latter stone we learn that George and Margaret had been married for 59 years. They died within nine days of each other. [Facing page S161 ♦Photos by Styer Studio 254 GEORGE WELKER THE MILLER OF NEW GOSHENHOPPEN A Genealogy of His Descendants (1697-1956) By Kenneth Hillegass Hallman and Harvey Earl Faulk (Conthmed from Page 226) (After the first part of the Welker History had gone to press, an inquiry concerning Susanna Welker and Benedict Swope was forwarded to me by Dr. C. M. DeLong, the Pastor Emeritus of New Goshenhoppen Church. This led to correspondence, and my attention was directed to a compilation of Swope Genealogy in 1896 by Gilbert Ernest Swope en titled "History of the Swope Family and Their Connections, 1678-1896," printed by J. B. and H. B. Cochran in Lancaster, Pa. Chapter XIII of this work deals with a Colonial figure, Rev. Benedict Swope, of the Reformed Church. His beginnings are vague, but there is a German background. His ministerial duties took him to Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee. The children of Rev. Benedict Swope, listed in the Swope Genealogy are not in chronological order, and because of various other discrepancies, only the first g^er^^ration will be quoted here in full. The line continued here has been supplied by descendants Mrs. William B. (Martha Y. Swope) Longbridge and her daugher Mrs. H. Dorn (Prances Elizabeth Longbridge) Stewart. The reader who may be further interested in the line of Benedict and Susanna Swope should consult the Swope Genealogy. K. H. H.) 255 256 bulletin op historical society of Montgomery county (This section should have been included on page 161) 3 SUSANNA WELKER (baptized in New Gosphenhoppen on August 1731, died March 1795) married at New Goshenhop- pen between 1747 and 1758 Benedict Schwob (Swope) (October 173()-March 31, 1810), who later was ordained a Reformed minister. His ministerial work took him to charges in Maryland, Kentucky, and Tennessee, but little is known of his work. He died at the home of his son Jacob in Lincoln County, Kentucky. According to the Gilbert Swope "Swope Genealogy" the chil dren included: 31 (Johann) GEORGE SCHWOPE (b. Jan. 7, 1758; bap. Jan 30, 1758, privately, by the pastor of the Old Goshen- pen Lutheran Congregation. "Sponsors were George Schwoop, single, and Margaret Welker, single, daughter of George Welker".) The Gilbert Swope genealogy records George's birth as Jan 9, 1758, and this is the one item in the Swope History that definitely links the Rev. Benedict Swope with the Goshenhoppen family of the 1750's. George married Mar 10, 1777 Margaret Huffbein, lived in the vicinity of Baltimore, and later moved to Kentucky. His children are listed as William, Joseph, Henry, George, Lydia (McCullum) and Michael. 32 JOHN SWOPE was killed by Indians in 1782 on Long Run, Jefferson Co., Ky. (An unnamed child was baptized on April 7, 1760 in New Goshenhoppen with the Welker grandparents as sponsors.) 33 SUSANNA SWOPE (Nov 16, 1761-Sept 17, 1829) m. Apr 29, 1780 Christian Keener (1752-Nov 1817). They lived in Baltimore where Christian amassed a large fortune. Their children: Lydia, Anna Maria (Reigert) (Stevens), Susanna (Arrick), Sara, Margaretta, Benedict, John J., Christian, Dr. David, Maria Catherine (Cox), William, and Samuel. 34 BENEDICT SWOPE Jr. m. Margaret Keener, was a merchant, and moved to Lincoln Co., Ky., where he is buried on his farm, "still occupied by descendants" (1896). GEORGE WELKER. THE MILLER OF NEW GOSHENHOPPEN 257 His children: Jesse, Charles, Benedict, John, Samuel, Margaret (Yeiser), Elizabeth (Step), Sarah (Dunn) and Nancy (Whittier). 35 POLLY SWOPE m. Col. Wm. Brent, a lawyer. They had the following children: John, Benjamin, Theresa, and Matilda. 36 JACOB SWOPE (1768-Oct. 13,1847) settled at an early age in Kentucky, became a large land owner in Lincoln Co. His father, Rev. Benedict, died at his home. Jacob m. Margaret Pope in Lexington, and had the following children: John Brevitt, Susan (Oglesby), Polly (Craig), Greenbury, David, George, Jacob, Benjamin,.and Samuel. »37 DAVID SWOPE (d. 1845) m. PoUy Montgomery (d. 1813) *38 SALLY SWOPE m. Greenbury Majors, had "one son and three daughters." (The following section should have been included on Page 167) 37 DAVID SWOPE (d. in Henderson, Ky., 1845), son of Rev. Benedict and Susanna (Welker) Swope, m. Jan. 28, 1792 PoUy Montgomery (d. Nov. 20, 1813). "David was an artist and there is in existence a painting of his sister Susanna Swope Keener." He settled in Lincoln Co., Ky. 371 MARTIN SWOPE (b. March 8, 1794) "married twice" 372 DORCUS SWOPE (1796-1871) m. her cousin BENEDICT SWOPE, son of Benedict and Margaret (Keener) Swope, and they had these children: Mary (Dawson), Margaret, Harden, Dorcus (Fraziea), Dr. Benedict, Eliza Ann Dawson) (Evermount), Sarah (Bronaugh), John, Samuel, and Sarah (Dunn). 373 MORGAN SWOPE (b. Aug. 3, 1798) m. 1) Mary Robinson; 2) Martha A. Ruby 374 MONTGOMERY SWOPE (1801-1826) 375 POLLY SWOPE *376 DAVID SWOPE (b. Jan. 31, 1807), m. Lucinda Miller 258 bulletin of historical society of Montgomery county 377 ELIZA SWOPE m. John Spidell. Their children: John, Keener, Thomas, Richard, Benjamin, Jacob, Mary, Eliza, and Johannah (This section should have been included on Page 178) 376 DAVID SWOPE (Jan.