AREA HISTORY:  History of Adams County, Chapter XLVII, Adams County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/adams/
_______________________________________________ 

History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania
Chicago:  Warner, Beers & Co., 1886
_______________________________________________ 

Part III, History of Adams County, Pages 344-346

CHAPTER XLVII.

UNION TOWNSHIP.

Little Conowago Creek forms the northeastern line of Union Township, separating 
it from Conowago.  German Creek and its tributaries spread out through the 
southern and central divisions of the township, offering at once facilities for 
drainage and water-power for mills.  A number of small streams flow 
southwestward into Maryland from the southern water-shed.

The township may be classed as level.  Although not wanting in hill and dale, 
there are none of the abrupt elevations which mark the greater number of the 
other townships.  The soil, in part, is known as limestone, but red gravel land 
is common.  Underlying the township are great areas of iron ore and limestone.  
Near the Maryland line are found mica slate, chlorite slate with pyrite compact 
chlorite slate, mica slate, slate impregnated with iron, argillite, blue and 
white striped limestone, sandy yellow ocher.

The township was organized in 1841.  The population in 1850 was 952 (3 colored); 
in 1860, 1,116 (17 colored); in 1870, 1,105 (10 colored), and in 1880, 1,180.  
The number of tax payers (1886) is 478; value of real estate, $529,291; number 
of horses, etc., 344; of cows, etc., 445; value of moneys at interest, $88,931; 
of trades and professions, $8,256; number of carriages, 138; of gold watches, 8; 
of acres of timber land, 741.

In 1839 John Camp erected a wooden bridge near Joseph Sneeringer’s mill, over 
the Little Conowago for $1,500.  The earlier bridges, as well as the modern 
ones, built on the borders of the township, are referred to in the sketches of 
Conowago, Mountpleasant and Germany.

Among the German emigrants of 1735-52 were thousands of redemptioners - poor, 
uneducated creatures, who were packed over here in filthy ships and sold at 
public auction at Philadelphia, the buyers paying their passage money.  The 
Palatine redemptioners were usually sold for £10 each, and for from three to 
five years’ servitude.  It must be said, however, that the honest people 
descended from this class had no connection with the Hessians, who were hired 
and imported by the British to conquer the colonists.  According to Baron 
Reidesel, all of this species who were not killed by the soldiers of the 
Revolution, or had not deserted from the British, were returned to the country 
where they were raised.  They were fed while prisoners, and otherwise well-
treated by their patriot captors.  Andreas Schreiber is said to have been the 
first permanent settler in Union Township in 1734.

A reference to the original assessment rolls of Conowago, Germany and 
Mountpleasant Townships will discover the names of heads of families and single 
men in this new division of the county in 1880.  The Kitzmillers, one of whom 
killed Dudley Digges in 1752; Adam Forney, Andres Harger, Peter Ober, John 
Lemmon, the Sellens (subsequently Sells), Hans Ungefehr, Hans Morgenstern, 
George Marschtaler, the Scheilys, ancestors of the present Sheely family; Adam 
Weiser, Herr Jeungling, Ludwig Schrieber, Herr Mosser, the Koontzes, Casper 
Bergheimer, Peter Weltie, Peter Reishert, Andrew Foreman, Dewalt Yungs, Kleins 
or Littles, Feltys, Wills, Stephen Ulruch, Abrah Haul, Derrick, Jungblut, F. 
Schitz, Peter Jungblut, Dutteras, Millers, and others named among the original 
entries of the townships named above.

The land troubles began in 1841, when Zach. Butcher, a surveyor in the 
employment of the Penns, came to this settlement (then called “Digges’ Choice”) 
to survey lands for Adam Forney.  The Maryland claimants remonstrated, but the 
surveyor carried his work forward.  In his letter, dated Conowago, June 17, 
1741, he gives the “Honble Proprietor” an idea of the “unreasonable creatures” 
on Marsh Creek, and adds the following postscript regarding this part of the 
county:

P.S.  I was laying out some Land for Adam Ffarney, and Mr. Diggs sent his Son 
and Robert Owen to warn me off.  They said the Land I was then Laying out was 
not theirs, but they own’d 7,000 acres, I asked them for their Draught, or shew 
me their bounds, I had no design to intrude on them.  They went away mute, and 
would Do nothing.                                   Zach. Butcher.

In 1727 10,000 acres in the township now known as Conowago, Germany, Union and 
parts of adjoining townships, were granted to John Digges by the Calverts.  In 
1732, two years after the Lillys and Owings made the first settlements in this 
county, John Digges had 6,822 acres of this tract surveyed, to which he gave the 
name of “Digges’ Choice.”  A little later the Germans came, and shortly after 
the Penns claimed the tract as being within the boundaries of his claim north of 
the temporary line.  In 1738 the dispute between the Penns and the Calverts was 
settled by “Royal order” of 1738, which declared the claims of Digges, Carrolls 
and others north of the Maryland line, to be valid; but still the question of 
the boundaries of “Digges’ Choice” remained to be settled.  Prior to 1746 this 
question was settled by Pennsylvania recognizing the claims of Digges, so far as 
they would not interfere with the German settlement.  In 1746, however, young 
Digges and the Maryland sheriff came to arrest, and did arrest, Matthew Ulrich 
and Adam Forney for trespass; but while en route to Maryland Nicholas Forney and 
others rescued the prisoners and put the captors to flight.  Other attempts were 
made to keep off German trespassers until February 26, 1752, when Dudley Digges 
was shot by Jacob Kitzmiller.  In 1767 the running of Mason & Dixon’s line, and 
other measures, settled this land dispute for ever.

