Misc: Blue Book Of Schuylkill County By Mrs. Ella Zerbey Elliott: War of the Revolution pages 81-101 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Dianne Dorn. USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 81 War of the Revolution _________________________________________________ War of the Revolution ___ FROM the passage of the infamous Stamp Act, March,, 1765, by the British Parliament, when Benajmin Franklin declared, "The Sun of Ameri- can liberty has set"; and when Patrick Henry, in the House of Burgesses, in the oldest American commonweath, Virginia, denounced the Act in the presence of two of the future presidents of the United States,George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who were Provincial delegates; to the attempted enactment of the Bos- ton Port Bill, June 18, 1774; through the dark days following the offering of the resolution in Congress, June 7, 1776, by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, declaring that, "the United Colonies were and ought to be free" and the involving of Lee's resolution into the subsequent Declaration of Independence, which as a formal document was adopted July 4, 1776; during the bitter struggle of the infant republic, to the sur- render of Lord Cornwallis, October 19, 1781; and the declara- tion of peace and the ratification of the treaty and final de- parture of the British Troops, November 25, 1783; during the sacrifices and struggles incident to an eight year's war with a powerful nation, Pennyslvania, was ever loyal to the cause and motives that actuated the colonists to withdraw from the oppressive protection of England and establish the grandest and most effectual form of Republican government on the face of the globe. The Pennsylvania Associators and committee of obser- vation represented the sentiments of the yeomanry of the state. They stood in the same relation to the American _________________________________________________ 82 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ colonies and their leaders in the War of the Revolution, as did the First Defenders, when Abraham Lincoln issued his first call for troops in the Civil War. At a meeting held in Reading, July 2, 1774, resolutions were passed and a committee appointed to meet with other committees in Philadelphia, from the different counties in the Province. From the first formation of the Associators, the Berks County contingent were active in their support of the military defense of the rights of the colonists, contributing the allotted quota of men and forage for the army ; and in raising the necessary supplies and money for the sinews of war. The following composed part of the first committee chosen to represent Berks County at the Provincial meeting, Philadelphia: Edward Biddle, James Lewis, Christopher Schultz, Mark Bird and John Jones. None of the Associators lived north of the Blue Mountains, but Dr. Jonathan Potts, Secretary, owned tracts of coal land around what is now St. Clair: and Baltzar Gehr owned and operated a saw mill on the site of Pottsville, at the mouth of the Norwegian Creek where it empties into the Schuylkill River. Others of the Associators were: William Reeser, Christopher Witman, John Old, ¹ Sebastian Levan, George Nagel, Michael Bright, John Patton and Jacob Shoemaker, Associators, are closely allied with this region through their descendants of successive gen- erations who populate Schuylkill County.² After the battle of Lexington was fought, April 19, 1775, eight companies of riflemen were raised in Pennsylvania to join the Continental army, near Boston; of these that of Cap- ___________ ( Note 1. - John Old was the ancestor of Daniel Old, a carpenter and contractor, who lived in Pottsville, 1840-'60. He built and owned the residence, 409 West Market Street, among other properties. He left no descendants.) (Note 2. - Penna. Archives, 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 138.) _________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 83 War of the Revolution _________________________________________________ tain George Nagel was the first from Berks County. They joined Colonel Thompson's battalion of twelve companies of riflemen and were the first troops from Pennsylvania to reach Boston. ¹ Efforts were made to recruit companies from each of the townships and the quotas of the more thickly settled portions of the county were augmented by recruits from the straggling and