Loesch Name Study

Surname/tag: Loesch

This is a One Name Study to collect together in one place everything about the surname Loesch and ALL its variants. The hope is that other researchers like you will join our study to help make it a valuable reference point for people studying lines that cross or intersect--and those that don't. Please contact the project leader, add categories to your profiles, add your questions to the bulletin board, add details of your name research, etc.

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Leaves from the Loesch (Lesh) Family Tree

A brief history of the Lesh family in America, why they came, when they came, and the difficulties that attended them, with some interesting side issues included.

Compiled in 1963

Benjamin W. Lesh was a descendant of John Lesh (1-2c-3h-4a)

By Benjamin W. Lesh

Buffalo St. Franklin, Pennsylvania.

Many decendants of the family, as you will notice, are conspicuous by their absence. This is because there are so many of them and they have spread all over the world. No one person could locate and record them all in one life time. Besides time and work, such an attempt would cost many dollars.

Since a recording of all descendants is impossible, I have not gone very deep into that aspect. As a remedy for what some might consider my neglect, I suggest that each person who may procure a copy of this record should take a blank page and record all the family information they may have, especially their own descendants down to the last infant. In that way each family can have quite a comprehensive family history to leave to their descendants. That is the only way that I know of that the job can be done.

You have read, no doubt, of Suleiman, erroneously called "The Magnificent", who rampaged around the Dardanellis and up and down the valley of the Danube, during the period following his rise to rulership of the Turks in 1520.

He was one of the very able conquerers in history, which means that he was very effecient in murdering his fellow men. He would sally up the valley of the Danube in the spring when there was good forage for his horses.

He would fight, plunder and destroy during the summer and in the autumn would hurry back home before winter set in. Rather a loose way to handle conquered territory, one would think, but it seems to have worked out. He took and held Belgrade and Buda and Pest (Budapest) for many years. He tried repeatedly to capture Vienna also, but failed.

The prime object of his activities was plunder, but he also considered action important to keep his armies in good fighting trim. Also, being a devoted Moslem, he especially liked to kill Christians. For this purpose it was good hunting up the Danube and there was a prospect of even better hunting if he could have gotten past Vienna and across the Rhineland. There was an old trade road that ran across from Vienna that was pretty solidly Christianized and he could have increased his bag of Christians there, but he never got that far. It would probably not have worsened conditions much, as the different Christian sects in that area were busy killing each other and abusing each other most of the time. You may wonder what the conduct of this monster had to do with my family history. I assure you there is no family connection, but there is an interesting coincidental connection that seems worthy of mention. Suleiman had seamen on his payroll, one called "Barbarosa" because of his flaming red hair and beard. You must not become confused by this title because there were other historical characters called Barbarosa for the same reason. Frederic I of Germany was one of these but he was drowned back in the 12th Century while leading an army to the Holy Land during the Crusades.

Whether one should call this later Barbarosa an admiral or just a privateer I do not know, but he was a terrible fighting man in any language. He developed a considerable navy and made the Mediterranean a virtual graveyard for most of the European ships that ventured there. He held the north African coast in a grip of terror. At Algeria he developed a stronghold, or naval base which he placed in the care of an eunuch officially called the "Bey."

Now the German rulers and people were annoyed by the success of the Suleiman Turks in Hungary, and Charles V of Germany conceived the idea of weakening him by a rear attack-Accordingly, he sent a representative to Algeirs to bribe the Bey. The arrangement was that, for a specified sum of money, the Bey was to surrender the port of Algiers to Charles's forces with little or no resistance. The arrangement was a good one from Charles, point of view. He gathered a very large fleet, loaded the ships with men and supplies, and the fleet was successful in reaching the objective without detection by the terrible Barbarosa.

History treats the episode in a rather vague manner. . .a bit here and a bit there. As I recall the various bits that I have found, the results were about as follows: A goodly number of ships crowded into the harbor, paid the Bey his bribe money and began to unload on the beaches. The ships that could not be accommodated within the harbor waited just outside. When the beaches were crowded with supplies and men and the confusion was at its peak, the Bey decided he didn't want to play the game after all and he attacked with everything he had. The place soon became a mass of torn men, ruined and scattered supplies and sunken ships. The commander of the expedition, since betrayed, assumed that it was a trap and that Barbarosa was waiting for him outside.

There was no choice, however, so all the ships that could get under way made a dash for the open sea. Barbarosa was not out there, but something more was. As the ships were more or less bunched in their effort to get free, a terrible storm arrived blowing toward the harbor. This was not an ordinary storm but something in the nature of a hurricane. It piled many of the ships on the beaches on top of the ruin that had already been wrought. There the Bey's men chopped the survivors to nits. Around 120 ships and 12,000 men were lost. For many years this great storm was remembered in the Mediterreanean area as "the Wind of Charles."

Just what this disaster has to do with the main subject now appears.

The earliest appearance of the family name, which was then written "Loesch", was in the year of 1541 when Charles V conferred the title of Knight on one William Loesch for services in Algeirs. It is mentioned that at the ceremony he was presented with a golden chain such as the barefoot monks of the time wore as a belt. It was also stated that the family resided in Hilgarthausen (then in Bavaria) and had for 400 years. That dates the earliest known history of the family back to around 1140. The family had a coat of arms which I would be free to use (I suppose) to mark my various belonging, but as most people can now read, I can write my name with less trouble, so I will not bother about the coat of arms.

I cannot imagine how William Loesch should have deserved to be knighted and given a golden chain for being implicated in such a disaster as that of Algeirs.

It looks as though Charles was paying for a dead horse, or it could be that William was of vital importance to Charles in some way. William must have had him "over a barrel" for some reason.

Members of the Loesch family better known to us lived in what was known as the Lower Palaninate. This was a fertile area lying on both sides of the Rhine and surrounded by the states of Mons, Treves, Lorane, Alsace, Baden and Worthenberg.

The principal cities were Mayence, Spires, Manheim, Heidelberg and Worms. The city of Worms, you may have read, was the seat of the Diet of Worms. not a very appealing phrase just as it stands, and the Diet was rather unsavory in reality. It was a governing body connected with the Roman Catholic church, under the control of the Pope of Rome. Its business, so it appears, was to keep the citizenry loyal to the dictates of the Pope, collect all the money possible from the citizens and generally carry out the orders of the Catholic Church. It was the Diet that threatened Martin Luther with severe punishment unless he ceased his activities against the Catholic doctrine. Luther, however, ignored the warnings and he was one of the few who got away with it.

