About "Baron" Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel
Baron Stiegel
Elizabeth Farms once the homestead of iron-masters Baron Heinrich Wilhelm-
Stiegel and Robert Coleman in the 1700's.
STIEGEL, HENRY WILLIAM (1729-1785): Called "Baron" Stiegel, largely at his own
desire. Born (Heinrich Wilhelm) in Cologne, Germany, and came to Philadelphia in
1750 with his mother, a widow. He married in 1752, his first wife, Elizabeth
Huber, the daughter of an iron manufacturer, and for a number of years was
engaged in that business. In 1763 he started a glass-works for making window and
bottle glass at Elizabeth Furnace, the site of the ironworks, but this factory
was discontinued in 1765 when the new works started operation, a plant ten miles
north which he had built and named Manheim. Stiegel brought skilled workmen from
England and Germany and possibly from Italy. At first, this factory was also
devoted chiefly to making bottles and window glass. In 1769 the plant was in
full operation and his output, which was of superior quality, found a ready
market in Philadelphia and in towns as far removed as New York and Boston.
Stiegel glass was noted for its delicacy, its wonderful jewel-like colors and
the beautiful designs. It was probably the most beautiful glass ever blown in
the American colonies. He was the first American maker to attempt enameling on
glass. Stiegel glass has been imitated by glass-makers ever since, and few
collectors will now attribute any glass to Stiegel unless it is well
authenticated. Owing to financial irregularities, which came to a head in 1774,
his business was ruined and Stiegel died a poor man in 1785, perhaps largely due
to his extravagant habits during the days of his prosperity. How he obtained the
complimentary title of "Baron" is no mystery, as it was self-bestowed, but it
was suited to the feudal luxury in which he lived before his failure. Noteworthy
collections of Stiegel glass are to be seen at the Metropolitan Museum in New
York and the Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania German glassware
was best known through the artistry of "Baron" Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel. Stiegel
was a master craftsman who became a legend in his own time as the flamboyant
owner of iron and glassworks. Stiegel glass cannot be definitely identified
since his workers took his methods to other factories after his own went
bankrupt. However, Stiegel-type flint glass, or crystal, was widely known for
its beauty, fragility, and the brilliance of its colors. A wide variety of
glassware -- from wineglasses, sugar bowls, and cruets to windowpanes and
chemists' bottles -- was made at the Stiegel furnace. Stiegel was the first
American glass manufacturer to
enamel glass. Pieces made of white, or clear, glass have their decoration of
birds, tulips, and scrolls painted on freehand with red, green, and yellow
enamel. The motifs used reflect typical Pennsylvania German traditions of
decoration.
[Following from http://www.horseshoe.cc/pennadutch/people/biographies/stiegel.htm]
BARON HENRY WILLIAM STIEGEL. Historical and Biographical Sketch of Baron Henry
Wm. Stiegel, J.H. Sieling, M.D., Manheim, Pa, read before the Lancaster Country
Historical Society, Friday September 4th, 1896, Lancaster, PA and reprinted in
the Lancaster New Era in 1896.
He was one who stood alone. While the men be
agonized for Hurled the contumelious stone. We In silent awe return, To glean up
his scattered ashes Into History's golden urn."
Preface
It is difficult to bring
the life of such an extraordinary man as Baron Stiegel, who was born at least a
hundred years in advance of his time, before an audience In such a manner as not
to weary the most enthusiastic local historian at a single sitting. So large and
voluminous to the traditionary history of this one Individual's doings that it
would cover many pages if dealt with minutely. This man was both over and under
estimated by a people who had not the ability to judge and were In consequence
awe-stricken by his magnificent equipage as well as his extretme poverty. It has
been the purpose of the author, in writing this short biographical sketch, to
set the character of this great man vividly before his bearers at this time and
trust to a convenient season for an opportunity to compile the great mass of
facts and fancies (for every foot of ground from Mantiolin through Elizabeth
Furnace and Schaefferstown to Charming Forge is historic) at hand which have
been gathered from various sources into a little volume embellished with
illustrations by the aid of the camera obscura for the gratification of those
who have board in part what would be a veritable romance taken from actual life
without a single draught on imagination.
Early Life
Baron Henriech Wilhelm Stiegel was born In Germany, presumably near Manneim,
in Baden, evidently of a noble and wealthy parentage, in A. D. 1730. At the age
of twenty be became dissatisfied with the slowness of the good old home and
mother country and he determined to gather up his portion of this earth's
goods, which amounted to L40,000, and venture forth into the New World to prove
the many stories scattered broadcast over the Old concerning the golden
opportunities in the New, and by so doing soon outstrip his European friends and
especially his brothers, with whom he couldn't agree because of his
eccentricities, in wealth and honor and fame. The title of "Baron" is disputed
by some historians because he never used it in signing legal documents, simply
floury Wm. Stiegel. We do know that be permitted the Baron to be used on certain
of his stoves and in signing his name to the constitution of the old
Brickerville Lutheran Church, September 10th, 1769, which he wrote as chairman
of the committee, and is a masterly instrument still in force, having governed
those people these 127 years and brought them safely through the destructive
litigation just closed. To this document he signed Henrich Von Stiegel. Dr. Jos.