remote borders. The Welsh of Caernarvon Township raised a company of eighty-three Associators that were in the campaign in Canada during that dreadful retreat in mid- winter from Quebec. Other companies from Berks were in the Massachusetts' campaign and in the army of the Southern Department and participated in the final capitulation of Cornwallis. The Captains of these companies, of the regular Continen- tal line, were: Henry Christ, Miles Regiment; Jonathan Jones, First Pennsylvania Battalion; Benjamin Weiser, Hausegger's Regiment; Jacob Bauer, Oddendorf's Corps; John Spohn, Magaw's Battalion; John Lesher, Patton's Regi- ment; Jacob Moser, Harmar's Sixth Regiment. At a Provincial Conference, held at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, June 18-25, 1776, provision was made to form a "Flying Camp, " of 10,000 men, in the middle colonies; the quota for Pennsyklvania being 4,500 men; this militia to march to such place as ordered by Congress. July 13, 1776 , Berks County reported as having raised more than their quota of men to complete the battalion. March 17, 1777, a militia law was passed by the Penn- sylvania Assembly. The President of the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth was to commission one free- holder in each county to serve as a lietenant of the militia for the said counties. The constables of each township, borough, ward or district in the said counties were to return ____________ (Note 1 - Penna. Archives, 2nd Series, Vol. X, pp.3-13-34.) _________________________________________________ 84 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution _________________________________________________ to the lieutenanat an exact list of the names of every male white person residing within the township, borough, ward or district, between the ages of eighteen and fifty-three years, capable of bearing arms. Each county was to be sub-divided into districts, each district to contain not less than 440 and more than 680 privates and each district was to be sub-divided into eight parts. The militiamen of the district were required to meet and elect three field officers ; one colonel, one lieu- tenant colonel and one major, who were to be freeholders and inhabitants of the district and the militia men of the sub- divisions were to elect one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign and two persons to be styled court martial men, who shall respectively be such persons as are entitled to vote for members to serve in the General Assembly. The whole of the militia so enrolled were required by law to be exercised in companies, under their special officers, on the last two Mondays in the month of April and three first Mondays in the month of May and in battalion on the fourth Monday in May and in companies on the last two Mondays in the month of August and the last two Mondays in the month of Sep- tember and the third Monday in the month of October and in battalion on the fourth Monday in October. On which days officers and privates were expected to attend and drill under penalties of fines. Brunswick Township, under this law, was organized into the third battalion or northern section of Berks County. The battalion officers were: Colonel, Michael Lindemuth, Bern Township; Lieutenant Colonel, George May, Winsor Town- ship, and Major, Martin Kercher, Winsor Township, The officers of the second company of the battalion, which was the Brunswick Company, were: Captain, Conrad Minnich; 1st Lieutenant, John Graul; 2nd Lieutenant, John Stout; Ensign, Phillip Boning; Court Martial men, Gideon Moyer, John Crawford and George Stout. __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 85 War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ October 17, 1777, General Washington reported that, "the term of service of many of the military had expired and that one-half of the men capable of bearing arms, from the ages of eighteen to fifty-eight, should be called into the field." The quota from Berks County was three hundred men and one hundred and fifty men in Berks were recruited January 1, 1778. The system of supplying men was simple and ef- fective. It was carried on in such a manner as to render as- sistance to the government without the people suffering losses. The time of service was short and many returned and attended to their crops, upon which the army depended for forage and supplies and that their families might not starve, and went out