One, Fredrick III, who was Palatine ruler at that time, embraced Luther's reform doctrine. However, through the years a Lutheran ruler might be followed by a Calvinist, a Lutheran or a Catholic, so it amounted to a sort of religious see-saw, which brought serious unrest to the people. Each new ruler would endeavor to stamp out and discourage any form of religious adherence but his own, and supress or abuse those who opposed his favorite doctrine.

In addition to the losses and unrest resulting from bigotry and intolerance, the homes of the Palatines were situated between the rival princes of France and Germany, and they were frequently disrupted by the passing of armies and by battles fought on their territory. The various forms of Protestantism found fertile ground in and around the Palatinate and almost constant strife resulted. To have the crops and vineyards trampled into the ground was disasterous, as it deprived the populace of their means of livelihood.

In 1690, Phillip William, then ruler of Elector Palatine as his title was, died and his son John William succeeded him. John William was a devout Catholic and he set about to convert all of his people to his chosen faith. The people suffered losses, cruelties and financial distress because of the demands of the Catholic Church. According to the rules, one could not approach God for forgiveness of sins or for any other purpose, but must pay an official of the Church an exorbitant price to intercede for him.

The term Palatinate is of considerable interest. It is said by some that it is a carryover from as far back as Imperial Rome where the name Palatine Hill referred to a hill where the palace of Caesar stood. Other writers claim that the term Palatinate originated back in the time of the Morvingian Kings who were a line sovereigns, the first line of Frankish Kings who governed Gaul. . .and were the founders of the French nation. Within this ancient court there was a high judicial officer who was called "Comes Palatii". He was master of the royal household. When the sovereign wished to confer a special favor upon the holder of any fief (farm) under him, he granted him the right to exercise, in his province, the same authority as a "Comes Palatii" (in English count Palatine) There seems little doubt that this was the origin of the term as we know it. Perhaps it may also have been the origin of the custom of granting a piece of land to some friend or favorite, or of granting this type of Authority to landholders who were especially useful or friendly to the court. The term was also used in an old Hungarian Custom wherein Palatine applied to a special officer who acted as mediator between the sovereign and his subjects.

The war of the Grand Alliance in 1689 left the Palatines in a horrible condition. This was, as you know, an alliance of England, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire, supported by the Pope and various Italian princes. The strength of this massive coalition was directed against France.

The Palatines were not directly concerned but they were caught in the middle of it. It swept over them and left them badly trampled. Their vineyards and crops were ruined repeatedly until. the fighting ended in 1697 by the Treat of Ryewick. Eight years of man made hell.

After very little time for Recuperation, four years to be exact, the war of the Spanish succession was on, and away they went again with armies laying waste great swaths through the Palinates. In 1707, Marshall Villers, with little excuse except that be had an army at hand, marched into the Palatinates with apparent intentions of completing the destruction begun in 1618. He burned towns and impoverished the people. Why he stopped is not clear to us now.

Louis XIV of France coveted the Palatinate territory asserting, as Frenchmen always have done, that the Rhine was the proper western boundary of Germany. Louis sent 50,000 troops into the Palatinate with orders to "make it a desert."

The French commander gave half a million people just three days to move to safety. Soon the roads and fields, then covered with snow, were crowded with men, women and children fleeing from their homes. Many died of cold and hunger, but enough survived to fill the streets of all the cities within reach with lean and ragged beggers who not long before had been thriving citizens.

Every great city above Cologne was sacked. Worms, Spires, Andernack, Kuckheim and Krenquach were reduced to ashes. The Fortress of Phillipsberg was completely destroyed and villages without number were burned. In Spires the brutal soldiers broke open the imperial vaults, scattered ashes of the emperors and trampled them into the mud. The crumbling walls and deserted castles that fell to ruin may still be seen by travelers on the Rhine. They are the marks of the brutality of Louis XIV and the rapacity of his soldiers. The barbarity imposed upon these people beggars description. Such of the villagers as tried to rescue their belongings were slain. The roadsides and fields were strewn with slain and frozen people.

In the midst of this horror, John William the ruler of Palatine, added to the suffering by stepping up his activities to compel the conversion of his remaining subjects to the Catholic faith. It was then that the great exodus began that resulted in bringing so many of these impoverished, abused people to America.

Is it at all strange that they left the place and that most of them were as poor as people can be? They were known as the "Poor Palatines" and are still snubbed by cynical writers of history.

History does not tell us how so many of these people succeeded in getting away from what had been their homes. It had to be accomplished stealthily, I suppose, since the ruler of Palatine was not disposed to lose any of his subjects. In fact, he published an order threatening death to any who attempted to leave his domain. It is possible that he did not have the loyal manpower to carry out his threat, for leave they did by any means and by thousands.

During the winter of 1708-1709 the English people were astonished and the English authorities were embarrassed by the arrival of a queue of Palatine emigrants, finally numbering 30,000. The city of Rotterdam, in Holland, for the sake of charity and also for their own defense, shipped them promptly across the Channel to England. They began to arrive in England in May, 1709 and by the end of June they numbered 5,000. In August, the number had doubled and by October, 13,000 had arrived. They thronged the streets, most Of them without money and in rags or less. The few who had money had to endure uncomfortable and insect-infested lodgings, of which there were few. The response of the English Court and people to this pressing need was entirely noble. Queen Ann became deeply interested and set about at once doing what needed to be done. The immediate need was met in ways that, for that day and and age, were magnificent. The Queen allowed nine pence per day, per individual, for present needs and lodgings were provided wherever they could be found. A thousand tents were taken from army stores and pitched on the Surrey side of the Thames. Fourteen hundred were lodged four months in a warehouse and many occupied barns until they were needed for crops.

The need for disposition of these people was fully as important, though not as urgent as their sustainance. Final settlement in America was the popular idea, and their disposition was left to a committee of influential men appointed by the Queen.

Some were settled in Munster in Ireland; Some found employment in their trades in England; Some went into the army and many died of hardship and diseases. All of those who went to Ireland were reported in later years to be noble and honorable citizens, much more prosperous than most of their neighbors.

Another shipment went to the Carolinas and one to Virginia. Some descendants can be found, if one looks carefully, around the original locations and, of course, they are scattered elsewhere. Some historical characters have appeared among them, such as William Wert, Judge Conrad and Shelfey and Governors Kemper, Romer, and Speece. The largest group and the one that interests me most are the 3,000 or more who left London not long after those mentioned above. Here there falls into place another matter...a sort of digression that seems to demand attention at this time.

