Tag Drei continued: For Good Purpose,
                           finding Georg Stophel Harrold
                              "Defender of the Frontier"
                 
We know Georg Christopher "Stophel" Herrold was born in 1723 (records say) in Stouchsburg and served in the French and Indian War and the Revolution. After spending the afternoon with our cousin Tom Harrold of the Baltzer Meyer Historical Society in Greensburg, PA we believe Stophel was a teamster with wagons or pack animals traveling the only road from Philadelphia west to land, resources and opportunity and at that time considered a gateway to the west. He knew Conrad Weiser and may have worked for him or General John Forbes Expedition and so may have seen this area he later settled in: rolling hills, water, covered in huge oaks and other timber. We suppose he might have also worked as a quartermaster during the French and Indian War doing what he knew how to do. After French and Indian war Stophel most likely marked 300 acres through a "Tomahawk" grant (slashing a tree to mark your territory until a land office can register you) and oficially named it Harroldtown. The documented grants required settlers to set aside land For a Good Purpose: Build a church, secondly practise freedom of religion, thirdly, build a school, all of which Stophel complied. Old Harroldtown is now part of Greensburg, PA.
We have learned how important churches were for the success of these young communities. It was usually one of the first thing a settlement built and could function as a school too. After church meetings in homes Stophel built a log church, then a stone church and finally a brick church and school to fulfill the Good Purpose. Today we drove all around the perimeter of the original 160 acres Stophel donated that now has three modern beautiful schools and a healthy community in the Good Purpose land.


In 1973, the Stophel Harrold homestead site was studied by a University. It was three stories with thick 8 inch walls on a stone foundation. Four down, four rooms up and one on the third floor. Teri's Herrold book has the house plans.

The original brick Lutheran Church and school are still standing. Apparently the Lutherans split into two churches, one for German speakers (Stophel's family) and English speakers down the hill, cemetary in between.

                          Harrold Lutheran Church, wood

Harrold School, one room with a bell. The oak beam is 30 feet of single length timber

With his other land we think he farmed, had a mill and sold timber, and had a distillary. Gradually he added to his acreage and raised a lot of little Lutherans.
By the time Stophel died 1787, he and his wife Maria Catherina Pontius (married 1744) had over 1000 acres and were considered prosperous. Amazing what they accomplished at that dangerous time. They are buried by the Harrold Zion Lutheran Church and marked with the plaque, Defender of the Frontier.

Day 3 - Our third day was long and joyful.  After a breakfast of farm eggs and toast (Lorrie & Bill had "eggs in a nest" - it's a recipe their dad, Norman Deck, use to make. (You cut a hole in the bread & fry the egg in the middle).  We headed toward Stouchburg to the Church and gravesite of our 6 times great-grandfather Georg Christoph Herrold.

Georg was orphaned at age of 5.  He was married at age 20 and was a vinter. In 1743 he came to America at the age of 55. He brought his family. (Most likely to protect the boys from Alexander the Great).

Christ Lutheran Church is an imposing site (HUGE!!).  The surprise was that the rally old graves were not in front of the Church but in a very old section surrounded by stones and a iron gate.  So Cool!!!
Many soldiers from the French & Indian War as well as the Revolution were buried there. One grave was of a little girl who had been kidnapped by the Indians.  Many stones had been just wood, now petrified. Many stones were unreadable.  Georg's family had placed a newer (1970) marker.

We did a libation ceremony and offered a prayer of thanksgiving for our ancestor.

A member of the Church & cemetery board, Dave, met with us. He gave us a history of the Church, the area and shared church documents.  He was very knowledgeable! One document was communion (most likely Georg's last communion, based on the date.  

Qualities that Georg possessed and passed to on to his future relations (us). 

• Resilience
• Love of family
• Courage

We drove ...........a long way.......to Greensburg, PA.

Greensburg in the 1770 was known as Harroldton, because "Stophel" Harrold, our 5 times great-grandfather founded the community.  Christopher  "Stophel" and his wife donated 158 acres of land for "Good Purpose".  So Churches and schools have been put on this land.

We met with our cousin, Tom Harrold.  We share Christopher *Stophel" as our common ancestor.  Tom shared a ton of history with us. We

Rob, a member of the Church cemetery board, toured us through the Church and cemetery sharing history.

This is St. John's Harrold Church. 

It was built when the stone church was taken down.  The first Old Zion Harrold Luthern Church started as a "house church". Then a log building was the Church and the school. Then the stone church was built. There was a dispute over using English or German so the congregation split. The German speaking congregation built another Church. That building is now the historical society building.  The picture above would have been English speaking.  That is where Stophel is buried, but his family would have attended the German speaking church.

.

This is Stophel*s grave stone. It is leaning. Because of it*s age the have to figure out the best way to fix it without damaging it.

 +++++++

Tom took us to the school and drove us around, showing us all of Stophel's land (where the farm was located).

This says "Harrold School #8" on the glass.

 Bill sitting in the corner of the classroom.

Lorrie and I got to ring the school bell.

The drive around town really gave us an idea of the breath of Stophel's land. Bill was able to recognized the strategic advantage of the area. The views gave an understanding of why he picked this spot.

Qualities from Christopher "Stophel":

• Bravery
• Industriousness
• Value of education and religion
• Generosity

Also in the old cemetary are some striking headstones. The first is Maria Cattarina Becker 1743 and the last 1954. Many of the stones are illegible or damaged in sandstone or wood and to make it even more difficult, early inscriptions are in old German.

I believe the date is 1751. The angel is striking and there is a Thor symbol at the top.

Regina was held captive for 8 years and was identified by her mother as the little girl was singing a German song.

Herbs were planted in old cemetaries to offset the odor of decomposition. We found some old thyme originally planted in the 1700's.

Tag Drei--We finally meet our 6th Great-Grandfather,
              Georg Christoph Horoldt and his second son                      (our 5th Great Grandfather), Georg Stophel Herrold

                                         Georg Christoph
We continue west through low rolling hills to Stouchsburg, an ageing main street of a town that nobody west of here has heard of.  The small 1800's houses on Main St. still have outhouses and barns in their backyards and the Lutheran Church hasn't had a minister in 7 years.

Now back in 1744, when Georg C. and his wife Maria Catherine moved here from Philadelphia, probably to land his brother owned, Stouchsburg was Western Frontier Indian country where raids were common and settlers were killed or kidnapped, even though fellow German Conrad Weiser and General John Forbes signed a treaty with the Shawnee to allow German settlers establish the Tulpehocken (land of turtles) Settlement here.

Conrad Weiser is an important person to our Herrold settlers. He was the same age as Georg C. and from a town in Germany close to Steinheim and an immigrant to this area.  At 15 he was sent to live with Mohawks, learn the language and Iroquois customs and became a go between for Iroquois and British. We were told by the local historian that  Weiser lived near Georg C, and grew grapes. We suppose since Georg C was a vintner they might have connection. We do know that Weiser ran wagons and pack trains through the wilderness and that Georg Stophel (Georg C's son) worked as a teamster.

Georg C. lived here 4 years, perhaps never owning land but working with what he knew-grapes or farming. He is buried next to our 6th great grandma Maria Skelkopf in Christ Lutheran Church Cemetary. Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, PA.

                    Christ Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg, PA

                                 Christ Lutheran Cemetary

                        Maria Scheelkopt Herrold 1692-1760

In Honor of Our Ancestor George C. Herrold 1688-1749, Erected (sandstone replaced with granite) by the Herrold Family.