Hello cousins -- Here is something I've written on Jacob and Samuel Alwine who lived and died in Westmoreland County. I hope you find it useful. If you do, please cite the document by title and as copyrighted on the date of posting. It is coming in three parts, two of which are now finished. Cheers, Duane Jacob Alwine (1771-1854) and his Descendants Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Duane F. Alwin Ann Arbor MI 48103 Part I The biographic material gathered here on Jacob and his son Samuel Alwine came from several sources. I began with Jerome Allwein's Genealogy of the Allwein-Arnold Families, published in 1902, and worked backward to the early days in Westmoreland County. I discovered a biographical entry for Samuel Alwine published in 1890 which could have been the source of the material in the Allwein manuscript. It was published in the Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (pp. 40-41), compiled, edited and published by John M. Gresham & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. It also included information on his father Jacob. This narrative is reproduced verbatim in John Boucher's History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, vol. 1 (pp. 447-48), New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, published in 1906, as well as in Jerome Allwein's 1902 Genealogy. In what follows I have used quotation marks to set off the material appearing (with slight variations) in all three sources. These sources, plus my own research of other records, provide the basis for what follows. [Endnote #1] Jacob Alwine, the eldest son of Conrad and Catharine (Weibel) Allwein, "was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1771 and reared on his father's farm. He went to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in his early days when Hannastown (formerly known as Hanna's Town) was yet the county seat and settled about Youngstown, and afterwards at Greensburg" seven miles to the west. "He followed agricultural pursuits and also distilled (whiskey) some in Winter. He believed in the principles of the Democratic party and was old enough to vote for Thomas Jefferson for President (in the election of 1800). He was a lifelong and faithful member of the Catholic Church, being among the first members of the Latrobe Mission." Jacob Alwine was married to Catharine Smith with whom he had seven children, of which the names of six are known: Catherine, John, Jacob, Theresa, Sarah, and Samuel. The birth and baptism of the child Catherine is recorded in Father Peter Helbron's Greensburg Register [Endnote #2], but except for Samuel, little is known about any of these children. After his wife's death, Jacob Alwine married Elizabeth Stevenson in 1835. They had no children. He died in 1854 at the age of eighty-three and was buried at Greensburg, Pennsylvania. His widow was recorded as living in Youngstown in the 1860 Census of Pennsylvania. Westmoreland County was formed out of Bedford County in 1773. The county seat was established originally at Hanna's Town in Hempfield Township but was moved in 1787 to Greensburg. The first settlers of Hempfield Township were nearly all Germans and came largely from the southeastern counties of Pennsylvania, although some came directly from Germany. [Endnote #3] Although we do not know precisely when Jacob Alwine migrated to Westmoreland County, it was no doubt well before the turn of the century. He is listed as living in Hempfield Township near Greensburg, Pa. in all decennial censuses from 1810 through 1850. Jacob and Catharine Alwine are listed in Catholic Trails West (vol. 2) as among the first Catholic families connected with the Latrobe Mission in Westmoreland County and one of those families with connections to Goshenhoppen (Bally) in Berks County, who came to the area in 1787-1790. The German Catholics of Westmoreland County resided primarily in Derry and Unity Townships, in and around Bairdstown, Derry, Latrobe, and Youngstown. The early Catholic congregation in Westmoreland County founded the parish of St. Vincent's located at Sportman's Hall near Latrobe and Youngstown. [Endnote #4] [To be continued] Endnotes 1. The name of this branch of the Allwein family in America is typically spelled Alwine, although in some historical materials one sometimes finds it written Allwine. 2. See Catholic Baptisms in Western Pennsylvania 1799 - 1828: Father Peter Helbron's Greensburg Register, Baltimore MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1985 (p. 19). 3. There are several early histories of Westmoreland County. See George D. Albert's History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, L.H. Everts & Co, 1882; John M. Gresham's Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, John M. Gresham & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 1890; and John Boucher's History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, vol. 1, New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906. 4. See Edmund Adams and Barbara Brady O'Keefe, Catholic Trails West: The Founding Catholic Families of Pennsylvania, vol. 2, Baltimore MD: Gateway Press, Inc., 1989 (pp. 567-632). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Duane F. Alwin Professor, Department of Sociology Senior Research Scientist & Program Director Survey Research Center Office: 4067 Institute for Social Research Phone: 734-764-6597 Fax: 734-647-4575 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~