While the Palatines were encamped around London, an important delegation arrived from New York Province. The chief person in the group was Peter Shuyler, Mayor of Albany, and Colonel Nicholson who was one of Her Majesty's officers in America. The purpose of their visit was to urge better defense arrangements against the French and their Indian allies. Peter Shuyler thought that their request would be strengthened by taking to England some Indian chiefs and exhibiting them in their barbaric costumes. He succeeded in persuading five "Sachems" of the Mohawk tribe to accompany him. The exhibit was quite a success. They were followed by crowds and highly entertained, even to the extent of being presented to the Queen.

While the chiefs were walking about London, they came upon the Palatine camp. The chiefs pitied these wretched people and offered to open to them their hunting grounds beyond the "Big Water". One voluntarily presented to the Queen a tract of his land in the Schohare Valley of New York for the use of these distressed people. When this information became generally known, the Schohare became the "Promised Land" of the Palatines. . .until they were made sadly aware that it would not be that easy.

Colonel Roberts was at this time the appointed governor of New York and before leaving for that post he made a proposition to the Lords of Trade, dated November 30,1709. He proposed that 3,000 Palatines be sent to him in New York to be employed in the production of naval stores. He further proposed to settle these people on the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers where, he said, "There are great numbers of pines for the production of turpentine and tar, out of which rosin and pitch are made." This reveals their ignorance of the subject. For example, pitch is the sap and the life blood of the pine tree. It is secured by tapping or injuring the tree and catching the pitch in a receptical. Turpentine is made by boiling the pitch in a sealed vessel and condensing the steam that thus arrises. In short, by distilling it. Hence the term "Spirits of turpentine" (because it is produced from floating vapors.) Rosin is properly resin, and the term is derived from "residue."

In everyday language, rosin or resin is what is left of the pitch after the "Spirits" have all floated out of it. Tar is made by burning pine wood billetts without free access of air. The crude method was to heap the wood on a slightly raised platform of clay or stones. The heap was then covered with earth, all but a small opening at the base, where it could be ignited and where the tar could run out into a prepared basin. Turpentine might possibly be recovered in small quantities from tar, but make tar from turpentine would be quite an accomplishment. . .it just can't be done.

Before they got around to carrying out this plan, something happened of which we have no record, and a new governor for New York was appointed. It was decided that the man, Governor Hunter, should lead the expedition. They were to be settled in a body in an advantageous location. Each family was to recieve title to 40 acres of land after they had paid the English government for their keep, transportation, etc. The board recommended that, after their houses were built and the grounds cleared, they were to be employed in making of turpentine, rosin, tar and pitch. (same display of ignorance!)

A contract was drawn between the government and the Palatines by which the latter servants of the crown. The government was to transport them to America and "subsist" them there. They were to settle in places alloted to them and were to engage in making naval stores, all of which were to be stored in Her Majesty's storehouses. They were not to attempt to make any woolen goods nor to quit the settlement without permission of the governor. After they had paid by labor or money for the expense of their care, they were to recieve title to their 40 acres of land and five English pounds in money for each family.

The ancestor of my branch of the Loesch family left the Lower Palatinate when conditions became unbearable and the exodus was general, accompanied by his wife and three sons. The father's name was Balthasar Loesch, his wife was Susanna Pillipina and the sons were Johann Adam, Johann George and Wilhelm. They were among the group that encamped near London. Out of the large number that came to England, 10,000 died of privation and other causes. At Christmas time, 4,000 survivors were loaded on ten ships and were held off the English coast until April. Just why the delay we do not know. We may assume that the people could be better shielded on the ships than in the open. To us moderns, 400 people on one ship would not sound like very many but the ships were small and they were overcrowded, or so we are told, and we are also told that one sixth of the total embarked died during the voyage, due to overcrowding.

Until the middle of June the ships struggled across the Atlantic and Governor Hunter reported on July 7 that the last ship of the fleet had reached the tip of Long Island and had been wrecked there. He reported that all the people on the unfortunate ship had been saved but that the goods were much damaged.

A superstition and legend developed the connection with the wrecking of this ship. It was said that a mysterious light had enticed the ship upon the the rocks.

The islanders claimed that a mysterious light that had the appearance of a burning ship had been seen at times and that it was this light that had caused the ship to strike. There were also tales that the ship had been mistaken for a merchantman by the islanders and that a false beacon had been arranged on Block Island, which was really the place where the ship had struck. It was told that the Islanders plundered the ship and then burned it. The poet John C. Whittier recounted the tragedy as he understood it in a poem called "The Palatine":

Into the teeth of death she sped

May God forgive the hands that fed

The false light o'er the rocky head.

But the year went round, and when once more

Along the foam-white curve of shore

They heard the line storm rave and roar,

Behold, again the shimmer and shine

Over the rocks and seething brine

The flaming wredk of the Palatine.

From Kingston's Head and Montauk light,

The specter kindles and burns in sight.

There is more of the poem but you can easily find and read it if you wish.

The people of Block Island were very indignant with Mr. Whittier for suggesting that they had kindled a false beacon to lure the ship on the rocks. Incidently the ship was "The Herbert" and not the Palatine.

In recent years a writer, having heard the legend of the ghostly light, visited Rock Island to see what information he might find. Some of the Islanders he found were still mad at Mr. Whittier for his mistaken accusation. They asserted that wrecks had always occured on Block Island rocks because it protruded dangerously into the entrance of Long Island Sound.

They said that ships were wrecked there, and the Islanders always salvaged as many people and as many goods as possible, and later salvaged as much lumber as possible from the broken ship. It amounted to a tradition.

Some of them still cling to the story of the ghostly light. Whether they saw a light or just thought they did, I am not qualified to say. I have heard of unexplained lights in various places, among them the Brown Mountain lights among the mountains of North Carolina. Many people have seen and do see these lights and no scientist has ever been able to offer an explanation of their source.

As the ships of the fleet came into New York the people were landed on Nuttings (now Governor's) Island. At first they were held for the purpose of quarrantine and afterwards they were held there for convenience. History records that rude shelters were provided. Considering the times and that the housing was a Government project, one can well imagine the type of shelters provided. Thus the great immigration of the Palatines were landed at New York in June,1710, the greatest body of immigration to have reached our shores at that time. With that group, when they embarked, were those we have been noticing. . .Balthasar Loesch and Family.

Balthasar, the father, died at sea, but his widow Susanna Phillipina Loesch and three sons Johann Adam, Willhelm and Joahann George survived. The official records at Rotterdam, Holland, show the family intact when they passed through that city during the exodus. That record also shows two other families of practically the same name although they spelled it differently as Lesch, There was Herring Lesch with wife and three children, Burchent Lesch and wife. These passed through Rotterdam sure enough but they do not appear on the maintenance list of those who reached New York, neither do they appear on the lists of those who went to Ireland, the Carolinas, or Virginia. These may have found homes in England or they may have died during the London encampment or at sea. In any case they are lost to history.