again. Others offended against discipline and went home to attend to their affairs before their terms of service expired and almost invariably returned when a fight was impending. Through this method several hundred militia men were kept in the field continuously, from Berks County, to reinforce the operations of the regular line under General Washington. It will be noted by the above that the term "Court Mar- tial" was not one of opprobrium, nor was it used in the mili- tary sense now given it. A "Court Martial" man, in the Revolutionary war, was a "reputable citizen" and ranked next to ensign. THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE The General Assembly, of Pennsylvania, June 12, 1777, passed an Act requiring the men of the State to take an oath of allegiance and fidelity to this State. This was necessary owing to the loosely joined federation of states in rebellion against the King and to having no constitution; the test oath showing who would openly stand for the new government. This oath required great courage on the part of those who took it, for if the revolutionary cause should fail, their property would surely be confiscated and they, themselves, be imprisoned. __________________________________________________ 86 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ In some of the counties of the State many declined to take the oath, but in Berks County nearly every man took it; the original lists ( Berks County Historical Society Library ) con- taining about six thousand names. These men were formed into eighty or ninety companies, of sixty-four men each, and many of them in turn served some time in the field. Of the men of Berks County, who served in the Revolu- tionary war, as Associators, Militia men, or long term Conti- nentals, scarcely two-thirds of their names are on record. A few of these missing names may occasionally turn up but the bulk of them will never be found. In some of the Western States, where societies of the D. A. R. and Sons of Veterans exist, this taking of the oath of allegiance is considered sufficient evidence for admission to the organizations.¹ As has been heretofore stated, the Berks County militia men, all of whom took the oath of allegiance, guarded pris- oners, were in the campaign in New Jersey; while Wash- ington's army was at Valley Forge they reinforced it and assisted the militia of other counties in patroling and guard- ing the open country between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, and also participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Of the six battalions of Berks County militia no complete records have ever been found. They may never have been recorded in the Pennsylvania Archives, or they may have been lost or were most probably burned in 1808 or 1814. In the former year many public documents were destroyed that had been stored in a two-story frame building in Washington, D. C., and when the British forces of General Ross, September 24, 1814, marched unopposed into the city and burned all of __________ (Note 1- A D. A. R. woman, in Nebraska, obtained an oath of alle- giance record from Berks County of her great grandfather (George Laucks) and received an added "Bar" for it (1913), and a short time ago sent for proof of another ancestor of hers, (John Lorah.) __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 87 War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ the public buildings, except the patent office, many valuable papers, among them the military rosters, were consumed in the holocaust. August 17, 1777, Jacob Morgan reported that twelve com- panies of militia had marched from Reading, the whole num- ber of whose officers anad men were six hundred and fifty-six. The total number of militia men from the State, at that date, was two thousand, nine hundred and seventy-three. (Another authority fixes the number from Berks as seven hundred and thirty.) The battalions from Berks County were under Colonels Undree (Uttery) and Hunter. From the State returns, church records, newspapers and family returns of private papers and deaths, the list in the Pennsylvania Archives, of these men, is being slowly aug- mented, but of the five German companies from the vicinity of Womelsdorf, whose rosters were lost, little is known. Captain Jacob Livengood's Riflemen, of Middletown, now Womelsdorf, were formed September, 1781. The company served until January, 1782. The roster of