Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 20, 2011

As the result of a correspondence from a blog reader, John W. Knouff was added to the Civil War Research Project.  Initially, only one John Knouff was include in the project list.  That John Knouff died in the war at Dabney’s Mills, Virginia, in 1865, as reported in the previous post.  The confusion of having two persons by the name of John Knouff serving in the same regiment, the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry, as well as the error in the Pennsylvania Archives records, was probably the cause of the omission of this John W. Knouff.

John W. Knouff (1828-  ) was born around 1828.  Family tradition indicates that he was born in or around Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, although no definite proof to that effect has been located.  The earliest record found for him is the census of 1850, where he is named as a 22-year old laborer with wife  Leah Knouff, also born about 1828, and two children, Isabell Knouff, who was born around 1846 and David Knouff who was born around 1848.  David is the direct ancestor of the blog reader who made the inquiry and pointed out that I had confused her 3rd-great grandfather with the John Knouff who had died in the war.  The same Census of 1850 data sheet shows another John Knouff, age 62 (therefore born about 1788), living next door with his family.  There is no indication of any relationship between the two Knouff families, so speculation that they are father and son is merely speculation.  No other records have been found to support the notion that John W. Knouff‘s father was this John Knouff who lived next door in 1850.

Census of 1850 showing the two “John Knouff” families living next door to each other in Halifax Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

In 1860, John W. Knouff is still living in Halifax Township, but Leah is no longer in the household, leading to the possible conclusion that she died some time between 1855 and 1860.  A third child, Clara Knouff, appears, born about 1855.  The next confirmed date in the known chronology of John W. Knouff is the date he enrolls in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry.  That occurs on 10 Jan 1862 at Harrisburg, but he did not report for muster until 12 February 1862, also at Harrisburg.  Then, it is noted in the record, that he was discharged from the service on 30 May 1862, on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability.  The specific disability is not mentioned.  At this point, John W. Knouff disappears from the records.

John’s son, David Knouff appears next in Cass County, Indiana, marriage records, when he married Catherine Novinger.  Then David and Catherine (or “Kate”) appear in the Census of 1870 in German Township, Grundy County, Iowa.  David is a farmer and there are no children in the household.  Member trees on Ancestry.com indicate David’s death as 10March 1910 in Jasper County, Missouri.

Initially, family members thought that John W. Knouff was a brother to the David Knouff of the previous post who died of disease during the Civil War and also served in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry.  It was also thought that the John Knouff who was killed at Dabney’s Mills, Virginia in 1865 was a cousin.  But, no proof has been found to substantiate either possibility.  No grave marker has been found for Leah Knouff or for John W. Knouff.  Is is possible that John W. Knouff moved elsewhere after Leah died.  There is even speculation that John W. Knouff may have re-married after the death of his wife.  While it was common for men for go off to war and leave young children at home with wives, Leah was no longer in the home in 1862 when John went off to war – and that would have left young Clara, then age 7, in the care of her older siblings – or perhaps other family members, friends or neighbors.

One person named John Knouff does appear in the 1870 Census, married and with a family, the children’s births beginning in 1862.  This John Knouff is in the 1870 and 1880 Censuses for Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, as a farmer.  His wife, Julia Ann, born about 1842, is found in other records as Julia Ann Sell.  Julia was reportedly born in Ohio but her family was from Pennsylvania and Ohio.  She married John Knouff in Ohio about 1861.  Eventually, both this  John and Julia moved to Alabama for John’s health, where they both died, John in 1899 and Julia in 1930.  They are buried in the Courtland Cemetery, Courtland, Lawrence County, Alabama.  There is no mention of any Civil War service in the on-line biography for this John Knouff.  Further confusing the situation is a biographical sketch for this couple which appeared in an old Stark County, Ohio history:

JOHN KNOUFF, farmer, was born December 24, 1831, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Anthony and Sarah (Croft) Knouff, the former a native of Maryland, the latter of Pennsylvania. They moved to Stark County, Ohio, in 1857, and settled on a farm. The father died August 8, 1874, aged seventy-four; the mother in December 1882, aged seventy, both in Stark County. The father was a member of the Dunkard, and the mother of the Lutheran Church. They had twelve children, seven now living.  John made his father’s house his home, and came to Ohio with that parent in 1857. He was married in June, 1861, to Miss Julia A. Sell, of Stark County, Ohio. They came to Newton County in April 1864.