There was another group these people who will demand attention now and then. They are somewhat remarkable and seem to have a broad streak of genius in their makeup. I introduce them here so that you may recognize them later as they appear. This was John Conrad Weiser who had three sons and twelve daughters. His wife is dead ... small wonder.

I knew vaguely that there had been a Moravian state of sovereignty, but why there should be a Moravian religious sect was beyond me, and I did want to know about it. This desire led me through quite a search among bits of history, and what I found was interesting. The name Moravian does, or did designate a state that existed in Central Europe. It does not now appear on any modern map.

It was once known as the great Moravian Empire. It was once controlled by Avars, a warlike nomad tribe, originally from Mongolia. In the 600s one Samo, a Frankish merchant, gathered an army and succeeded in shaking loose of the hold of the Avars. In 658 Samo died and his government collapsed. Confusion reigned after that until in the 800s the scattered Moravians got together and joined with the Slovack tribes and the great Empire referred to above was set up. It included Moravia, Slovakia and, for some time, Bohemis, lower Austria and some territory in Silesia and Poland.

The first ruler of this vast area was Prince Momor. His successor was Rostilso or or Rostislo, who persuaded two brothers, Cyril and Methodius, to come to Moravia from Constantinople in 864. The brothers were apparently well learned for they brought with them an alphabet designed to fit the Slav language. They also brought translations of a of a number of religious books, and they planted seeds that sprouted many religious controversies in central Europe.

The Moravian Empire reached its peak under the powerful Prince Svatopluk (870-894) The kingdom was then extended over western Slovakia, most of Austria and the territory north as far as the river Oder. In the early 900's the Barbarian Magyars invaded the empire and the power of the Moravians collapsed. The center of power then passed from Moravia to Bohemia.

For about 400 years Moravia occupied a very obscure place in history. The next interesting flare-up did not occur until 1390 when John Huss appeared as a reformer and subsequently a martyr. He was a follower of the doctrine of John Wycliff of England who had vigorously critisized the oppressive political and commercial activities of the Catholic church. After Huss had finished his studies at the University of Praha, he was ordained a priest and became an influential preacher.

However, he was so impressed by the teachings of Wycliff that he translated and distributed them throughout his area of activity. They stirred up so much controversy that the Catholic Church forbade him to discuss them.

He paid no attention to the order or any other opposition and in 1414 he was ordered to appear before the Council of Constance, a body of Catholic leaders to answer the charge of heresy. Emperor Sigmund guaranteed his safety but upon his arrival in Constance he was thrown into prison. The council condemned his views and ordered him to give them up. He was not allowed to defend himself in open debate and upon his refusal to change his ways, he was found guilty of heresy and condemned to be burned at the stake. This sentence was carried out and his ashes thrown into the River Rhine. This was done purportedly in the name of Christ.To me it looks like a complete reversal of everything Christ advocated and could not be condoned by any true Christian sect.

The death of Huss set off the civil wars in the Moravian territory that was known as the Hussite Wars. His death is also said to (later) have stirred Martin Luther to added activity of his revolt against the Catholic church.

The Huss followers were termed Hussites and were organized by about 450 nobles who determined to avenge the death of Huss. The won many victories over the forces sent against them by the Pope and by Emperor Sigmund. However, they became divided into two groups. The conservatives reached an agreement with the Catholics and the radicals were completely defeated in 1434.

Before the Hussite Wars, the followers of Huss were known as the"Unity of Brethern" and included about 90% of the people of Moravia and Bohemia, but the radicals were persecuted, exiled and otherwise abused until the sect almost died out. Early in the 1700's they were re-organized through the efforts of Christians David and Count Nicklaus Zinzendorf under the name of Moravians. This is the definite point where Moravia ceased to be a nation and became a religious sect.

In 1774 they established a community on the banks of the Lehigh River and named it Bethlehem. Today it is quite an important city as you probably know.

The Attorney General of the New York Province had to devise some sort of local government for the great collection of aliens, so he issued a commission of justice of the peace to someof the Palatines. These were to hear Minor cases.

The most popular of these justices was John Conrad Weiser, a notable man and father of the Conrad Weiser, who became famous in Pennsylvania Colonial History.

John Weiser, while popular with his own people, was not so well liked by the English or the New York authorities. He insisted on regarding justice as being spelled with a capital "J", and he hewed the line even though the chips sometimes fell on the official side.

The Palatines were held on Nuttings Island for five years while the Governor deliberated as to their next location. While he "stalled" he sent men to survey the land along the Mohawk River and particularly Schohare Valley to whic, as he said, "The Indians have no pretense." That was a sample of the double-talk for which he seems to have had a particular adaptability. True, the Indians had surrendered all the "pretense" to the Schohare Valley because they had transferred it to Queen Anne for use of the Palatines, as has been related. This fact Governor Hunter did not seem to choose to recognize.

The Palatines knew of the transfer of The Schohare to Queen Anne and it is recorded that the Queen actually granted the area to the Palatines. They came to regard it as theirs. . . their future home, their land of Canaan.

Eighty-four Palatine children were apprenticed to various tradesmen in and around New York City or bound out to various families. These were children who had lost one or both parents. Among these was Johann George Loesch who was apprenticed to a weaver in New York. Also among the apprentices was a lad, John Peter Zanger who merits some special attention. He was apprenticed to a printer and his name should be remembered by every lover of American Liberty. When he had served out his time and grown to manhood, he went into business for himself; he started to publish the New York Journal.

There arose a serious quarrel between Governor Crosby and the stated Council (equivalent to our state legislature) on the question of salary. This had always been a bone of contention between the royal Governors and the State Council.

On this occasion the Governor carried it into court. The court is said to have been biased since the chief justice and his associate had both been appointed by the governor. The decision (in favor of the Governor) roused the anger of the entire city and this indignation was publicized by John Zanger in the first issue of his paper, which chanced to be timely. He assailed the governor and satarized the court. The attack continued and colonial grievance were taken up and discussed fearlessly. The governor was highly indignant and ordered that four numbers of the Journal be publicly burned by the hangman in the presence of the mayor and city officials, however, refused to recognize the order and forbade its execution. The papers were finally burned by a slave of the sherriff, with the officials absent from the ceremony. This did not satisfy the royal Governor, and Zanger was thrown into jail in default of bail so heavy that no one could furnish it. Zanger continued to edit his paper by whispering instructions through chinks in the log wall and his helpers did the work. The grand jury failed to indict Zanger, but the attorney general filed an information against him for seditious libel and he was brought to trial by the same court that he had satarized. No attorney in the city dared to defend him so his friends sent to Philadelphia for the celebrated Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton was 80 years of age but his plea was so deep and thorough that Zanger was acquitted. Thus was established the first great step toward American Independence and freedom of the press.

