Greetings
From the Henrys, the Roughs, and the Hoffmans, the Kecks,
the Keens, the Kishbaughs,
The Daubarts, the Nicholsons, the Nungessors, the Seeleys,
The Greens and the Moores, the Arners
And all the Other Families Who Passed Through Nescopeck
In the Nineteenth Century
In addition to all the practical aspects the river offered, there were also the thrill of the arrival of the boats on the canal and the allure of the adventure offered by those same boats. Many young men would escape the boredom of school to sit on the shore watching the parade of captivating illustrations of what escape from their homes might mean to them. Those who tried to leave home to work the river often returned at the first chance to the safety and comfort of a hard day's work at home.
The story of John Henry begins our history of these families in Nescopeck. Research indicates that the Henrys married and began their family in Knowlton, Sussex County, (now Warren) NJ in the mid to late 1700s. Most of their children were born and baptized in the Knowlton Presbyterian Church(formerly the Reformed and English Congregational Church). It is one of the most enchanting places--known for its Knolls-accompanied by the up and down motion of the countryside. The history books of the area and the local legend tell us that the people settled there and were quite content. The Delaware Water Gap is less than five miles away--so they had a private place to live and bring up their children and were surrounded by God's creations on every side.
Why they choose to leave that beautiful place is unknown to us. Perhaps it became crowded. Perhaps they were overcome by Indians. Or maybe it was just the lure of new places and new challenges. We do know that many families left at the same time--the Henrys, the Kishbaughs and others we meet in Nescopeck were found in those old records at the Knowlton Church.
It is likely that the lure of land along the beautiful Susquehanna played a part in their decision to move there. It wasn't long after they settled that John bought a farm and all of the land records indicate that his wife was Anna. This makes us think he may have had two wives--one who died in New Jersey and one whom he had in PA. Of course she could have been one and the same woman.
George Hoffman and other members of his family came New Jersey as well. John's daughter, Johanna married Philip Henry. The Hoffmans continued to intermarry with the Henrys for many years to come. The Hoffmans have a great history in New Jersey.
The Roughs, however, I believe were already living in Nescopeck when the Henrys and the Hoffmans arrived. George and his wife Barbara came from Berk County where George and his family were raised in Huffs Church Township, Hereford Township. Church records from Mount Zion in Nescopeck indicate that George and Barbara Rough had their children baptized there many years before the turn of the century. We do know that they intermarried with the Hoffmans and the Henrys, bought and sold land, lived and died in the prosperous little town of Nescopeck on the banks of the Susquehanna River.
In an effort to present all that is known about these families in Nescopeck between 1800 and 1900, I have prepared Family Group Sheets on each mother and father in this line. I now have over 100 family group sheets which are linked together so you can easily move around in the families. Many sheets have little information except perhaps names and/or dates and I would greatly appreciate any additions you might have. In addition, please bring any errors to my attention. I'm sure I can't do this without a few typographical errors.
Please enjoy getting to know these families. If you would like a copy of the file, just let me know. The dates and legal information are public knowledge. Please use them. --the Graphics are borrowed from some fine professionals. Please get permission from them before you use them. But the presentation is mine to keep.
Not another moment can go by without my asking you to all thank my friend Mary for all the time, effort and creativity she has put into this website. I met her months ago when I was trying to get a webring to work and she volunteered to help. She has been helping endlessly ever since. She writes script--corrects mine, figures out how to do things that are beyond me, designs graphics. I can't tell you how many "hundreds of hours" she has spent on our behalf. Please visit her website and thank her for us. Without her, this website would not exist.
NOTE: Special thanks to Walter Throne who provided me initially with most of the Nescopeck information concerning the Henry and Rough files on this site. Walter was the president of the Hazleton Historical Society and has been interested in genealogy since he was a teenager.
Also, DelLynn Leavitt (dleavitt@Cableone.net) has made great contributions on the early Rauch and Henry families.
Others have also contributed to these records. Without them I could not have put these pages together. It has truly been a family venture. JP
"...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." (2 Cor.5:17)
Judith N. Parsons © 2000