Some factors indicate that this could be same person as the John W. Knouff who served in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry.  For one thing, the dates seem to have some coincidence to them.  But other facts don’t match up.

The mystery continues.  What happened to the John W. Knouff who served in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry? Did he die soon after returning from the Civil War?  Where is he buried?  Why did his son move to Indiana, Iowa, and then to Missouri?  What happened to his daughters?  Where did his wife Leah die and where is she buried?

Anyone with any information on John W. Knouff is urged to contribute it.

This is the final post of three posts on the Knouff family in the Civil War.  No family connection has been established between or among any of the five Knouff’s presented.

Some information for this post was taken from family records, from information available on Ancestry.com, and from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | 6 Comments »
Tags: Halifax, Halifax Township, Knouff family, Novinger family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 19, 2011

Tragically, two Pennsylvanians named Knouff did not survive the war.  David Knouff, who died of a condition contracted during the war and John Knouf, who was killed at Dabney’s Mill in Virgina, both served in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, and both were from the area around Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, their records are confused in the Pennsylvania Archives.

DAVID KNOUFF

David Knouff (1815-1863) was born in the Halifax Township area of Dauphin County, on 9 October 1815.  He died on 3 October 1863 at home as a result of complications from chronic diarrhea and probably typhoid fever which he contracted while in the Civil War.  David Knouff is buried in Long’s Cemetery in Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, his grave marker broken and lying on the ground.  Noted on the marker is his Civil War service in the 107^th Pennsylvania Infantry.

In 1860, David Knouff was the head of his household which included his wife, Barbara [Sweigart] Knouff.  Their son, Ira Franklin Knouff, 5 years old, was also living in the household as was Barbara’s father David Sweigart, age 63.  who indicated he was a “gentleman” by occupation.  Another member of Barbara’s family, Catherine Sweigart, age 43, was living in the household as a servant.  David and Barbara had been married 26 December 1852 in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, by Acting Justice of the Peace, Daniel A. Meunch.  A next door neighbor, Charles W. Ryan, then age 19, would later become well known for being the cashier who was killed in the armed robbery of the Halifax National Bank in 1901.

After the Civil War began, David Knouff enlisted in the 107^th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D.  Knowing what happened from the point of enlistment and muster to his death becomes a puzzle because David’s records and the records of John Knouff, also of the Halifax area and also a member of the 107^th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, somehow became confused.  It is correct that both David Knouff and John Knouff died as a result of their service in the Civil War.  According to records from the Pennsylvania Archives, David Knouff died in 1865 and John Knouff died in 1863.

The portion of the Register of Pennsylvania Volunteers for the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry showing both John Knouff and David Knouff is reproduced below:

From this roll we learn that David Knouff was killed in action at Dabney’s Mills, Virginia, on 7 February 1865 (click on picture to enlarge and note red number “1” on both pages of the register) and John Knouff died of disease in Pennsylvania on 4 October 1863.  Actually, what happened to the two men is reversed in the register!  The Pennsylvania Archives register is in error!  Note that there is also a second John Knouff in the same regiment and company – John W. Knouff (see picture above, two names up from David Knouff). John W. Knouff survived the war, but was discharged in 1862 with a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability and he will be the subject of the final post in the series on the Knouff family in the Civil War.

The first indication that something was wrong came when it was noticed that the grave marker for David Knouff in Long’s Cemetery, Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, noted his death date as 3 October 1863.  If David Knouff died at Dabney’s Mills in 1865, why was his year of death listed as 1863 on the stone?  Gravestones are not always correct, but further checking was needed.  The grave location for John Knouff, who Pennsylvania Archives records say died in 1863, has not yet been located, so consulting other records is necessary.