Perhaps many know the story, but not so many know that this important blow against the English oppression was delivered by one of the "Poor Palatines."

It is not definitely known why Governor Hunter decided against the Schohare Valley as a location for the Palatines but it is easy to suspect that he saw in the offing a-chance for personal gain. He gave many excuses, saying there was no pine adjacent, but there was pine. He said the Schohare River fell 600 feet between the valley and the Mohawk and for that reason, naval stores, if manufactured in the valley, could not be boated out. The fall is, in fact, only 200 feet which would not have been prohibitive. Whatever his motive be finally arrived at a decision and in October he reported that he had settled the people on the Hudson River on a tract of 6,000 acres purchased from Robert Livingstone for 200 English pounds. He reported that he had seen enough "pitch pine" along the river to supply along the river to supply all Europe with tar. That, as we shall see, was not the case.

The People were settled in five villages, three on the east side of the river and two on the west. The present Germantown absorbed all the villages on the east side and the present site of Saugerties those on the west. Two names are, or were, in use to ident­ify the former locations of the villages: "east camp" two miles west of West Camp, or west of Saugerties, there was a locality known as Katsbaan; an old stone church stood there on a rocky knoll. It was built about 1775 by the Palatines (those Palatines, I suppose, who elected to remain at the old site or original location. There were some.)

The rear wall of this old church may still be visible. On the east side of the Hudson there is another town named Rhinebeck. I suspect the name may have been changed by now. It was established by Palatines who, as I have said, chose to linger around the original location. Families living in this town still bear names appearing on the lists of the Palatines. The settlements on the east side were within what became known as Livingstone Manor. It measured 16 miles on the river front and 24 miles eastward to the Massachusetts line. The patent had been issued in 1686, but Governor Hunter issued a new patent in 1714, which gave Livingstone the title of Lord of the Manor. It gave him power to try cases originating within the manor and to impose fines and penalties. The location of these activities was, of course, referred to as Livingstone Manor. The Manor probably does not exist now as such at this locality. There is a community called Liningstone Manor much farther west in Sullivan county near the Pennsylvania line. This town should not be confused with the area under discussion. There is no connection, or if there is, it does not interest us at this time.

The great tar-making project which had roused so much enthusiasm throughout the English government and in the minds of the Lords of Trade--once it began to show signs of life--was promptly forgotten by the Lords in the characteristic English manner of the time. Hunter kept pounding away, trying to get set to manufacture naval stores as long as a blow could be struck. He sunk all of the alloted money into it and used up all of his own resources and credit and about all he produced was embarrassement.

The settlements were established in the late fall, as I have noted. Winter seems to have been a favorite time for pushing the Palatines about. It was too late to prepare any trees for tar making that fall and they needed to try to house themselves against the severe weather. During the winter the people suffered from extreme cold, insufficient clothing and the aligned insufficiency and poor quality of food. I suppose they were also afflicted with "cabin fever" and "poor man's grouch", but their food stuffs were furnished by contractors, and since I can clearly remember how contractors fed our soldiers embalmed beef during the Spanish-American War, I am of the opinion that these people really had something to complain about.

Thinking of their own grant in Schohare, they came to regard their detention as little short of bondage or serfdom. They resented their "cocky" overseers because at home they had been as good as anybody and they felt that they still were, although not as fortunate as some. They were praised by some officials and damned by others, so that the truth is elusive. We do know, however, the ignorance, mismanagement and graft that invariably infests government projects. The unrest reached such proportions that Governor Hunter was sent for.

It is not clear just what misdemeanors had been committed up to this time, but Hunter assembled them and gave them a tongue-lashing and asked how they dared disobey him-He had their contract read to them in High Dutch and then asked if they meant to fulfill it. Since he had brought a squad of armed soldiers with him, they were somewhat awed and some replied that they would. That was not satisfactory, however, and he gave them until next morning to think it over.

The next morning they were assembled again, to stand half-clothed in zero weather, no doubt, and when asked for their final decision, they said "Schohare." At this time the governor roared with anger, jumped up and down in the snow and wafing his arms at the rocky hillside, shouted, "This is your home, here you will live and die.,, Awed by the soldiers the people subsided and went about whatever work they could at the time.

After a month more a report from the overseers stated that the people were throwing sincere repentance and the were preparing 1,000 pine trees per day for tar making. I suppose that by that time milder weather had come and they could work in their rags without freezing. They also reported that the children were gathering pine knots from the forest floor for the making of tar.

In September Hunter reported that since the flare-up the people had been busy and obeient. He said that he had nearly a hundred thousand trees prepared and that by fall he would set them to work on the second preparation.

This preparation would consist of removing a section of the bark from the base of the tree as high as a man could reach. The second preparation would be removing another section of bark but not all of it, and thus wounded, the sap would be retarded at the base of the tree and, having no other place to go, would saturate the wood that had been exposed. Ripening would be allowing the saturation to continue as long as thought profitable, presumably for several years. The saturated wood thus became so heavy with pitch (or should) that it would sink if thrown into water.

Hunter reported that out of the knots that the children had gathered they had three score casks of very good tar, and that more kilns were ready to fire as more casks were provided to recieve it. The stupid Lords of Trade replying, inquired out of what funds the casks had been acquired. Hunter replied that he had bought the casks out of the funds provided for the sustenance of the people.

He said that he had also used funds from the same source to pay salaries of the overseers. This strengthens the suspicion that the complaints of insufficient sustenance may have had a foundation in fact.

The second winter a petition was laid before the King (Queen Anne having died meanwhile). The petition stated that the winter was very severe and that no provisions were to be had; that the people were nearly naked and that they had found it necessary to seek help from the Indians. They worried through the winter somehow and resolved to break away as soon as possible. Coinciding strangely with the resolve there came an order from Hunter to the overseers to suspend all work on account of lack of funds. The people were given permission to leave the settlement in search of employment. They were not permitted to go beyond the boundaries of New York and New Jersey and if any did, they would be back and punished as deserters. Hunter was keeping leash on them while requiring them to look out for themselves. They were required to report their location and remain subject to call when funds were once more available.