this company was among the five never recovered. The members of these companies were from Heidelburg and Tulpehocken Townships. As the old church records are being slowly translated and old tombstones unearthed in the early cemeteries, and private family records are being transmitted to the State, the Penn- sylvania German Society and the State and County Historical Societies, some of these rosters may be partially re-incarnated, but there is yet much to unearth of the records of the seventy thousand individual soldiers who formed the army of the war of the Revolution. "There were four thousand militia from six districts of Berks County. The first company, third battalion, was from Pinegrove Township," __________ (Note 1 - Penna. Associators, Vol. II, pp. 257-276 __________________________________________________ 88 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ (Note) -- In the United States a battalion consisted of two, four, six, eight or ten companies, according to circum- stances and was commanded by the senior officer present. The number of men in a battalion varied from one hundred to one thousand. In the Revolutionary War the maximum number was six hundred and eighty privates, three field offi- cers, one colonel, one lieutenant colonel and one major. The companies each had one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants and two court martial men. Of the twelve captains that composed these battalions of militia, three were men from that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill County, Captains Michael Furrer (Forrer), Jacob Wetstein (Whetstone), and Conrad Minnich. There were a number of men from the vicinity of what is now McKeansburg and West Penn, then included in North- ampton County, who enlisted under Captain Brucker, of that county. Michael Forrer recruited his company from "the western section of Berks County (now Schuylkill), and the Tulpe- hocken."¹ Capt. Michael Furrer's² ³ (Forrer) Co., stationed at South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776. Bat. of Col. John Patton. Captain, Michael Forrer; 1st Lieutenant, Nicholas Sey- bert; 2nd Lieutenant, John Gernan; Sergeants, Adam An- spach (Alspach,) Henry Spang, Peter Leis, Philip Anspach, (Alspach); Ensign, Jacob Read (Rieth); Drummer, William Sherman; Fifer, Adam Read (Rieth). Privates -- George Wendlewolf, Peter Smith, John Keiser, Christian Witman, George Kantner, George Swartz, Daniel Sheffer, John Troutman, Michael Hoffman, Michael Bruker, William Feygert, Henry Deerwechter, George Deerwechter, Valentine Schiffller, Peter Deefenbach, Jacob Ruhl, Simon __________ (Note 1. - Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. II, p. 249) (Note 2. - Andrew Miller History.) (Note 3. - Michael Forrer lived in Pine Grove Township) __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 89 War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ Linck, Frederick Sheffer, Valentine Troutman, Daniel Read, Peter Stein, Henry Koch, Adam Schnee, William Scheefer, George Emerich, Conrad Hoster, George Winter, Peter Hous- er, Nicholas Read, HEINRICH MILLER¹, Jonas Read, Nicholas Lechner, John Stup, Daniel Kuff, Andreas Aulen- bach. The above company was recruited from both sides of the Blue Mountain. The Wetsteins were from near McKeansburg, and are on record from Pinegrove Township, their company was recruited largely from the north side of the Blue Mountain. August 7, 1777, Jacob Wetstein's Company, mustered un- der Colonel Daniel Hunter, of Oley, and was on duty around Philadelphia, participating in the battle of Germantown under General Washington. The return roster of the company is given as containing forty-nine men and eight officers and in- cludes the following: May 17, 1777. First Company, Captain Jacob Wetstein.² Ensign, Henry Wetstein; Conrad Sheffer, Rudolph Buz- zard, Ludwig Herring, George Brouch. The battalion of Colonel Daniel Udree, of Oley, was mus- tered in at the same date. To this command belonged the company of Captain Conrad Minnich, of Brunswick Town- ship (Manheim). No trace of this roster has been found. The company was made up of men from both sides of the Blue Mountain. The return report of third class, Berks County Associators and Militia, Col. Daniel Udree, shows Captain Conrad Minnich's Company to have had on the muster roll³, one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants, one drum and fifer, four substitutes. __________ (Note 1 - Heinrich Miller lived in Brunswick afterward Manheim Town- ship. He was the ancestor of all of the descendants of Andrew Miller,Sr.