Fortunately, the Civil War Research Project has copies of records from the pension application files of David Knouff‘s widow, Barbara [Sweigert] Knouff.  Based on those records, the correct story is as follows:

According to a sworn statement made by the widow Barbara A. Knouff, made on 18 November 1864 in Dauphin County, before a Prothonotary, and verified by two witnesses, Jacob D. Hoffman and Daniel A. Meunch, David Knouff enlisted in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, under Captain Norris.  He died at Matamoras, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 3 October 1863 of typhoid fever, which he contracted while in the line of duty.  She also declared that while David Knouff was in the service, he was taken prisoner at Gettysburg, but then paroled.  Afterward he went to his home and died.  He left one child, Ira Franklin Knouff, age 11. without means of support.  Additional papers in support of Barbara’s claim that she was his widow, was a separate statement from Daniel A. Meunch indicating that on 26 December 1852, while he was Acting Justice of the Peace in Jackson Township, he married Barbara and David.

The final piece of evidence to prove that it was David Knouff who died of disease in 1863 was a statement by Henry Herr of Harrisburg on 6 June 1871:

That on or about the 10th day of July 1864 [sic] he found a certain David Knouff a soldier private of Co. D 107th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers in Harrisburg shortly after some battle (he had come there along with a number of Union soldiers who were being transported from Harrisburg to some place of comfort).   They were sick and wounded men… and he was in a very bad condition being afflicted with chronic diarrhea and that he was very thin… and his feet was much swollen… in a sick condition and that when he found him so badly used up and sick that he took him into his house where he remained until the next day and that he found some means of getting home where he heard shortly afterwards he died….

The date of 1864 given in the testimony was obviously incorrect as the statement also includes information about the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place in July 1863.  The important parts of the testimony are that it was David Knouff that he took into his home and it was David Knouff that was suffering from disease – and that this happened before 1865.

But Barbara Knouff was not immediately awarded the pension.  Information was requested from the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania.  Did David serve in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D?  Did he die of a war-related cause?  One document sent by the Adjutant General repeated the same error as in the register reproduced above.  This confusion continued to exist up until 1871, when Barbara pleaded to have the Commissioner of Pensions interfere in her case so that she could receive a pension.  Did Barbara Knouff get a widow’s pension?   The Pension Index Card to the National Archives records is shown below:

A certificate number is a sure indication that Barbara Knouff was finally successful with her application.  She was awarded a widow’s pension.  Unfortunately, at the this time, we don’t know when that occurred.  An examination of the entire pension file at the National Archives in Washington may reveal more information.  Barbara Knouff could not have applied for a pension prior to 1865 if her husband David Knouff did not die until 1865.  Therefore, the record in the Pennsylvania Archives must have been transcribed incorrectly and David Knouff was confused with John Knouff.  That transcription error was was carried into several secondary sources, including Samuel Bates, the Pennsylvania Civil War Veterans Card File, and Steve Maczuga’s Pennsylvania Civil War Project.  To be fair to the secondary sources, their information was most likely based on what appeared to be official rolls or registers of the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry.  A nineteenth century clerk, copying the registers, must have transposed the names.  This example of error is proof that it is always important to cross-check sources and find the most accurate information.

JOHN KNOUFF

By a process of elimination, John Knouff was killed at Dabney’s Mills, Virginia, on or about 7 February 1865.

John Knouff (1843-1865) was born about 1843, probably in Matamoras, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  His mother’s name was Elizabeth,which was discovered from pension application records.

In 1850, John Knouff was living with his parents in Jackson Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  from the Census of 1850, we learn that his father’s name was Henry Knouff, who was a laborer, and he had an older brother Richard Knouff, who was about 5 years old.

Confirmation that this is the correct John Knouff comes from the indication that he was 19 years old when he enrolled in the 107th Pennsyvlania Infantry, Company D, as a Private.  The Veterans File Card reproduced below shows the age of 19 at enlistment, which would have made him about 3 years old at the time of the Census of 1850 (shown above).  However, the incorrect death information is recorded on the card.

