Bucks County PA Archives Biographies.....Laubach, The Family ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joe Patterson, Patricia Bastik & Susan Walters Dec 2009 Source: History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania; edited by J.H. Battle; A. Warner & Co.; 1887 Durham Township THE LAUBACHS are descendants of Christian Laubach and Susannah his wife, who emigrated from the Palatinate, Germany, and landed at Philadelphia, Pa., from the ship "Queen Elizabeth" September 15, 1738. The passengers were nearly all from the same locality, and numbered 300. Alexander Hope, of Rotterdam, formerly of Deal, England, was the captain of the ship. Christian Laubach, with his family, settled on a small tributary of Saucon creek, about three or four miles northwest of the Durham furnace of 1727, which was at that time in full operation. He was a blacksmith by trade, and by the records of the Durham furnace, it appears that he and his direct descendants dealt largely in iron and cast-iron kettles. Soon after settling here he erected a saw and grist-mill on that stream. April 28, 1762, he became the owner of five tracts of land situated in the same locality, some of which are yet in the possession of his descendants. In his will, dated March 4, 1768, and probated January 5, 1769, we find his oldest son, John George, born November 11, 1729, received Ł190 as his portion. His daughter Elizabeth, wife of Adam Kuckert, received Ł30 as her portion; Conrad and Frederick, the saw and grist-mill, and Rhinehart and Peter the five tracts of land. John George Laubach, the oldest of the children born to Christian and his wife, was the great-grandfather of the Laubachs of Durham. He had twelve children: Susan, born November 7, 1757; John Michael, born November 28, 1759; John, born August 25, 1761; John Christian, born June 30, 1762; Anna Mary, born October 21, 1768; Anna Margaret, born January 19, 1770; Catharine, born February 26, 1764; John Conrad, born December 23, 1766; John Conrad, second, born March, 1772; John George, born March 5, 1774; Walburg, born February 15, 1776; Elizabeth, born April 10, 1779. John George Laubach, tenth child of John George, married Miss Elizabeth Reel, of Williams township, Northampton county, Pa., in 1798. The children of John George and Elizabeth, his wife, were Mary, born November 21, 1799, married Jacob Boyer; Lydia, born June 7, 1802, married Joseph Trauger; Anthony, born October 18, 1804, married Elizabeth Hess; Elizabeth, born June 23, 1807, married Samuel Rinker; John, born July 5, 1810, died; Susan, born January 8, 1813, married Simon Illick; Peter, born January 1, 1816, married Lavina Bachman; Anna Margaret, born May 30, 1819, married Jacob Hess; Sarah, born January 14, 1826, married David W. Hess. Anthony Laubach, third son of John George and Elizabeth Laubach, married Miss Elizabeth Hess, of Lower Saucon, March 17, 1829. To them nine children were born: Hannah, born March 21, 1830, married Leidy N. Worman; George W., born December 23, 1832, married Maria Fraley; Samuel H., born march 23, 1834, married Sarah Rufe; Charles, born August 29, 1836, married Jane Raub; Franklin, born September 13, 1838, married Elmira Heller; Elizabeth, born May 4, 1841, died; David Anthony, born December 18, 1843, died; James Francis, born April 25, 1847, died; Benjamin H., born March 30, 1853, married Lizzie Stover. Samuel H. Laubach, second son of Anthony Laubach, born March 23, 1834, in Durham township, received a good common-school education, supplemented by several terms at the celebrated Vandeveer school at Easton, Pa. He served as school director for a period of nine years; was twice elected justice of the peace; twice elected county surveyor of Bucks county, and is a practical surveyor and civil engineer. In 1884 he was appointed one of the commissioners to retrace and locate the boundary line dividing the counties of Lehigh and Northampton. He is a specialist in botany and mineralogy, and is interested in many of the enterprises of the district. He married Miss Sarah Rufe in 1857, five children resulting from this marriage. Charles Laubach, third son of Anthony Laubach, born August 29, 1836, in Durham township, was reared on a farm, received a thorough common-school education, supplemented by a classical course in the Collegiate Institute at Easton. In 1855 he took up a course of phrenological studies, including the Fowler & Wells' system of the science. He lectured on ethnology and phrenology publicly and privately, and has given delineations of character whenever desired to do so. In 1857 he studied practical obstetrics with John Ludlow, M. D., of Easton, also at the same time a course of medical electricity as practiced and expounded by Professor H. A. Benton and Dr. S. B. Smith, of New York city. He practiced medical electricity with success for a period of thirteen months, then relinquished it and retired to the farm. He here continued the study of the sciences, devoting a large portion of his time to geology and archaeology. March 29, 1860, he married Miss Jane Raub, of Riegelsville, Pa. A daughter who died in infancy was the result of this union. Any one interested in the science of geology, archaeology and kindred subjects may spend hours poring over his immense collection of minerals, relics and curiosities. Mr. Laubach has been a constant writer for the press, subjects of a scientific nature claiming most attention. He has been connected with numerous enterprises in the district, which always proved successful, is always to be found in the front ranks of progress, especially in the matter of popular education, and has served numerous township offices, such as auditor, school director, etc. He was elected district superintendent of the Durham schools in 1879, and served four years, the schools meanwhile making rapid progress. In 1885 he represented the first district of Bucks county as a delegate to the state convention held at Harrisburg, August 26, 1885. He is a Jeffersonian democrat, and has been an active member and director of the Bucks county historical society for a number of years; is an active member of the Reformed church, yet very liberal in his religious views.