Thanks for contacting me. I have contacted Rick.

Does anyone have copies of the "History of Buck County, PA" Edited by Battle, J.H. or" History or Berks County", Montgomery, Milton. Chuck Bollinger ==== PENNA-DUTCH Mailing List ==== Haven't found a post of interest? Why not generate one of your own?

Does anyone know of the book "The Mensch Genealogy" by Frank W. Mensch, Philadelphia 1921 Chuck Bollinger ==== PENNA-DUTCH Mailing List ==== Haven't found a post of interest? Why not generate one of your own?

sounds good but how much planking did it take to cover the bridge and put sides or partial sides on it? The driving surface would stay in good repair but the 3 to 4 times that amount of wood used to build the "cover" would take a beating and require the replacement instead. Not a cost effective solution but better than having a buggy drop through rotted flooring. we generally referred to them as kissing bridges. rod

Joyce, don't know who came up with the idea, but when we were in Eggiwil, Canton Bern, Switzerland in May we drove across several covered bridges. Didn't see any in Zurich area. rod

New Members and existing members who haven't been there are asked to visit <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/PennaDutch/pennadutch.html">Penna-Dutch-L Home P age</A> or http://members.aol.com/PennaDutch/pennadutch.html There is a lot of miscellaneous info including some oft used abbreviations on this list. ie:PMH=Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage Magazine. subscribe, unsubscribe info etc is also there. This page will undergo a vast overhaul and improvement in Oct and November. rod

The surnames list---- I will again edit the list and post the edited version to the webpage on Oct 21. If you wish to have the surnames you are researching included the requirements are: 1. Send names to me at Pennadutch@aol.com 2. They must be in alphabetical order 3. DO NOT resend names that you have sent me previously. This is not a new compilation but an edit of the existing list. If you are unsure visit the surnames on the webpage and check to see if your email address is below the surname in question. 4. The subject line must say "SURNAMES LIST-EDIT" 5. All names to be included must be received by me on or before Oct 15 Non-compliance will result in non-inclusion. At Christmas I will again print and mail these new lists to the same historical societies. Some of you should be getting inquiries as a result of the mailout by now. I do not mind the time or expense but I do expect cooperation per items 1-5 above. As an aside, I expect nothing from any of the places I mailed these lists to, but it does speak well of Ginger Shelley, archivist of LCHS, that she wrote a thank-you note for receiving the surnames list. rod

If allsyd@aol.com is still with us or if anyone knows them- I rec'd email from a volunteer at Berks Co. Hist Soc. who has been trying to contact this address re:the surnames list I sent them. They get a bad address message and want to get in touch to share info. if you are out there please contact Rick at R616A@aol.com rod

re:Groff books. I have both and the information in them is generally reliable but there are many errors as well. The proof-reading prior to print could have been better. I am a 6 or 7 times Groff descendant and on p.179 of Groff Book 2 , my great-grandfather Albert MARTIN and his wife Elizabeth Groff are mentioned. The dates are wrong, places of burial are wrong ,etc. etc. On p. 175 another of my lines (REESE) is mentioned. My ggg-grandfather Andrew Reese m. Feronika ESHLEMAN dau of another Elizabeth Groff. Below the entry the author states (with ?) that Catherine Reese(sis of Andrew) married David ESHLEMAN(bro. of Feronika). I have read in PMH articles or somewhere else that this is not true. If anyone does know, please tell me. On another page an individual lived to be 130 according to the dates given etc. The author has now linked Swamp John Groff (P) as the son of Joseph Groff and as the grandson of Johann Christian Groff rather than Swamp John Groff being the son of Johann Christian Groff. I continue to believe the latter as the author still uses question marks with the establishment of the new linkage. I have written the author and sent copies of documentation supporting the accuracy of info re:my great-grandparents and their immediate families so that the info might be corrected in Groff Book 3. The Groff Books are tremendous assets but the accuracy of specifics may require independent verification. rod

History of Conestoga Township, Hiller, Peter C., 1883 I would like to buy a copy of the above book. Has anyone heard of it? or know of its availability? thanks rod

looking for ferdinand wagner and wife elizabeth moser who imm. to the usa from germany around 1870 from the areas of wurt.,bade,saxony . their trail first picks up in dauphin co lykens pa in 1893 where they had my grandfather arthur ray wagner 11-25-1893 then they moved to schuykill pottsville pa in 1907 where they owned land. they possiably connected to the pa dutch.thank-you, sharon bodet. e-mail is christian.bodet@hol.fr