Confirmation that John Knouff‘s mother’s name was Elizabeth was found on the Pension Index Card for the National Archives Records shown below:

The Pension Index Card gives a “Certificate Number” indicating that Elizabeth Knouff, mother of John Knouff actually received a pension based on her son’s war service and death, although to find the date the pension was actually awarded, consultation of the full pension file at the National Archives in Washington would be required.

The purpose of this post was to sort out the available records of David Knouff and John Knouff, both of whom died as a result of their war experience.  The error that was found in the registers at the Pennsylvania Archives has now been noted and, at least for the purposes of this Civil War Research Project, the correct information is given.  The final post on the Knouff family will appear tomorrow and will discuss John W. Knouff of the Halifax, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania area.  Further information is needed on all the persons with the Knouff family name who served in the Civil War as well as information on if or how they are connected or related to each other.

Information for this post was obtained from Ancestry.com (census information, Pension Index Cards), the Pennsylvania Archives (register of volunteers, veterans card file), and the Civil War Research Project collection.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Halifax, Halifax Township, Hoffman family, Jackson Township, Knouoff family, Meunch family, Regiments, Ryan family, Sweigart family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 18, 2011

According to records found at the Pennsylvania Archives, five persons with surname Knouff served in Pennsylvania regiments during the Civil War.  Recent research has confirmed that all five lived in the general area covered by this Civil War Research Project. An inquiry regarding confusion between two of these Knouff‘s, prompted a re-examination of the available records and an attempt to find out more information on each of them and to see how and if they were connected.  This post will examine two of the Knouff’s who have not been connected genealogically to each other – one who lived much if not all of his life in Enders, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and the other who lived in Millersburg, Dauphin County..  Another post tomorrow, will examine two others, both of whom died, but the records at the Pennsylvania Archives have them mixed up as to which one died when and how.  The final post will look at the last of the these Knouff’s who appears in the Halifax area around the time of the Civil War, apparently survives the war, and then disappears from the records.  This research is being presented to find out more information about those with the surname Knouff from Pennsylvania who served in the Civil War.  Hopefully, if anyone can add anything, it will be greatly appreciated!

JOSEPH W. KNOUFF

Joseph W. Knouff (1848-1902).  Joseph was probably born on 5 Jul 1848 in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, the date on his grave marker, although his military records indicate he was born about 1844. He was the son of Joseph Knouff and Mary [Sweigard} Knouff.

Most likely lying about his age (he declared he was 18, but was probably only 14), Joseph enlisted as a Private in the 130^th Pennsylvania Infantry (volunteer), Company H, at Harrisburg on 12 August 1862.  According to his discharge papers, he was five feet, five inches tall, of fair complexion, blue eyes and dark hair.  He claimed he was a wagoner by occupation.  According to historian Russell Ottens, Joseph Knouff fought in various skirmishes as well as major battles at South Mountain, Antietam,  Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.  His regiment’s losses were severe.  When his term of enlistment expired, the regiment returned to Harrisburg and he was mustered out with his company on 12 May 1863.

Upon returning from the war, Joseph Knouff went to work at a saw mill in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  On 28 August 1868, he slipped and fell into the saw which cut off about one-third of his lower right arm.

On 12 October 1879, he married Isabelle E. “Belle” Enders, at Enders, Pennsylvania, the ceremony performed by H.E. Bohner.  Belle was born 19 October 1855 and died 22 November 1939 in Harrisburg.  They had one child, James Byron Knouff, who was born  29 January 1880.  J. Byron Knouff became an auctioneer and was one of the co-founders of the Enders Monumental Association and he served as its first historian.

Pension document for Joseph Knouff giving date and place of marriage and name and date of birth of son, James Byron Knouff. Signature of Joseph Knouff attests to correctness of the information.

According to the 1880 census for Enders, Dauphin County, Joseph and Isabella were living in the household of her father, George Enders.  George Enders was a retired farmer and Joseph was working as an agent for farm implements.  Misfortune continued to befell Joseph.  On 22 March 1882, be bought a colt and on the way home it became vicious and threw him, damaging his left shoulder so as to limit his arm movement.   In the 1890 Veterans Census, Joseph reported his military service with the 130^th Pennsylvania Infantry, told of the saw mill accident, but did not indicate any war-related disability.  In 1900, the family was still living in Enders, Jackson Township.  Joseph was an auctioneer and son Byron,  age 20, living with his parents was a school teacher.  A niece, Ruth Enders, age 8, was also living with the family.