- Miller History.) (Note 2 - The descendants of Jacob and Henry Wetstein reside at Ta- maqua, Schuylkill County, and spell their name "Whetstone.") (Note 3 - Penna. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5, pp.128-201.) __________________________________________________ 90 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ Nine officers and forty-one privates, making a total of fifty men, mustered as a company August 11, 1777, four days after the battalion. Captain Conrad Minnich is referred to¹ as "of the Revolution, from Brunswick Township, near the Schuylkill, several miles south of Sharp Mountain, then the frontier,"² and also notes Colonel Daniel Udree having six companies with a battalion of three hundred and one men around about Philadelphia, from August 11 to December 1, 1777, and that eight thousand, nine hundred and seventy- seven men, from 1775 to 1782, were in service from Berks County. Captain Conrad Minnich's Company, mustered May 17, 1777, and August 11, 1777, Colonel Udree and Colonel Lindemuth's battalions were mustered. Two records refer to Captain Minnich's Company as "Associator and Regulators" under Colonel Udree and two to Captain Conrad Minnich's second company, third battalion, Colonel Michael Lindemuth. The company serving twice under different commanders. John Stout, ensign; John Graul, Phillip Boning, George Stout, Gideon Meyer, John Crawford, privates, are the only names of the company of fifty men recorded. Those who have made a study of the records in the Penna. Archives will appreciate the difficulty encountered in drawing a chronological order out of the records of the military, a logical sequence, in many cases being the only conclusion that can be arrived at. Of the fifty-three bat- talions of the Pennsylvania Associators only fragmentary records are given and these are frequent repetitions of each other and occur with slight additions or omissions, perhaps, in different volumes. The Continental Line in the War De- partment, Washington, D. C., is nearer completion but here also there are many imperfect records. The Militia com- panies went out several times, the time of service being lim- __________ (Note 1. - Penna. Archives, 3rd Series, Vol. IV, p. 265.) (Note 2. - 5th Series, Vol. V, pp. 128, 135, 190, 201 Penna.Archives.) __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 91 War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ ited to two months. Occasionally persons of the same name, in large families, enlisted during these various terms of ser- vice and to identify these properly other documents than the Archives must be called into requisition to endorse them.¹ Of the officers and privates of the fifty-three battalions of the Associators of the Colony of Pennsylvania, July 4, 1776, the following are of those closely associated with the localities of Berks and Schuylkill Counties, north and south of the Blue Mountains: First Battalion - Privates John Hartman, Peter Filbert. Second Battalion - Colonel, Mark Bird; Private, Benj. Tolbert. Third Battalion - Private, Henry Spoon, Private Mathias Wenrich. Fourth Battalion - Major Michael Lindemuth; Private Michael Moser. Fifth Battalion - Col. John Patton. Sixth Battalion - Major Conrad Leffler.² Seventh Battalion - Colonel Sebastian Levan. Major Martin Kergher (Kaercher) was of the third battalion under Colonel Michael Lindemuth. He lived in Windsor Township and was the ancesdtor of the Kaerchers, of Schuylkill County. Col. John Patton was the ancestor of the Pattons, of Barry Township, Schuylkill County, who removed from Berks County, south of the Blue Mountain, to what was then Northumberland County.3,4 Col. Lindemuth's two sons served as substitute drummer __________ (Note 1. - Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. V.) (Note 2. - Conrad Leffler, ancestor of William Leffler, deceased, Land- ingville; Aurelian Leffler, McKeesport; Uriah G. Leffler, Mechanicsville; Mrs. Mary Paul, Port Carbon; and indirectly connected with C.W.Wil- dermuth and others of Pottsville.) (Note 3. - Vol. V, 5th Series, p. 262.) (Note 4. - Penna. Archives, 5th Series, 5th Vol., pp. 160-180.) ___________________________________________________ 92 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution ____________________________________________________ boys in Captain Rodermel's and Lieutenant Umbenhauer's Companies, for which they received forty-nine pounds. Berks County Militia, First Battalion: - Colonel, Daniel Hunter; Lieutenant Colonel, John Guldin; Quartermaster, Isaac Feather. First Company - Captain, Mathias Wick; Court Martial Men, John Pott, Jacob Heffner (ancestor of the late Samuel Heffner, of Pottsville, and his descendants), May 17,1777. Third Company - Captain, Jacob Rothermel; Lieutenant, Daniel Stout; Ensign, Christian Merkle. May 10, 1780. Fourth Company - Captain, George Focht; Ensign, John Yoder, May 10, 1780. Fifth Company - Captain, Jacob Hill; First Lieutenant, George Schall. Sixth Company - Captain, Peter Wanner (Werner); First Lieutenant, Henry Strauch. Seventh Company - Captain, George Beaver. May 10, 1780. Detachment of First Battalion Berks County Militia, Captain Charles Krause, guarding prisoners, August 16 to October 16, 1781, thirty-five Privates: Caspar Merkle, Titan McCarty, Jacob Sigfried (Jacob Sigfried, ancestor of the Berks and Schuylkill County Sigfrieds.) Reber, Conrad - Captain George Miller's Co., on duty South Amboy, N. J., September 5, 1776.¹ (Father of George Reber and grandfather of George, Jonathan and Daniel Reber, deceased, of Schuylkill County.) Ney, Valentine - Ney, Jacob; Aulenbach, Daniel; Swartz, John; Loose, Jacob; Mayer, Phillip, were other mem- bers of this company from that part of Berks County now included in Schuylkill.² (Great grandfather of Daniel Ney, Friedensburg; Valentine Ney, buried in Summer Berg cemetery.) __________ (Note 1. - 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 152.) (Note 2. - Vol. V, p. 194.) __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 93 War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ Orwig, Henry; Fisher, George; Fisher, Joseph -- Colonel Michael Lindemuth certifies that they served out their time as substitutes, no company mentioned. They were from Brunswick Township (now Schuylkill County.) Beard, Adam -- Captain Third Company, Third Battalion; (grandfather of the late Michael Beard, and great grandfather of Captain Samuel and Attorney Herman Graeff, of Tamaqua, deceased.) Graeff, Daniel -- Captain Fifth Company, Third Battalion, Ex- eter Twp. (ancestor of the Schuylkill County Graeffs.) Bechtel, Jacob -- John, Peter and Henry were of this Bat- talion, and Judah and Moses Boone, Exeter Township (ancestors of Judah Boone, deceased, of Pottsville, and the Boones of St. Clair. ) Easterly (Esterly), Daniel -- Captain Robinson's company, Exeter Township, October, 1781. On list of Depreci- ated Pay (grandfather of the late Daniel Esterly, of Pottsville.) Kercher, John; (Kaercher), Kercher, Christian; First Com- pany, Third Battalion, Captain Krauss, return 1783. Henry Miller, of Longschwamp, Berks County, also on the roll.¹ Miller, Sebastian -- Captain Seventh Company, ( A Class ); Fourth Battalion; return May 31, 1781. John Reber, John Van Read, John Reasher (Reeser) and Adam Fulmer on the rolls.² Wolf, Michael -- Captain of company on duty at South Amboy, N.J. August 26, 1776.³ Private Ludwig ( Wendel ) Swartz, McKeansburg. _____________ (Note 1. - Vol. 4, p.257 Penna. Archives, 5th Series. ) (Note 2. - 5th Series, 5th Vol., p. 262, Penna. Archives. ) (Note 3. - 5th Vol, pp. 158-170.) __________________________________________________ 94 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ Captain Diehl's Company, Berks County Militia, January 22, 1777, Dallet Rhein and Pant Enge, from Pinegrove Township, Schuylkill County. Nagle, Phillip - A drummer boy in the War of the Revolution, was the grandfather of Colonel Daniel Nagle and the late General James and Captain Phillip Nagle, of Potts- ville. The Revolutionary soldier, Phillip and wife are buried in the old cemetery in the rear of Trinity Luth- eran Church, Reading. (Simon and Phillip Nagle came from Rotterdam, October 16, 1751, ship Duke. ) Nagle, George and Peter - Were Captains in the Continental Line. They were of a branch of the same family as the above, cousins, it is presumed. Scheffer, Nicholas - Captain of Company of duty at New town, January 2, 1777. Includes on its muster roll: Huy ( Hoy ), John, Lieutenant; Abraham Hoy, Ensign. (An- cestors of Schuylkill County Hoys.) Gernandt, Mathias - (Ancestor of the Gernandts formerly of Orwigsburg and of Aaron Gernandt (Gernan), of Pottsville.) Kerschner, Conrad - Of Windsor Township, Berks County, (great grandfather of Mrs. A. J. Pilgram, Pottsville. ) Rauhn, Jacob - Progenitor of the Charles Rahn family, of Pottsville (Part 2.) Matz, George, and Medler, George - Ancestors of old Schuyl- kill County families, are also on the roll of this com- pany.