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Civil War Blog

A project of PA Historian

The Riegel Family Origins

| June 19, 2012

The Riegel family in the Lykens Valley can be traced to Mattheis Riegell (born about 1615) of Bad Muenster, Palatinate, Germany, who married Maria Werner.  They had a son, Jost Riegell (1615-1687) who married Maria Honen (or Hoenen).  Their son, Cornelius Riegel (1674-175) was the immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia in 1733, with his wife […]

Sudden Death of James A. Snyder

| March 19, 2012

James  Snyder LYKENS, 19 June 1903. — We are sorry to chronicle the sudden death of James Snyder of Center View, which occurred on Sunday morning, the 14th inst., of heart trouble, at the age of 73 years.  He was one of those generous, open-hearted men who always had a smile and kind word for […]

Death of Samuel S. Matter

| March 11, 2012

DEATHS SAMUEL S. MATTER LYKENS, 20 November 1903. — Samuel S. Matter, an old resident of this place, was found dead in a back kitchen at his residence on Main Street, about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.  Mr. Matter, who was employed at Short Mountain Breaker, returned home from work shortly after five o’clock and entered the […]

Gratz During the Civil War – Good Tannery

| January 2, 2012

The Good Tannery was located at the west end of Gratz.  In 1842, a “tanyard” was owned by Daniel Good and Samuel Ritter but tax records show that the property on which the Good Tannery was located was not conveyed to Daniel Good until 1843.  Good had originally settled in Loyalton and operated a tannery […]

Lykens Railroad Station

| December 1, 2011

The restored railroad station at Lykens Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, is one of the last pieces of evidence that this small town was once a transportation center and the connecting point for two major eastern railroads, the Pennsylvania and the Reading.  During the Civil War, the Reading line had not yet been completed to Lykens […]