Sworn statement by Joseph Knouff for pension purposes attesting to his misfortune at the saw mill and with the colt. According to other records, Joseph did not receive a Civil War invalid pension.

Joseph Knouff applied for in invalid pension for his war service but according to the Pension Index Card for the records at the National Archives, he did not receive one.  Joseph died in 1902 and is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Enders.  His widow, Belle, applied for a widow’s pension after his death, claiming to have no means of support,  left without life insurance, and possessing only a small property in Enders worth about $600.  She received a pension until her death.

Information for this post was compiled from records of the Civil War Research Project, including portions of pension application documents.  Some information was obtained from a story about Joseph Knouff in Captain Enders Legion (see prior post on Enders family). Veterans Index Card was found at the Pennsylvania Archives.  The Pension Index Card and census information was obtained from Ancestry.com.

——————–

HENRY KNOUFF

Henry Knouff, as his name appears on the Millersburg Civil War Soldier Monument

Henry Knouff (abt 1827-abt 1892).  Henry Knouff was born about 1827 in Pennsylvania.  Although the date and month are not known, there is a consistency in the year of birth among the military and census records as well as other information supplied by private researchers.  His exact date of death is not known, although it can be assumed he died in 1892, as that is the year his wife applied for a widow’s pension.

Henry married Catherine Yeager about 1855 and to them, two known children were born: John H. Knouff, born about 1855, and Frank L. Knouff, born about 1859.  In 1860, prior to the start of the Civil War, the family was living in Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  In the household were John Frank, age 60, a carpenter (perhaps a boarder) and Mary S. Harman, age 16, a domestic.  Henry Knouff indicated that he was a laborer.

On 7 March 1864, Henry Knouff enrolled in the 46^th Pennsylvania Infantry at Harrisburg.  His veteran card from the Pennsylvania Archives indicates he was 37 years old, five foot, ten inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  The card indicates that his name also appears in the rolls a “Knoaff.”   He was mustered out with his company on 16 Jul 1865.  Records of the 46^th Pennsylvania Infantry place the regiment at battles in Georgia in 1864, notably at Kenesaw Mountain, Culp’s Farm, Peach Tree Creek, and Atlanta.  By 1865, the regiment had moved into North Carolina for the “clean-up” campaign of the last remaining rebel strongholds, in that area, and had final engagements at Bentonville.

Following the Civil War, Henry Knouff returned to Millersburg, where the 1870 Census indicates he rejoined the labor force, but he is then a widower.  Son John Knouf,  age 15, is living in the household, but is not employed.  Mary Harmon is still living in the household.  Later in the year, Henry Knouff would marry Mary Harmon.  No record is found that they Henry and Mary had any children. Records have not yet been located as to the date of death of Henry’s first wife, Catherine.

In 1880, Henry Knouff was still living in Millersburg and still working as a laborer.  His second wife, Mary, was living in the household as was her mother, Elizabeth Harman, age 72.  In the 1890 Veterans Census, Henry declared his service in the 46^th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, but must have been unclear on his dates of service, as they were not reported.  He declared his post office address as Millersburg, but mentioned no disability that was service incurred.

Henry Knouff probably died in 1892, as that is the year his wife Mary [Harman] Knouff applied for a Civil War widow’s pension.  The Pension Index Card from the National Archives records shows that Henry applied for a invalid pension around 1885 and received one.  His widow also applied and received a pension.

A tribute to Henry Knouff’s Civil War service was given when his name was included on the Millersburg Civil War Soldier Monument.  Because he probably died in 1892, he would not be pictured in the G.A.R. photo which was taken in 1913 at the dedication of the monument.  Perhaps he was a member of the Kilpatrick Post of the G.A.R. of Millersburg.