The Lords of Trade, however, had lost all interest in the project and so this was the end of the tar making. The people understood this as well as did the authorities. More than half of them set out as soon as possible for the Schohare.

With this contingent went the widow Susanna Phillippina Loesch and two sons, the youngest son, Johann George, being still in apprenticeship. About here the widow's identity was lost because she married again and we have no record of the husband's name.

After all the talk and bother and the practical ruin of 100,000 pine trees, all the tar of naval stores that got manufactured was the "three score casks of very good tar" made from the knots the children had gathered. No doubt it was very good tar as pine knots are a fine source of concentrated pitch. This is a record that no one concerned has any reason to be proud of unless it would be the children that gathered the knots. Hunter said that he would have a number of the prepared trees hauled in and would burn them for tar before the eyes of the world to show that he had used every means available to make the project a success--to show that the fault lay in the lack of funds and the laziness of the Palatines and not in his misjudgment as to the type of trees. There is no record that he ever carried out this threat.

The English government, with characteristic nonchalance, had become interested in something else and had entirely forgotten or neglected to provide funds to keep the project running. In that respect Hunter had a just complaint. Later he confessed, or rather stated, that the variety of trees prepared (white pine) would not yield enough tar to justify the expense involved. He said that this must be because the people who had removed the bark had damaged the inner bark. This, of course, was a sorry excuse of a defeated man. He probably did not know enough about the subject to realize that the inner bark had little or nothing to do with the matter. What was needed was that the trees would have to stand for several years to ripen--and there was at least some truth in the statement; white pine would not yield a great amount of tar in any case.

One can easily understand where the difficulty lay. The government did not support the project long enough for the trees to become sufficiently saturated, even had they been proper species. White pine would have yielded at least enough tar to make it look as though someone had really tried, had the trees stood long enough after being prepared. It would have taken a lot of money to sustain 3,000 workers for a number of years. Finally, white pine would never yield pitch or tar in such quantities as the yellow varieties known as pitch pine. Of course, white pine knots would yield tar copiously when gathered where trees had fallen and decayed because all pine knots are abundantly saturated. That source had no commercial importance, however, because there were not enough knots available.

Before the people started for Schohare they sent seven scouts to examine the land, deal with the Indians, if necessary, and find the best route to travel.

They reported they had been received by the Indians with utmost friendliness. That portion of the Schohare Valley that had been granted to the Palatines began on the Little Schohare Creek near the present town of Middleberg, which really marks the beginning of the Schohare River. The actual boundary make at that time was an oak stump, which was burned hollow and had been used as a corn mill by the Mohawk Indians. From there the tract ran down both sides of the river northward for a distance of ten miles and contained about 20,000 acres. By the side of the stump was erected a pile of stones that stood for many years. Upon the stump was cut the figures of a turtle and a snake, the sign of the Kerighodonte tribe serving as a seal and a sign of transfer of title.

The matter immediately above is taken from Sim's History of the Schohare.

He represents this contract of transfer as one made by the Indians and an agent of the Queen, to prevent conflict between the Indians and the Germans.

Thus it would appear that the land had been transfered to the Palatines.

The seven envoys sent out by the Palatines, and headed by John Conrad Weiser, proceeded by way of Albany and there employed an Indian guide. When they reached their destination they marveled at the beauty of the place. The like of it they had seen since leaving the Rhine. Their longing for the Schohare had not been an idle dream. It lay in a broad valley with a background of gentle sloping hills, with fertile meadows and the placid river winding through the center. The Indians informed them that the land had already been transfered to Queen Anne for their use. The first contigent to leave for the Schohare consisted of 50 families who started soon after the scouts returned. They made crude sleds, loaded their meager effects upon them and, pulling them by human strength, moved through three feet of snow towards their dream home, clearing a road as they progressed. They evidently retained the axes with which they bad peeled pine trees and there was plenty of timber along the way, and though they had to sleep in the snow or in hastily constructed lean-tos they could at least have a as great fires as they chose.

Their hardships were grievous but do doubt they had a few thrill- filled hours after reaching their destination. They were at the long journey's end at last where they could build homes and live in peace --- or so they thought.

They had scarcely got started to settle themselves when they were warned by Hunter (still smarting from defeat) not to go upon the land and that he who did would be declared a rebel. They could not think of retracing the long journey, of course, even had they wanted to so there was nothing to do but stay and make the best of it.

How they got through the winter with little or nothing is hardly understandable. There were no immediate shelters available but there was timber within reach. They built great central fires for immediate comfort and then built lean-to's of pine and hemlock branches and what bark could be found. A lean-to with poles for a frame and evergreen branches for a roof and sides and a mat of hemlock boughs on the floor--a big fire in front of that--and you would have a comfortable combination in any language. So comfortable, compared to sleeping in the snow, that a man who's soul had become numbed by hardships and despair could lie with his family safe and warm around him and offer up a prayer of thanks.

The Indians shared their scanty stock of corn with the people. Young Conrad Weiser wrote of it: "We broke ground enough to provide corn for the next winter but the first year our hunger was scarcely endurable." The Indians showed them many edible roots and plants and how to snare game and so most of them survived.

In early spring another contingent made the journey and as usual, when these people went anywhere, it snowed--a heavy late snow of great depth--but they wallowed through

The people finally gathered in seven villages, naming each village, or "drop" as they called them after a leader. Weiser's drop was at the site of the present Middleberg. Fudu's drop (later called Fox drop) was at the junction of Fox creek and the Schohare River. Kniskern's drop was at the mouth of Cobbleskill.

At the present courthouse was another hamlet called Brunner's drop. Those are the locations that we have record of, Fudu's drop or Fox drop was the center of the settlement. On Fox creek was built a grist mill which made it necessary for them to carry their grain to Schenectady.

It was at Fox drop that the people gathered for Sunday worship and on the slight bluff the first church was built in 1772--the Old Stone church which has been rated one of the most picturesque building in the state. I am told that the church has recently been restored to its original condition, mainly through the generous contribution of a Mr. and Mrs. Fowler. Others have made contributions also and the church is now known as the Palatine Shrine. It is open to the public and services are conducted there by courtesy ministers of the surrounding territory. If you are up that way, be sure to stop by the old church.

A man named Bayard came into the valley and laid claim to the territory by reason of an old grant made to his father, who had the reputation of being a knave.

Another, by the name of Vrooman, who cane from Schenectady held title to a tract well up the valley where the township of Middleberg is now located.