Hi! I remember seeing something about a 1783 Pennsylvania Census. Was there one? Is it available through the LDS Family History Centers like the Federal Census? Was there a 1793 Census? Do these state censuses give any better info than the Federal Censuses of 1790 and 1800? Thank you! Brenda Hébert http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/h/e/b/Brenda-M-Hebert

Does anyone have any information on this couple, their children and their ancestors? Abraham NULPH (s/o Jacob NULPH & ???) b. 1830s? m. Emma GAMMON (d/o Arthur GAMMON & ???) b. 1830s-1840s? I have one child for them: James A. NULPH b. 1860s? m. abt 1885 Mary Leona PLATT Thank you! Brenda Hébert http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/h/e/b/Brenda-M-Hebert

I'm trying to find the parents and ancestors of my 3rd great-grandmother Nancy ZELLE. She is supposed to be descended from the Dutch Patroons of New York (along the Hudson River?), but I believe she was born in Pennsylvania (probably Armstrong County). She was married twice: Nancy ZELLE b. 2 June 1850, d. 31 Jan 1917 in Leechburg, PA. Married first John L. FERER who drowned while fighting in the Civil War in April 1865. They had a son, John L. FERER, Jr. Nancy next married Lewis Alexander WALTENBAUGH before 1875. They had the following children: Mary Elizabeth "Maude" b. 10 Jul 1875 Essie Viola b. 20 Jul 1879 William Francis b. 16 Feb 1883 Emma Carolyn b. 11 May 1886 James Henderson abt 1888 John b. abt 1890 Perry b. 13 Feb 1898 I hope someone can help me. Brenda Hébert http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/h/e/b/Brenda-M-Hebert

Can anyone tell me who the father of Israel Rumfield is? I don't know if I can connect him to my Rumfields or not. However the name is not all that common, so I have hopes! Thanks for any forthcoming help. Dick Sommer <rosommer@primenet.com>

Would someone who subscribes to Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage let me know if the October 96 issues has an article on page 29 about Conrad Hildebrand. Also would someone who owns the Groff book (I) be willing to look up some parents for me. If some would you contact me privately at MW626@aol.com. Thank you. Yvonne Wyrick

I was always under the impression that the reasons bridges were covered was to keep them from icing over in the winter. You don't see covered bridges in the south. Hazel

Hello everyone, Surnames: Inkrote, Conrad, Updegraff, Greeen, Lair, Jones, Clark, Martin I recently joined the list, like what I see, so here is my introduction. My parents were both from the Sunbury, Northumberland County, PA area and have been able to get back to some interesting people. 1. My great-great grandfather was Jeremiah H. INKROTE, b. in Cororus, York County, PA on 13 January 1842 m. Lydia Malinda DRUMHELLER on 24 March 1866, from Selinsgrove Junction, I found a history of the DRUMHELLER famlily that mentions this marriage at http://search.usgenweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch?paarchive+13020355+F I am looking for info on his siblings and parents. I found a reference to the surname in West Fallen (Westphalia), Germany, but have not found the link to the family here as of yet. 2. My grandfather, John F. JONES, b. 30 July 1882, Moutoursville, PA, d. 6 October 1928 Northumberland PRR yards. Parents: John JONES, Mary N. MARTIN. Any ideas on tracing such a common surname? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a great day! Robert Jones rjones@mediaone.net

The explanation for the covered bridges is mostly correct. Wood, however, was plentiful in the northeast at the time bridges were constructed there. The bridges were covered to protect them from the weather. Anyone who is interested in additional information about covered bridges should use URL: http://william-king.www.drexel. edu/top/bridge/CBF AQ.HTML. Keyword: COVERED BRIDGES works just as well. You may be interested to know that I was born in a house by a creek at the end of a covered bridge. This was in a town, not in the country where you would usually find them. When I was a kid, I thought it was there to help protect people from sudden rainstorms. They did that, but they weren't built for that purpose. Did you know that covered bridges were also known as "kissing bridges"? Bill Stetler Surnames: HOUSER/LEPLEY/MARKEL/SPECHT/STETLER

Hi Margaret! I liked your explaination for covered bridges. This is what my experience has been. Subj: Re: Fw: COVERED BRIDGES Date: 97-09-27 20:48:42 EDT From: HawnSmith To: kristy@erols.com Hi Linda, I never heard that explaination for covered bridges. I have only heard that the planking for bridges was very expensive and hard to get. They covered the bridges so that the wood wouldn't suffer from the elements and have to be replaced. When I lived in Mississippi I remember several wooden bridges and can also remember both of them being out because of a hole in the wood where it rotted. I can't remember now how long it was that we had to catch the bus on the other side of the bridge, but it seemed like a long time. It was a long walk to get to the other side of the bridge and I didn't like it one bit. Anne