The Pension Index card for Henry Knouff was found at Ancestry.com, as was census and military information.   The Veterans Index card was found at the Pennsylvania Archives.  Additional confirmation of Henry’s military service was found at Steve Maczuga’s Pennsylvania Civil War Project.

———————————————

More information is sought on both Joseph W. Knouff (1848-1902) and Henry Knouff (1827-1892).  Comments can be added to this post or sent by e-mail to the contact given at the bottom of the Civil War Research Project page of this blog or the “Contact” bar at the top right on any page of the blog.  The types of information being sought is also listed on the Civil War Research Project page.

Category: Memorials, Queries, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Knouff Family in the Civil War – Enders and Millersburg
Tags: Bohner family, Enders, Enders family, G.A.R., Harmon family, Knouff family, Millersburg, Monument, Regiments, Yeager family

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 17, 2011

Jonas Swab (1843-1913)

Jonas Swab, son of Daniel Swab and Sally [Heller] Swab, was born 18 Mar 1843 in Washington Township, Dauphin County.  He attended the schools in the township and worked on the farm of his father, whom he assisted in clearing the land of six or seven acres of timber.  When he was eighteen years old he learned the tanning business as an apprentice to Isaiah Matter at Pillow, Pennsylvania, but he found this not to his liking and abandoned it after several months.  He took up carpentry which he worked at for a year, and then for two years, found employment in the factory of Riegel and Emerich, manufacturers of implements at Pillow.

When he was 21 years old he enlisted on 8 Sep 1864 in Company H, 210th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment (volunteers), under Captain Miller.  He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, second division, 5th Corps of the Army of the Potomac and went at once to the front.  The regiment had been at the front only five days when it took part in the Battle of Petersburg and was placed in the second line of breastworks.  Mr. Swab also saw action in engagements at Hatcher’s Run, Virginia 27-28 Oct 1864; Bellefield Raid to the Weldon Railroad which was torn up 5 Dec 1864; Dabney’s Mills, Virginia, 5-6 Feb 1865; Gravelly Run, Virginia, 3 Mar 1865; Five Forks, 1 Apr 1865; in the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Claver Hill, Virginia, and was present at the surrender ceremonies at Appomattox Court House, 9 Apr 1865.  At Gravelly Run, in a charge made by the regiment in an open field against what was supposed to be a rebel picket, but which proved to be the full force of the enemy, many in the regiment were shot down and many were made prisoners.  Jonas Swab barely escaped capture.  When the reigment was formed it was 1000 strong, and when it was mustered out there were only 365 men on the roll.  Mr. Swab was honorably discharged at Arlington Heights, Virginia, 30 May 1865.  He was a member of Heilner Post No. 232, G.A.R. at Lykens, Pennsylvania.

Jonas Swab – from Lykens G.A.R. Monument

At the close of the Civil War, Mr. Swab returned home and for five months was again employed in the implement factory at Pillow where he learned blacksmithing.  In the spring of 1867 he took a trip westward as far as Omaha, Nebraska, and worked for a while at several places.  He returned home in December and on 8 Mar 1868 purchased land from H. W. Schreffler on which is now located the Swab Motors Division of Swab Wagon Company adjacent to the railroad at No. 34 South Market Street, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania.  It was here that Mr. Swab began his blacksmithing business which developed into the Swab Wagon Company.

Jonas Swab was married at Elizabethville 4 Dec 1869 to Ellen S. Mattis.  Their children were Bertha I, born in 1876, died when four years old; Etta M., born 5 Jan 1878, attended local schools, Millersville State Normal School, and Irving College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and Ralph M., born in 1883, died when three years old.  In 1967, Etta, the widow of Fred P. Margerum, owned and lived in the Swab homestead at No. 24 West Main Street, Elizabethville.  Etta, the only surviving child of Jonas Swab and Ellen [Mattis] Swab, and her husband Fred, were both active in the Swab Wagon Company as were their descendants.