He claimed to have purchased his land from the Indians in 1711, which would have been after the Indians had transfered it to the Queen. It developed that his title or claim rested on a patent given him by Hunter and also dated 1711, which gave the entire transaction a bad smell. It lookes as though Hunter was sending them as much trouble as possible or even selling their houses out from under them. Vrooman's personal report of his trouble with the Palatines is rather amusing. He said he had fertilized some of the land to which Hunter had been pleased to give him a patent, and had also weeded it, and they drove their horses over it all night. He said: "I was building a stone house 28 feet square so high as I had laid the beams for the chamber. They had a contrivance to tie bells about their horse's necks. As they drove the horses to and fro they pulled down my house, stones and all, to the ground. They used much rebellious language as I never heard of. John Conrad Weiser has been the ring-leader of all the devilment. They made Indians drunk to the degree to go and make off their land with them. I am in no wise secure of my life. They went and pulled my son off of the wagon and beat him and said they would

kill him or anybody else who came there. Weiser and two or three others have made their escape by way of Boston and said they would go to England but has left his son who is their interpreter to the Indians. Every day he tells lies to the Indians whereby much mischief may ensue, more than we think of, and is much to be feared.

I don't find many concerned with Weiser and his son in their disobedient, unlawful and rebellious proceedings. Those that are good subjects among them and will not join them are afraid the others will burn their houses down with their threatening words."

That must have been pretty hot language. Vrooman was, no doubt, of the old Holland Dutch stock who bought Manhattan Island from the Indians for $25 worth of trinkets.

In 1714 a patent was issued to an Albany group known as the "Five Partners." This patent claimed all of the Schohare tract not claimed by Vrooman. These patents, of course, granted away the very ground on which people had built their houses and every foot of land they had broken for crops.

When the partners with their bogus title had the stage set to their liking, they proceeded to assert their so-called rights. They informed the people that they had obtained the land from Hunter and that all living upon it must either buy or lease their buildings and all who refused to do one or the other must leave the valley. The reply of the people was that the land had been set aside for them by Queen Anne and now it belonged to king, and they could not agree with anyone about King's land.

The partners went to court and, regardless of how unjust their claim, they still held the only title in existence and the court could do nothing but recognize it.

Sheriff Adams appeared in Schohare with legal documents and a special warrant for the arrest of John Conrad for mutinous rioting. The chief culprit was not present but Adams undertook to arrest some others. This brought on a riot by the women, vigorously led by one, Magdalens Zeh. The women attacked the sheriff, knocking him down and beat and kicked him. They dragged him through the nastiest puddles in their barn lots until he was thoroughly and offensively saturated. They then seated him astride a rail and carried him seven miles through the various villages and left him laying on a small bridge with three broken ribs, with cuts and bruises and other unpleasantries.

After they had finished with the sheriff, the people refrained from going outside their boundaries except on the Sabbath, at -which time they fancied they could not be molested. After several months of quiet, they assumed that their violence had been forgotten and a party of men went to Albany to attend to some errands. There the. authorities ganged up on them and threw them all in jail for several days and then released upon an agreement by most of them to acknowledge the title of the Five Partners. This broke the resistance of most of the people. They now realized they were beaten, no matter how unjustly.

About this tire there was an important Meeting in Albany attended by the important Indian chiefs, the new governor of New York Bennet, and other personages. Among them was Sir William Keith, governor of Pennsylvania. Keith heard the many versions of the Palatines story and his reaction was in their favor. He invited them to Pennsylvania where he promised they would be kindly and fairly treated as their countrymen already in Pennsylvania had been.

It is a pleasant diversion from the predominant tone of this story to be able to relate that there is on record of anyone of these people from Schohare ever having difficulties with the Pennsylvania authorities. Records tend to show that in 1723, after the people had admitted their defeat, they became divided into three factions. There was those who chose to remain and make the best terms they could with the usurpers. Others could not content them-selves to submit to such humiliating treatment and they began to tighten their belts for another removal.

Some of them went up the Mohawk River to land they personally acquired from the Indians. The remainder chose Pennsylvania.

These people, beset as they were with endless difficulties, had managed to acquire some livestock and some tools to build homes and churches and so on in a period of ten years. How they did it is beyond me. All I can offer is that their extreme difficulties, rather than discouraging them, spurred them to increased efforts in strength, endurance and management, rather than the reverse.

It seems that they chanced to get their feet on solid ground and started at once to move ahead. They seem to quite generally develops genius for good judgement, expediency and a capacity for hard work. One can see unmistakable evidence of this by driving through the communities where they settled. Here and there their genius shows through to this day

Probably 300 elected to remain in Schohare and life there steeled down to a somewhat quieter pattern That though is getting a little ahead of the story and there is another matter that demands attention.

Johann George Loesch had finished his apprenticeship some tome during the intervening years and had joined his family in the Schohare. Regardless of the turbulent times there, he found time to court and marry a Palatine maid, Anna Christina Walborn. If I were that sort of writer I might dream up and insert a romantic story concerning this important pair. However 1 am not inclined to fiction. All I can write is the little I know and I know nothing of their intimate love life. I assume that considerable personal attraction must have existed between them for they lived together for 61 years and begot 11 sons and daughters.

Of the Palatines who went up the Mohawk River we know very little. Their land was 24 miles west of Little Falls, on both sides of the river. To this region the group moved in 1725 and 1726. The main settlement was on the north side of the river and in time recieved the name of Herkimer. This was in honor of that colorful gentleman who was "Strong Man" of the Palatines of the Mohawk.

As was characteristic of those people once they were settled in peaceful surroundings, they immediately began to prosper. In 30 years they had substantial buildings, well tilled fields and plenty of livestock. Then came the French and Indian war.

M. de Belletre with a force of Indians and Canadians came by way of the Black River and pounced on the settlement on the north side of the Mohawk. They burned every building and drove off or killed all of the livestock. Some of the people were killed and about 100 prisoners were taken. The majority of the people saved themselves by crossing the river to a fort on the south side.

Next spring a party of a few French and many Indians appeared. Their approach was detected and Captain Herkimer (general to be) collected most of the people within the fort. The attack was repelled but 30 people were killed and practically everything outside was destroyed. Next year the power of the French in America was broken and the prisoners came back. The next eruption in the lives of the people was the Revolutionary War. The Palatines stood by their country almost to a man.

During the interval between the Indian raids and the Revolution, (read Drums Along the Mohawk) nine companies of infantry had been organized and trained. First came Brandt rampaging down the Mohawk with his English and Indians. He seemingly did not like the appearance of Herkimer's militia and passed them by, but he made a side trip up the Schohare valley and attacked the fort that had been built at Middleburg but was driven off. As a momento of his visit he placed a cannon ball in the frieze of the old stone church at Fox Drop, It may still be there.

