Singer
Wooster
Bodecker
Comstock
Crane
Dean
Dooley
Elderkin
Flock
Freas
Gale
Grinnell
Howard
Hunsberger
Judson
Kibler
Moore
Overholt
Phillips
Pickett
Raiza
Slough
Snyder
Staats
Terryberry
Wodell
Young
Ernst Bernard Schlauch
Anna Elisabeth Frick
This family lived in Adelshofen, Baden, Germany.
Their known children are:
Johann Andreas Schlauch b. 25 Feb 1707 Johann Philipp Schlauch b. 11 Jun 1710 Johann Jacob Schlauch b. 14 Mar 1716 Johann Michael Schlauch b. 14 Mar 1716
Philip and Andreas (Andrew) emmigrated to America in September 1732. Jacob also came to
America, date unknown. There is no further record of his twin brother, Michael.
Philip Schlauch (1710 - 1755)
Anna Margaretha Hertzel (1719 - ?)
Early references to the Canadian branch of the Slough family have consistently speculated that the progenitor was the son of the German pioneer, Hans Jacob Schlauch, but this is not likely the case.[1]
There are now substantial clues which suggest that the originating family was that of Philip Schlauch and Margaret Hertzel of Pennsylvania.[2]
Philip Schlauch was an immigrant passenger on the ship Dragon which arrived at Philadelphia 30 September 1732. (Also recorded on this same ship was his brother, Andreas Schlauch.
Anna Margaretha Hertzel was born in Reihen (Rhineland), Germany 17 December 1719. She was a daughter of the pioneer Hans Georg Hertzel.
In 1734, Philip took up land near Cowissioppin in Bucks County PA. Shortly after he had become established in America, Philip and Anna were married about 1737.
Philip died without leaving a will some time in the early months of 1755, leaving the widow and seven children:
George Schlauch 1738-1811 m. Catharina Gigh Margaret Schlauch 1739-1760 m. Hans Knecht Catharine Schlauch 1741-1781 m. Ulrich Knecht Jacob Schlauch 1743-1786 Clara Schlauch 1746-? Rosina Schlauch 1750-? Philip Schlauch 1752-?
George Slough ( 1738 - 1811)
(1) Ann Gibson
(2) Catharine Gee
George, the eldest of Philip and Anna's six children, is thought to have been born about 1738. The evidence for this is the known date of the parental marriage (1737) and by dated events in George's early life. He was the only child of age in 1759 when his widowed mother was planning to remarry and had petitioned the Orphans Court for guardians for her younger children.
These were troubled years for the family. Their mother, Anna Hertzel Slough had remarried a widower, Philip Gross. There ensued a lasting antagonism between the Slough children and the new stepfather, even though the two families had been close before Philip's death. Philip moved in and assumed control of the Slough farm. The younger Slough children were put out to guardians whereas his own children lived with him and Anna.
The bitter family estrangement never diminished, even after his death since his will passed the Slough homestead on to his own children. In 1769, a younger brother, Jacob Slough petitioned the court for division of their father's estate. It is a matter of record that George did not participate in this event. The genealogy cited above states that George had "probably died" since there was no further record.
One may speculate that George's way of handling the family problem was simply to move out, since he was of age. In any event, by then George was in his 30s, married a second time, had started a family and was farming in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
George Schlauch married, first, Ann Gibson. There is little information on this marriage. Ann died young, and they evidently had no children.
George married, second, Catharina Gigh (Gee) of Philadelphia in 1764. The marriage is documented[3] as follows:
Marriage of Georg Schlauch of Caernavon Township and Catharina Gigh, daughter of Adam Gig of Brecknock Twp. on 28 August 1764.
The Slough and Gee families (with variant spelling of both names) seem to have been close, since other references in the same church record appear over these years:
Joh. Georg Schlauch and Maria Catharina Giegin witnesses for the baptism of
Maria Catharina Gieg born 4 Apr 1762, of Hieronimus and Rosina Gieg.
Marriage of Barbara Schlauch, daughter of Michael, of Brecknock Township, to Johannes Geigle, widower of Caernarvon Twp. on 9 Nov 1761.