Jonas Swab (1843-1913)

Mr. Swab was widely known as a reliable and enterprising manufacturer and was the founder of the Swab Manufacturing Company in 1868.  His heavy farm wagons and the lighter “spring” wagons gained a favorable reputation.  All of the wood parts and most of the metal parts used in the Swab Wagons were manufactured in the shop; therefore the finished products were high-grade in every respect and were classed second to none throughout Pennsylvania.  The demand for Swab wagons was so great that for a period of nearly thirty years the plant was closed for only three days exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays.  This provided steady employment for a large force of men, which through the years, contributed greatly to the well-being of Mr. Swab’s home town, Elizabethville.

Swab Wagon Company is the oldest industry in Elizabethville and in 1968 observed its centennial year.  It continues to keep its employees as busy as ever in operations more diversified than they were in the days  of its founder.  It is literally true that Jonas Swab put the farmers in Dauphin County and in many sections of the State “on wheels” and it was said that “What Henry Ford in his day was to automobiles, Jonas Swab in his day was to wagons.”

In spite of the time and effort which his own business demanded of him, Mr. Swab took an active interest in the affairs of his community.  He was one of the first directors of the Elizabethville Water Company in 1889; a signer of a petition in 1892 to incorporate the town into a borough; a member of the first Borough Council in 1893 and served on a number of its committees; an incorporator and one of the first directors of the Maple Grove Cemetery in 1896; and one of the directors of the First National Bank in 1900.   He and his family were members of Salem Lutheran Church in Elizabethville, and in 1913 he donated the west wing of the church in memory of his deceased children.

Based on his Civil War service, Jonas Swab applied for and received a veterans invalid pension as evidenced by the index card to the National Archives records.  After his death, his wife applied for and received a widow’s pension.

Jonas Swab died in 1913; he and his wife are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Jonas Swab – Grave Site Monument showing Emblem of 210th Pennsylvania Infantry

According to the current web site of the Swab Wagon Company:

Since 1868, Swab Wagon Co., Inc. has been producing quality vehicles at our plant in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. From farm wagons to fire trucks, Swab has continued the spirit of innovation which was developed by our founder, Jonas Swab, over 130 years ago.

Today, Swab produces a wide range of custom truck bodies for fire emergency, medical, animal transport, and commercial uses. Swab also specializes in repair and modification work for all types of fire and rescue bodies as well as custom cab/canopy enclosures.

Swab’s greatest innovation in the past thirty years has been our designs in solid fiberglass animal transport bodies.. These truck bodies are considered by many humane societies and other animal agencies to be the benchmark for which other animal transport bodies are judged. Swab’s level of repeat buyers for these bodies is testimonial to their quality, durability, function, and value.

Halifax, Pennsylvania – Fire-Rescue Vehicle built by Swab Wagon Company

Information for this post was adapted from the Elizabethville Sesquicentennial Book published in 1967.  The pages recognizing Jonas Swab in the Elizabethville book were sponsored by the Swab Wagon Company and members of the Margerum family. The Pension Index Card is from Ancestry.com.  The Pennsylvania Veterans Index Card is from the Pennsylvania Archives.  Photographs of Jonas Swab and his grave marker are from the collection of the Civil War Research Project. The Halifax, Pennsylvania, fire-rescue vehicle picture is from the web site of the Swab Wagon Company.

Category: Research, Stories | 4 Comments »
Tags: Elizabethville, Emerich family, G.A.R., Halifax, Heller family, Margerum family, Pillow, Regiments, Riegle family, Schreffler family, Swab family, Washington Township

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 16, 2011

On the corner of Broad and Bender Streets within the Borough of Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, lies one of the oldest cemeteries in the Lykens Valley area. This cemetery has been known by various names over the years.  The cemetery originally belonged to the Salem Lutheran and Reformed Church, which was built on that site in 1835.  Some locals called it the “Bender Church,” because it was built on land owned by John Bender, but that name never stuck.  The Lutheran and Reformed congregations worshiping here conducted a joint Sunday School so some called it the Salem Union Church.  Because it was built with stone from nearby Berry Mountain, it was most often referred to as the Old Stone Church.  Confusion over what to call the cemetery could have been the reason that on government topographical maps, it’s simply referred to as “Cem,” the abbreviation for “Cemetery.”  The cemetery to the north, is called Maple Grove Cemetery; it is the largest cemetery in the Borough and still active today.  In 1911, the Old Stone Church was torn down and the cemetery went into disrepair.  After a number of years, the caretakers of Maple Grove Cemetery assumed responsibility for its upkeep, but there were no further burials there.

