Strock Family to Hold 125th Annual Reunion The 125th Annual Reunion of the Strock family will meet on Sunday, August 1, 2004, at 1:00 p.m. at the Southington American Legion Hall on Warren-Burton Road, Southington, Ohio. Family and friends are asked to bring a potluck dish to share and their own tableware. After the meal and a short business meeting, there will be activities for the children, as well as games and door prizes for children and adults. There will be exhibits and genealogical information for those interested in the history of the Strock family. The Strock family welcomes all members of all branches of the Strock/Strack family, as well as anyone interested in the family. Most members of the group trace their heritage to Joseph Strack who was born in Germany in 1748. Family tradition tells us that he was the son of a serf who challenged his overlord. After his father was killed in the controversy, the surviving family members fled for their safety. Nine-year-old Joseph immigrated to the Colony of Pennsylvania with his mother in 1757. His passage had been paid by an indenture to servitude until his 21st birthday. Joseph Strock lived in Northampton (now Lehigh) County, Pennsylvania for many years. He married Anna Susanna Bensinger who died shortly after the birth of their son Henry. Joseph is said to have participated in the Revolutionary War, perhaps bringing supplies to George Washington’s army while he was camped at Valley Forge. Shortly after the Revolution, Joseph Strock married Betsey Bensinger, his first wife’s sister. They lived in Berks County and later Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where they reared a family of eleven children: Mary, John Henry, Molly, Betsey, George, Joseph, Jacob, Hannah, Samuel, William and John. All but Mary married and raised large families. In about 1814 or 1815, the entire family relocated to the Austintown area of Ohio, settling near each other in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties where they made their living as farmers, carpenters, storekeepers, and tavern keepers. In the early records, the family name appears as “Strack,” but at some point almost everyone in this family line changed the spelling to “Strock,” perhaps to preserve the German pronunciation of the surname. The Strock family was closely aligned with the Kistler family and sometimes held joint reunions many years ago. Other surnames associated with the family are Rice/Reis, Ludwick/Ludwig, Clinger, Lotman/Lutman, Miller, Hench, Stitle, Brunstetter, Crum and Weaver. For more information, please contact Bob and Sue Brookie, 36603 Stevens Boulevard, Willoughby, Ohio 44094; 440-942-5687; or Judi McGarvey at judimcg@comcast.net. -- Bob & Esther Strock, Dalton, OH. On the edge of Amish Country. Researching our families in Holmes, Medina, Stark, Summit, Wood, Wayne and other Counties of Ohio. One name study of Strack/Strock surnames. Strack, Strock, Uhl, and Welday RootsWeb boards and message lists.