Marriage of Michael Gieg, son of Adam of Brecknock Twp. to Anna Rosina Rettig, daughter of Jacob, on 9 March 1762.
Also supporting the notion that George was a son of Philip, consider the common practice of the time of naming children after their paternal aunts and uncles. Of George's eleven children, five given names are repeated from his own brothers and sisters, Rosina, Mary, Catharine, Jacob, and Johann.
George settled first in the vicinity of Norristown. He was a successful farmer and eventually accumulated over three hundred acres of prime land in Lancaster County in the German Valley.
In 1788, George sold the farm and moved to Canada. It is hard to imagine what motivated him to do this. Canada, after all, was the frontier, and travel through the wilderness was a terrible hardship, only to arrive at forested land. To start all over again, George was now about 50 years old with a family of ten children, four of whom were under 10 years old! One would think his thoughts of pioneering adventure were by now left behind.
It must have been the irresistible attraction of land. These were the years following the war when the Crown was struggling to cope with tens of thousands of refugees and displaced soldiers in Canada. There was plenty of new land to settle them on, but few knew even the basics of survival and self-support through farming. Canadian envoys were sent to recruit successful farmers to help with the problem in exchange for generous grants of land. George must have been one who accepted the invitation of King George III of England to migrate to Canada.
In an affidavit dated 22 March 1797, made by his daughter, Elizabeth Slough Bessey petitioning for land in her own name, she states that her father, George Slough immigrated to Canada in 1789, placing him among the earliest of the settlers to do so.
George's formal petitions for land were dated 1797, but he and his sons were clearing land in Pelham in 1793. The Crown Grants were confirmed in 1802.
George subsequently acquired through grants and purchase extensive land, eventually totalling about one thousand acres.
Johan George Slough died in Pelham Township, Lincoln County, Ontario in 1811. He left a considerable estate which was divided among his wife and children. His will gave the home farm to his second son, John George, provided that he would provide for his mother, unless she wished to live with any of her other children. The farm was identified as Lots 2 and 3 in the Fifth Concession of Pelham Township. The will names his ten other children, granting each of them thirty-six Pounds eleven Shillings New York Currency, less any amounts he had previously advanced to them.
George and Catharine's family consisted of twelve children, all born in Pennsylvania, all married and died in Canada:
Rosina Slough 1765-1847 m. George Hansler Elizabeth Slough 1768-? m. Jacob Bessey Mary Slough 1770-1843 m. Andrew Jones Barbara Slough 1772-? Phoebe Slough 1774-1845 m. John Stiers Michael Slough 1775-1830 m. Elizabeth Disher John Slough 1777-1850 m. MaryAnn Will Catherine Slough 1779-? m. Jacob Tice Juliana Slough 1781-? Susannah Slough 1783-1813 Christianna Slough 1785-? m. Jacob Gainer Philip Slough ?-1810
John George Slough (1777-1850)
Mary Ann Will (1783-1849)
John George Slough, second son of George, lived in Pelham Township, Welland County on the old Slough homestead.
In 1802, he married Mary Ann Will. They had twelve children. Not only were these families large, but they were becoming confusing, as well. Following family tradition, of his 12 children, 9 were named after John's own brothers and sisters, leading to enormous possibilities for name confusion over the four generations of this history!
George Slough died in 1851. His wife, Mary Ann Will had died in 1849. His will stipulated that all his possessions be liquidated except for the land and that the proceeds be divided equally among his surviving children. Of the land, he gave his son George the south one-fourth of Lot 2 Fifth Concession (25 acres), to Andrew he gave the remaining three-fourths, (75 acres), and the homestead farm, being Lot 3 Fifth Concession went to his daughter Elizabeth.