CHURCHES.

St. John’s Lutheran Church, near Littlestown, was founded, November 13, 1763, by 
Rev. C. F. Wildbahn.  In 1829 a brick building took the place of the old log-
house erected under Rev. G. R. Hoffman, and in 1874 the present house was 
erected on the site of the church of 1829, under Rev. L. T. Williams.  The 
pastors of this church have been Revs. John D. Shroeter, 1783 to 1806; John G. 
Grubb, 1806; G. R. Hoffman, 1826; Jonathan Ruthrauf, 1830; Jacob Albert, 1837; 
C. A. Hay, 1848; D. P. Rosenmiller, 1849; M. J. Alleman, 1856; F. Ruthrauf, 
1857; S. Henry, 1859; P. P. Lane, 1868; L. T. Williams, 1870, and E. J. Metzler, 
1875-86.

Christ Church (Reformed) was organized in 1747 by Rev. M. Schlatter, a 
missionary from Switzerland, and the first church was built in 1755, rebuilt in 
1798 and in 1878.  The names of the first members are unknown, but there is a 
record of baptisms as early as May, 1747.  The elders, in 1798, when the present 
substantial brick church was built, were Andrew Shriver and Jacob Parr.  They, 
together with Conrad Duttera, Ludwig Mouse and Jacob Will, constituted the 
building committee.  John Dysert was secretary.  He was also the teacher of the 
parochial school.  The church was incorporated in 1828, the charter bearing the 
signature of Gov. Schutlze, and is dated March 5, 1828.  The first trustees 
elected under the charter were John Wintrode, Michael Crouse, George Will, John 
Young, Samuel Shriver, John Snyder, George Duttera, Christian Heller and John 
Study.  Jacob Keller was appointed treasurer.  At the first communion in 1747 
there were eighty communicants.  The number of members at present is 350.  The 
pastors who have served this congregation are named as follows:  Revs. M. 
Schlatter, Jacob Lischy, T. Frankenfield, J. C. Steiner, W. Otterbein, C. Lange, 
C. L. Beohm, J. C. Gobrecht, C. Helfenstein, J. H. Wiestling, F. W. Bindeman, S. 
Gutelius, J. Sechler, J. M. Clemens, Casper Scheel, John Ault and J. Kretzing, 
the present minister.  The location of the church is two miles east of 
Littlestown on the Hanover road on lands deeded by the Penns in 1759 to Michael 
Will in trust for the German Reformed Church.  Value of church property, 
including church, cemetery, farm and buildings and parsonage in Littlestown, is 
$15,000 to $20,000.  Dates of church buildings:  built of logs in 1755; 
substantially of brick in 1798; and rebuilt and enlarged in 1878.  The 
rebuilding of 1878 cost about $8,000.

The Mennonite Church, known as Hostetter’s Meeting-house, a brick building east 
of Littlestown on the McSherrystown road, was erected in 1854, twenty years 
after the nucleus of a society was formed here.  In early days the members met 
in private houses for worship and subsequently in the old school building, which 
stood near the site of the present meeting-house.  Rev. John Hostetter, Rev. 
Isaac Hershey and Rev. Jacob Hostetter have served this society in the order of 
their names.

CEMETERIES.

The Mennonite Graveyard dates back to 1854.  Rev. Isaac Hershey, who died in 
1880 in his eightieth year, was buried here.  Many of the old members preceded 
him as tenants of these grounds.

Christ Reformed Church Graveyard was laid out on the east side of the church in 
1750, and subsequently enlarged until graves surrounded the building.  The 
oldest date on the head-stones is 1772.

SELL’S STATION.

This place, located on the Littlestown Branch Railroad, is named after one of 
the settlers of 1735, Sellen or Sell.  It dates its existence back to 1857, when 
the railroad was opened through the township; but the establishment of a 
postoffice there belongs to a later date.  A. Sell, the merchant at this point, 
has served in this office for a number of years.

CHURCH STATION.

This place, formerly known as Krentz Kirche, also dates back to the beginning of 
settlement.  In 1752 one John Kreutz, since Anglicized Cross, conducted a school 
here, and this with the fact that the old transept church existed, won for the 
place the Dutch name bestowed upon settlement.  The railroad and postoffice, 
always opposed to crossings of any kind, dropped the first and retained the 
second word of the original name and thus we have Church Station - a small 
hamlet, enlivened only by passing trains.


TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:  Remainder of book, which contains biographies, can be found 
at http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/adams/bios.htm .