When St. Ledger invaded New York from Canada in 1777 he was met at Criskany and defeated. The Palatines were there led by their General Herkimer. The beloved Herkimer was wounded in the battle and finally died, but St Ledger was soundly trounced and driven back into Canada. This defeat, followed by the capture of Saratoga, broke the English strength in the New England states and changed the pattern of the war.

The intent of this work is not a complete History of the Palatines; that story has been written by several persons. It is only intended to follow my family line through many adversities to their final, permanent establishment in America and reaching out here and there for side issues that may be of interest.

Therefore I must hurry back to the Schohare. While leaving the Mohawk Valley, let us glance at a matter that is rather annoying; History gave the location of the Old Stone Church as being in the Schohare Valley near the mouth of Fox Creek, as I have said. I had a recent communication from Reverend Wilmer N. Zuehike of Schenectady. which seems to locate the church near the Palatine Bridge on the Mohawk, five miles west of Schenectady. I am confused about this but I am sure that if anyone inquires at Schenectady about the Old Stone Church they will have no trouble finding it.

The Palatines who had elected to go to Pennsylvania left the Schohare in 1723, led by Hartman Vinedecher. They followed Schohare Creek for a distance south and then, guided by an Indian, they crossed the mountains to the watershed of the Susquehanna. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they followed a Creek that was a tributary to the Susquehanna cutting a road through the woods as they went. That would, no doubt, have been Charlotte Creek, and they would reach the Susquehanna at (now) Oneonta. There they built crude rafts and floated down the Susquehanna, driving their livestock along the shore. It is rumored that about a year after reaching their destination twelve of their horses disappeared and 18 months afterwards they all, save one, appeared back at Schohare. They must have liked the Schohare meadows.

In time the rafts reached Sawatara Creek which flows into the Susquehanna near Harrisburg. They poled, pulled and pusher their rafts as far up its winding channel as they could and then, by means that we do not know about, finally reached the valley of the Tulpehocked Creek. There they settled down and, as it developed, their wanderings, privations and abuse ended.

At Schohare, those who lingered, hoping that conditions might improve found that such change was slow in coming and in 1728 many of them followed the others to the Tulpehocked, led by Conrad Weiser (Jr.) who had now grown to manhood. During Weiser's youth, he had been temporarily adopted by a Mohawk Chief and there learned several Indian dialects and won life-long friendship. This increased his usefulness in his peculiar position of magistrate, interpreter and diplomat. His uncommon, genuine thoughtfulness and moral stability made him one of the busiest and most outstanding characters of Pennsylvania colonial history. With one of the two parties mentioned as arriving at the Tulpehocked was Johann George Loesch and wife and his two brothers.

From here on I will not make any special effort to follow the fortunes of the two brothers but will concentrate on Johann George and his descendants, as he was the direct ancestor of our line in America.

One should not be confused at this point as to the choice of ancestors as it is really quite clear. Johann Adam Loesch and his wife had seven daughters and one son, who died young, leaving a wife and one daughter. Wilhelm Loesch the other brother had one son, Johann Peter. He is known to have lived to the age of 69 but nothing is known of his marriage or of any offspring.

Conrad Weiser settled and founded the town of Womelsdorf just off highway 422 as you drive from Harrisburg. Between the highway and the town is Weiser Memorial Park. Therein stands the original Weiser Home and a fitting monument. Also, there is an interesting museum and a cemetery where the Weiser family and some of their Indian friends lie. If you drive east from Harrisburg by all means drop in and visit Weiser Park and so pay homage to this man who, regardless of what others have omitted to say, was one of America's greats-great in morals, great in natural wisdom, great in honor and diplomacy and great in the development of human characteristics.

Before coming to Weiser Park, you come to the town of Stouchesburg, which is also just off the highway. Less than a quarter mile from this town there is a side road and on that corner a cemetery. Here is the site where the Palatines built one of the very first churches. In the cemetery lie a host of the original Patatine Pilgrims, resting quietly at last. The Loesch family settled near by, but just where no one knows. They set to and helped build the church which was recently torn down and moved to Syouchesburgh. It seems that the early comers settled mostly around Stoughesburg, Womelsdorf, Lebanon and Meyerstown and spread rapidly. I made a journey through the area but was too hurried to learn a great deal, but traces of them can be found from the Blue Mountains on the north to Reading on the south and east to Eaton.

Anyone who may desire additional reading on the subject herein touched upon, I recommend "Early Eighteenth Century Emigrants" by Walter Knittle, Ph.D. published by Dart & Co. It can be borrowed from the state library at Harrisburg, PA (I believe) by request through a local library. In this book Mr. Kittle furnishes all the referneces and scholarly details that anyone could wish, a task that I neither have the time nor the inclination to attempt.

I do not wish to enter into the task of listing all of the descendants of the Loesch family. It would require all of my remaining time on earth and, if I ever finished it, the reward would be meager. There are thousands of Loesch descendants scattered over the earth and I cannot travel widely. Also, the family, for some reason, characteristically reluctant to answer letters, taking in most cases from a few months to several years and many of them do not answer at all. Sinve the job is so impossible and since they are so unconcerned, I list what I can--those that I know or can reach or that I have record of. Others should be able to keep a record of their own families, and if they fail to do so--well I should worry.

The above I copied from (Leaves from the Loesch (Lesh) Family Tree) compiled in 1963 by Benjamin W. Lesh Buffalo St. Franklin Pennsylvania

Gilbert L. Lesh

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It seems to me that the spelling of the family name was changed some time during the Revolutionary War. I found the names of Balthazar and his two sons Jacob and Peter mentioned as Loesch (Lesh) 1-2c-3h Balthazar Loesch (Lash) had six sons, three by his first wife and three by his second wife. They were John, Benjamin, Jacob, Peter, George and Balthazar Jr.

They all changed to Lesh But Benjamin. He spelled his name Lesch. Balthazar's brother Jacob, went to North Carolina and changed his name to Lash. I have found five different Lesh's who came to America with the name and were not of our line and also some Lash's that were not of our line.

My name is Robert Gene Kyte. My mother was an older sister of the dear man who did the masterful job of copying Benjamin W. Lesh's work. Unfortunately, so many copies were made that the one I borrowed was faint so I had to guess as to the spelling in some places."

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Scanned by OCR and partially transcribed by Richard Hollenbeck on 17 July 1999. Please report any mistakes I made in transcribing this.