¹ Zwally, Captain - (9th class.) Schwaller, Christopher - From the return of the 7th class of Militia. Battalion Lancaster County Militia, Colonel, John Huber, under marching orders to Sunbury. _____________ (Note 1 - 5th Series, 5th Vol.) __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 95 War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ Zwally, Christopher - Believed to be the same man. Captain Duck's Company.¹ ² Other officers in the Berks County Militia were: Captain Daniel DeTurck - Mustered into service July, 1776, with a muster roll of three commissioned and eight non commissioned officers, sixty-one men. He was the great grandfather of Samuel DeTurck, of Friedens- burg, deceased.³ Nicholas Scull, the surveyor of plats in Schuylkill and adjoining counties, and Frederick Fernsler, the great great grandfather of the Fernslers, of Pottsville, were members of this company. Captain Henry Strouch - August 10th to September 9th, 1780, 6th Battalion; of Brunswick, afterward Manheim Township; ancestor of the Strauchs, of Schuylkill County. Captain Jacob Schartel - after whom Schartlesville, Berks County, was named, was the great grandfather of Al- bert, Harry and Wlliam Schertle, deceased, of Potts- ville. Captain Phillip Filbert's Co., December 13, 1777; 48 men, 9 officers, Colonel Jacob Weaver, great grandfather of Attorney J. H. Filbert, of Schuylkill Haven, and an- cestor of the Filberts, of Pinegrove, and of P. K. Fil- bert, of Pottsville. Ensigns - Henry Orwig, 2nd Company, 4th Battalion, Nicholas Leib and John Stout, all of whom have numerous descendants in Schuylkill County, Captain Frank Leib, of Harrisburg, and Ellwood Orwig, of Lansford, being among the number directly or indirectly connected. ________________ (Note 1 - Vol. 7, pp.890,233, 891.) (Note 2 - Some of the above named spelled the name "Schwalm" later, but their connection with the Berks County family cannot be traced.) (Note 3 - Isaac DeTurck, born 1686, came from Northern France to Dutchess County, New York, 1709, and to Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1721. He was the ancestor of Daniel DeTurck, who was the great grandfather of Samuel DeTurck.) __________________________________________________ 96 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ Lieutenants - Gernant, ( Gannon ), Phillip Spohn, Henry Focht. Seitzinger, Nicholas - Captain Charles Gobin's Company, September 9, 1780. Frederick Bensinger - Came to Brunswick Township, 1740, and lived in that vicinity. He was in the Revolutionary War, his name occurs on the pension list. His descend- ants reside in this county and in the western part of the state. A great granddaughter, Mrs. Jacob Olhau- sen, deceased. Peter Kutz, Anthony Roeder and Frederick Shaffer, from Pine- grove Township, now Wayne and Washington Town- ships, were Revolutionary soldiers. John Dollinger is buried in St. Peter's Lutheran and Reformed cemetery, Pinegrove. Jacob Reinhart, from Upper Mahantongo, now Eldred Town- ship, Revolutionary soldier, lived and died in that town- ship. Conrad Eisenhuth - Revolutionary soldier from Berks County, lived to the remarkable age of 111 years. His son, Con- rad, died at 95. The former was the grandfather of A. C. Eisenhuth, of Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. Peter Bock, Isaac Moser, Balthaser Borck, Andrew Burkes, Bernard Kepner, Phillip Schwartz, Henry Lutz, Henry Hoffman, Frederick Hettinger were in the Revolution- ary War from Brunswick Township (from the vicinity of McKeansburg.) There were five residents from the same locality in the War of 1812. The above are buried at Frieden's church, near New Ringgold and at McKeansburg. The first settlers came to that vicinity in 1740. They were Daniel, Jacob and Frederick Bensinger, Phillip Schwartz and John Kuehnle. They brought their families with them and named their settlement __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 97 War of the Revolution ___________________________________________________ "Schmaltzdahl." Their first church was held in a log school house and was known as "Friedens, unweit der kleinen Shool- kill, neben den Blauen Bergen, Braunschweig, Berks County." Ulrich Heiser