On this topographical map, Old Stone Church Cemetery (“Cem”) is located just above the letter “a” in “Elizabethville”

1875 Map by Warren J. Daniel. Red dot indicates the southwest corner of Old Stone Church Cemetery.

On the map above, drawn by Warren J. Daniel in 1875, the western part of Elizabethville is shown.  The cross streets where the church was located are not marked, but the north-south street is Bender Street and the west-east street is Broad Street.  Today, Broad Street continues east, eventually joining up with East Main Street (Route 209) at the “Y” on the other side of town where the Shell Station is located.  By clicking on the map, it can be enlarged so that the names of the 1875 property owners can be read.

Old Stone church and Cemetery, about 1900

The picture above shows the church and cemetery about 10 years after it ceased being used on a regular basis.  The shutter at the center window on the main floor is broken.  Because of its disrepair and non-use, many in the community sought to have it razed.  The congregations that owned it did not have the funds to repair it and in 1911, after being sold for $50 to William G. Hoke, it was torn down.

Because of the history of the church and cemetery – it was active during the Civil War era and was the site of the first public school in Elizabethville – one town resident, Harvey M. Miller (1871-1939) wrote a poem which attempted to move the community to preserve its “Christian Cradle”.  Some of the verses of the poem are quoted here:

The old stone church is crumbling down

And falling to decay;

The Christian Cradle of the town

Is marked for Ruin’s prey.

The old stone church but a pile of stone?

Forbid, Almighty God!

This was our fathers’ Christian home,

Here saintly mothers trod.

A pile of stone! — and is that all?

Mayhap by worldly rules,

Nay, see within that basement hall

The Mother of our schools.

Alas, how quickly we forget!

How thankless all mankind!

How dumb to every sacred debt,

To grateful service blind.

And when we, too, shall take our flight

And crumble ‘neath the sod,

The Old Stone Church will greet our sight

In the Galleries of God.

Harvey M. Miller was born in Elizabethville – in a round stone house known as “Newton Hall.”  He attended schools in Elizabethville but was mainly self-educated, particularly in the Pennsylvania Dutch language and folklore.  He is best known for creating the literary character “Solly Hulsbuck” through which he told his stories in the Pennsylvania Dutch language, forever preserving them in print.  While some referred to him as the ‘Poet Laureate of Dauphin County,” there was no evidence he was ever officially given that title.  Without question, he was the most prolific writer in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect and should surely be given the title, “Poet Laureate of the Pennsylvania Dutch.”  Ironically, Harvey Miller died well after the Old Stone Church was torn down.  Although he was born in a stone house and tried to save a stone church and cemetery, his burial plot is in the Maple Grove Cemetery where his grave marker is simply inscribed, “Harvey M. Miller – Solly Hulsbuck.”

There are a few Civil War veteran graves in the Old Stone Church Cemetery.  Two of them are pictured below:

John Keiper (1842-1887)

Unknown Civil War Soldier. Very Worn Stone.

It could be asked why there are not more Civil War graves in this cemetery.  Most probably, since the church was not actively used after 1888, and the cemetery went into disrepair, it would have not have been wise to continue to bury there.  Note that the picture above of John Keiper‘s grave marker indicates his death date as 1887, about one year before the church closed.  Many Civil War veterans lived many years beyond that.  Finding Civil War graves in Maple Grove Cemetery is much easier because there are many more and because after 1888, it became “the place” to be buried in Elizabethville.

Information for this post was taken from the Elizabethville Sesquicentennial Book published in 1967.

Category: Memorials, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Old Stone Church Cemetery in Elizabethville
Tags: Cemetery, Elizabethville, Keiper family, Pennsylvania Dutch