George and Mary Ann's children were:
Jacob Slough 1804-? m. Elizabeth Disher George Slough 1807-1891 m. Dorothy Terryberry Catherine Slough 1808-1877 m. Peter Beckett Mary Slough 1810-? m. Philip Bowman Michael Slough 1816-1896 m. Elizabeth Nunn John Slough 1815-1896 m. Eunice Nunn Phoebe Slough 1817-1896 m. John Terryberry Julianna Slough 1819-1863 m. John Stirtsinger Andrew Slough 1821-1895 m. Elizabeth VanAlstine Elizabeth Slough 1823-? m. John Carrier Philip Slough 1824-1846 Susannah Slough 1825-1850 m. John Haney
Note that brother and sister George and Phoebe Slough married sister and
brother, Dorothy and John Terryberry. Also that two Slough brothers married two
Nunn sisters. This practice is noted in many of the family histories of the early years on the frontier. These people lived on small farms hacked out of the wilderness, with communication and transportation being very limited. As the children grew into adulthood it was a very practical move for a young man to "marry the girl on the next farm."
George Slough (1807-1891)
Dorothy Terryberry (1813-1895)
George Slough and Dorothy Terryberry, daughter of Samuel Terryberry and Catherine Moore, were married in Pelham May 31, 1830 per marriage certificate. Witnesses were Lawrence Moore and John Terryberry.
The family appears in the 1851 census of Pelham, with George as a farmer. In the 1861 census, he appears as blacksmith.
George died in 1891, and Dorothy in 1895. Both are buried in Hansler's Cemetary in Pelham Township.
A letter from an unknown writer dated 1843 describes George Slough's farm is a rather amusing way:
The black squirrel is esteemed as a delicacy -- we have once partaken of it in the form of soup and liked it very well.
I am sorry to say that the store is so unproductive a concern, that I am afraid I must give it up. We can get scarce any money, so that rather than do no business at all, I have been taking in butter and eggs, and have now such a quantity of the latter that I really know not how I shall dispose of them, but must endeavor to do so at St. Catharines, although they are an awkward commodity to transport now that we have lost our snow roads.
We have had an estate for sale belonging to George Slough. His family consists of six unmarried daughters. I am not in a position to purchase it myself. It is a lot I once mentioned to thee before, situated in the Short Hills, within sights of Brewster's house. This house altho small, I suppose we might manage to live in it -- there is also a barn, and a large blacksmith's shop in the valley, which might be made available as a mill. There are 22 acres of land, 12 of which are level enough to plow, the remainder romantic hills. There is a beautiful stream of water, but no dam erected, a fall of 15 feet may be obtained.
George Slough says that he asks $600, but will take less. Whether we shall ever get it I cannot tell, but it seems an eligible spot, as 12 acres of land under tillage would more than supply all our needs.
As this is an expose of family matters, I should wish it not to be circulated, but if Sam'l Gurry should ask you if you know of an object of charity, do not scruple to mention my name, as we are all rather partial to the Slough property.
Enough said on that anecdote.
George and Dorothy had eleven children:
Mary Slough 1831-1899 m. William Clark Sarah Slough 1833-1856 m. Henry Hansler Dorothy Slough 1835-1905 m. James Tice Phoebe Dlough 1837-1895 m. James Depotty Elizabeth Slough 1839-1927 m. Reuben Lindsay Caroline Slough 1842-1934 m. Eli Singer Margaret Slough 1844-1927 m. George Slough John Slough 1847-1891 m. Elizabeth Jenkins Melissa Slough 1850-1930 m. Joseph Depotty George Slough 1853-1929 m. Velma Hansler Matilda Slough 1855-? m. William Anderson
Caroline Slough (1842-1934)
Eli Singer(1834-1908)
Information on this family will be found in the SINGER chapter of this history.
Thank you for visiting our family history.
You can click here to go back to the top of this family page.
Or, Return to the Family Surname list.
Comments are welcome, and any additions or corrections are especially appreciated.
You can reach us at:
geneals@earthlink.net
Updated 4-14-03
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1] Hans did exist; it is his family that is in question. Hans came to America as one of a group of Palatines with their families, about ninety in number. They were aboard the ship James Goodwill, David Crockett, Master, which sailed from Rotterdam via Deal, whence she sailed June 15th 1728, arriving in Philadelphia September 11, 1728. The passenger list includes Hans Jacob Schlauch.[Return to narrative]
[Footnote 2] "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families", Vol.
1, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982, pages 866-874.[Return to narrative]
[Footnote 3] Records of Pastoral Acts, Trinity
Evangelical Lutheran Church, New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
[Return to narrative]