At home on the Christman farm, as a kid, I often daydreamed about who lived there before us. Did anyone famous, like George Washington, sleep in the bedroom I now occupied? Were there Indian raids? Barn dances? Quilting parties?
In later years, my curiosity was satisfied when my husband and myself researched the owners of our farmstead, for the family newsletter. In my rewrite, for this paper, I’ve condensed the longer version and decided to concentrate on the deeds and wills and other interesting data that I found.
Our research started at the courthouse in Reading. From my father’s deed, we chased the deeds by going backwards. It truly was an easy and fun project. In writing this article, I started with the first owner.
The Germans immigrated to America from the Colonial period to 1815. They were the largest nationality group to come to America. They came from the Palatinate, Hanover, Switzerland, Wurttenburg, Darmstadt and other principalities that were torn by political and religious strife. Germans mainly settled in York, Lehigh, Lancaster, Lebanon, Philadelphia, Chester and Berks counties.
It is in Berks County, erected in 1752, and Maxatawny Township, erected in 1742, that the Christman farm is located, about a half mile north of Route 222, which closely followed the Indian path from Reading to Allentown.
Early land grants were hard to locate for several reasons: Old Rights were stated in broad terms; the Penn family created warrants issued by the Land Office, but with vague terms, such as “200 acres near Saucon Creek”; in order to get a land survey, settlers had to travel primitive roads to Philadelphia; and once a title was obtained, records before 1752 could be either in Lancaster or Philadephia counties.
In the midst of all the settler’s problems, land had to be cleared, planting had to be done, animals had to be fed and sheds and a home for the family had to be built.
The Frederick Brown will of 1802 states he gave the whole of his property to two sons and monies to the remaining children. The will continues about what the two oldest sons are to do for their mother’s lifetime: “… gold or silver money, rye, wheat, firewood, hog and pudding, lard, cow flaxen linen, short gown and petticoat.” The will also stated, “… take to mill and bring to her dwelling… build a house for their mother, where she will have it, with a bake oven.”
It turns out Brown hadn’t made sufficient provision for the sale of the land. Thus, Hoch and Bieber presented to the Reading Courthouse two German instruments of writing from Brown to Bieber and Hoch. After the court accepted these German papers, and the balance of the purchase money was paid ($2,212 to the executor’s of Brown’s will), the deed was finalized.
Later, an inquisition of Daniel Hoch, who died in 1835, was witnessed by “12 free, honest and lawful men of the area.” The recording states, “… land and tenements could not be parted and divided to all eight children of the deceased.” In 1836, the executors of Daniel Hoch’s will sold the land to John Fisher for $5,675 at a public sale. The indenture reads “… will all and singular the house, outshouses, barns, stables, gardens, orchards, meadows, fields, fences, ways, woods, waters, water courses…”
John Fisher sold the property to Samuel Barnhard for $6,000. Barnhard’s will of 1860 states, “… bequeath the dwelling house to Maria, his wife, and the springhouse, garden, stables, carriage house, two horse stables, meadow, half apple orchard and cider, wash house to be used in common, plus furniture, steer, cows, horses, carriages, grain, potatoes and firewood.”
The will further states, that the nephew, Henry Barnard, executor, was to make sure Sam’s wife, Maria, was “given these items upon request in her lifetime” as well as “the occupation of the front of my dwelling house.” The will stated that upon Maria’s death, “My plantation and three adjoining tracts of land will go to the nephew, Henry.” There are many requests for monies but no mention of children of their own. A bequest of $900 was made to the German Reformed and Lutheran Zion Church of Maxatawny.
After Sam Barnhard’s wife died, the nephew, Henry, and his wife, Maria, inherited the property, which was sold to Benjamin Trexler for $14,064. Trexler’s biography states he was a shoemaker by trade some seven years, but ill health necessitated change of occupation, and he began farming. He is buried at Zion Maxatawny Church.
An indenture made in 1897, for the will of Benjamin Trexler, and Celia Grim, (later married Butz) states, “At a public sale on October 3, 1896, the premises were sold to the highest bidder, Celia Grim for $9,121.87.”
Celia’s biography tells us she is from the Johan “Gitti” Grim family. Celia left a legacy for the upkeep of the Siegfried Cemetery and the Grim Cemetery. A judge ordered a stone wall to be erected around the Siegfried graveyard, after which the monies were depleted.
Herb and Mary Christman bought the Monterey farm from Celia Grim Butz at a public sale on March 13, 1935 for $5,535. This indenture has a long description, a total of 89 acres and 344 perches.
On this farm were born Mary Alice, Dorothy, David, Gladys and myself. During the first years, the family lived in the back part of the house, which we later called the “old kitchen,” where a bake oven was located. Around 1936, Herb had a kitchen built in the front of the house, where a huge fireplace was located. The first bathroom was also built upstairs.
In 1967, Mom and Pop built a home in Kutztown, on Walnut Street. On May 15, 1967, the farmstead was sold to Alvin Reiff and his wife for $48,000. The Reiffs sold a few acres of land, and the barn (destroyed by lightning in early 60s) was situated onto Jim and Karen Wieder and is now a foliage farm. In 1980, the Reiffs sold the farmhouse for $29,500 to John and Marion Ford. They also sold lots of the farm land to others. The Fords have kindly allowed the Christman siblings to tour the farmhouse after renovations.
I hope my readers enjoy these old deeds and wills enough to spark their curiousity in making a trip to the Reading Courthouse to search the history of their own homes or farms.
Carole Christman Koch grew up in Berks County and has been published in numerous publications. She has a passion for writing and has many stories from growing up on a farm to everyday stories.