and Abraham Seltzer came 1758; Bernard Kep- ner, 1769; Jacob Whetstone ( Capt. of Company from Pine- grove Township), Andrew Bolich, Balzar Koch, Henry and Frederick Sassaman, in 1769-70. A tract of land was given, additional, 1768, when a new church was built. Part of this locality was in Northampton County until Schuylkill County was formed, 1811. Jacob Shoemaker - Was born in New Jersey,1760, and died at Bloomsburg, Pa., 1840. Her served throught the entire Revolutionary War. His great grandson, William H. Shoemaker, of Shenandoah, was born in Pottsville, 1832. The list of these men is imperfect. There may be more, but enough have been given to refute the assertion fre- quently made, that "Schuylkill County was not represented, to any extent, in the War of the Revolution." It should be borne in mind that the locality known now as Schuylkill County was not changed, only its name. ZERBES IN THE COLONIAL, FRENCH AND INDIAN AND REVOLUTIONARY WARS The same Servi, Xavier, Servitz, Seriver, Serfas, Serfass, Service, Servey, Servier, Sevier, Zerfas, Zerfass, is the same as Sevier, Sarva or Zarva, in the original and many branches of the family who spelled the name phonetically as above, have adopted the "Zerbe," "Zerbee," "Zerby," "Zerbey," others retaining the original spelling. There are sixteen different methods of spelling the name, as is stated else- where. __________________________________________________ 98 BLUE BOOK OF War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ The following occur in the Fifth Series Penna. Archives, which contains fifteen volumes, the sixteenth being an index: Serfas, Adam, 4th Vol., p. 344, Capt. Continental Line, List of Depreciated Pay. Serfas, Charles, Vol. 4. p. 344, Private, same. Serfas, Christian, Vol. 4, p. 664-672-357; Vol. 8, p. 203 Private, same. Serfas, Frederick, Vol. 8, p. 242-297. Serfas, Henry, Vol. 8, p. 113-448-562; Vol. 4, p. 357. Serfas, Jacob, Vol. 8, p. 577. Serfas, John, Vol. 8, p. 664; Vol. 8, p. 575. Serfass, Capt. Vol. 8, p. 96. Serfass, Adam, Vol. 8, p. 96, pp. 598-599-600, 48-109. Serfass, Christian, Vol. 8, p. 264. Serfass, Christian, Vol.4, p. 344; Vol. 8, p. 306. Serfass, Frederick, Vol.8, p. 283,297, 596. Server, Daniel, Capt. John Slater's Co., Lancaster Co., 1st Battalion Lancaster Militia. (Daniel Zerbe, son of John Zerbe, the miller and brother to Benjamin, who set- tled in Pinegrove Twp.. - Zerbe History.) Server, Jacob, received depreciation pay. (Original rolls.) Continental Line. Jacob was a son of John Zerbe, wife Catharine Stup. He went early to Cumberland County. Christian Zerbe, who married Christina Strauss, was a brother.) (Vol. 6, pp. 556,553, 577.) Servier, Phillip - Cumberland Company, same county, Vol. 4. p. 638. The U. S. paid the army in depreciated money, (shin plasters). This currency became lower and lower in value, the Tory sympathizers buying it up in quantities to still fur- ther reduce the credit of the government. The Legislature of Pennsylvania passed an Act to pay from the resources of __________________________________________________ SCHUYLKILL COUNTY 99 War of the Revolution __________________________________________________ the State treasury the balance, and all Penna. soldiers were paid off at par by the State. This was called the "Depre- ciation Pay," hence the lists. Servise, John, Capt. Nicholas Saltmier, May 1, 1777. Vol.3, p. 89 Service, John - Capt. James Dunn's Co., Chester Co. Asso- ciators and Militia, 8th Battalion, Col. Patterson Bell Service, John - Capt. Gilbert Gibbs, Chester County, June 18 1777. Militia of foot, Col. John Hannum. Serfass, John - Vol. 8, p. 282, 493. Serfass, William, Vol. 8, p.282,306. Servey, Peter - Vol. 2, p. 109, Capt. Huling's Co., Jan. 5, 1776; Nov. 25, 1776; Commissioned, Col. Arthur St. Clair, furloughed from Oct. 1776, by Gen. Gates, Con- tinental Line. (Son of George Peter Zerbe, Zerbe His- tory.) Service, John - Vol. 4, p.963; Vol. 5, p. 809, 817. Service, James - Vol. 4, p. 963. Servis, Jacob - Vol. 1, p. 302. Detachment Penna. Regt. in Garrison at Fort Bedford under Col. Jos. Shippen, Jan. 24, 1760. Capt. Hambright's Co. Surver, Phillip - Vol. 6, p. 556-564. Surver, Adam - Vol. 8, p. 575. Servise, John - Vol. 3, p. 1025. Server, Abraham (8th Vol., p. 222.) Capt. Jacob Heller, two months tour of duty, from around Allentown, North- ampton County. 8th Co., Capt. John Santee. Server, Daniel - 7th Vol., p. 4, 245. Server, Jacob - 4th Vol.,