Dubbs, historian of Franklin and Marshall College, who some years ago had this
subject under investigation, didn't find the name recorded at all in Mannheim,
but found that about this time a young Baron answering the description of
Stiegel left Mannheim for the New World by the name of Stengel, presumably a
clerical error, or the Baron purposely changed his name for some reason. It is
positively known that be went on business trips to England but never extended
his journey up the Rhine to his " Vater landt." The writer has only last year
bad two eminent clergymen "Stadt pfarrer" Hitzig and Greiner look over the
records of Manheim with the above result. In our little Manheim lives a man who
goes by the name of Spickloser, who was registered in Germany by a tipsy clerk
for Spikolitzer. Again the manner of living denoted royalty. It is said that he
always wore his Baronial costume whenever he went abroad. On the 31st day of
August, 1750, the gallant ship Nancy, Thomas Cauton, master, sailed from Cowas
with 270 passengers on board, landed In Philadelphia, and in the list of names
we find "Henrich Wilhem Stiegel." During the first two years he traveled about
seeking a suitable location, which resulted in the selection of Philadelphia,
and Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Huber, ironmaster at Brickerville, Lancaster
county, as a helpmate November 7, 1752. He built a house in Philadelphia, in
which he lived till 1765. In 1757 the Baron purchased his father-in-law's
furnace property in Elizabeth township, which was one of the largest and oldest
furnaces in the United States. Haus Jacob Huber, who erected the furnace, had
the following inscription out on a large stone and placed in the stack. "Jacob
Huber ist der erste Deutsche mann Der das eisen werk vollfuren Kann. " The old
furnace was torn down and a new one erected on or near the same spot and named
after the Baron's wife "Elizabeth." The township was named after the furnace and
not Queen Elizabeth. Early in the next year (February 3d, 1758) the Baron's
faithful wife died in confinement, leaving him with two little children-Barbara.
born November 5, 1756, and Elizabeth. She died at her father's house, and was
laid to rest in the family burial plot to the Lutheran grave-yard at
Brickerville. The furnace was now and In first-class order and the Baron
determined to engage in the manufacture of stoves. After the death of his much-
loved wife he expripsaad his luclination to mourn even an one of the many
varieties of stove plates which bears -this inscription : "H. WHELM STIEGEL UND
COMPAGNI FOR. ELIZABETH." ' The first stoves were jamb-stoves with this
inscription : Baron Stiegel ist der mann Der die Ofen Giesen Kann"
These stoves were walled Into the jamb of the kitchen fireplace with the back
projecting into the adjoining room. Mr. Wm. Taylor, owner and proprietor of
Charming Forge, in one of the many living witnesses to the truth of this
statement. These stoves were without pipe or oven. Improvements soon followed
and the excellent ten-plate wood stoves resulted. People came from all parts of
the country to see these great stoves. At this time the Baron was the most
enterprising and speculative ironmaster in Pennsylvania. In 1760 Elisabeth
Furnace was in a highly prosperous condition; the busy hum gladdened the hearts
of the many laborers and the community and filled the proud Baron's pockets with
filthy pelf. There were about seventy-five men in his employ; and twenty-five
tenant houses stood in close proximity to the furnace. A number of them are
still standing and from present indications they will withstand the decay of
many ages yet to come. During the fall and winter season many men were employed
in cutting wood in the eternal hills nearby, which was converted into charcoal
used in smelting the ore. The furnace lands at this time covered about 900
acres, much of it timber, which la being cut down about every seventeen years
to this day. A very spacious house, substantially built of sandstone, stands
firmly near the site of the furnace which the Baron occupied during his visits
to the furnace, which occurred once a month. The imposing appearance of this
house caused the simplicity of the surrounding neighbors to call it a mansion,
which it still bears very modestly. A number or servants were always kept at the
mansion ready to minister to the wants of the Baron and his friends on these
periodical visits. This same year the Baron bought a one-half interest in
Charming Forge near Womelsdorf, on the Tulpehocken Creek, Berks County. The Baron
knew that it was not good for man to be alone, especially when prosperity was
turned on him in copious showers. He wooed and wedded the noble Elizabeth Holtz,
of Philadelphia, in the autumn of 1759, after being a widower one and a half
years, who bore him one son, Jacob, In 1760, who settled in Boiling Springs,
Va., September 1st, 1783, shortly after his father's death. The little plain
wedding ring now in the possession of Mr. John C. Stiegel, of Harrisonburg, Va.,
bears this inscription on its inner surface: " H. W. Stiegel and Elizabeth
Holtzin," the "in" denoting the feminine gender. The ring, the hymn book and the
dictionary in four languages were left in the possession of Judge Ege's family
for befriending the Baron in his last days. This ring tells the tale and beyond
a doubt the woods in and around Philadelphia all came from the same family tree.
Manheim Founded.
In February, 1762, Charles and Alexander Stedman, merchant and lawyer of
Philadelphia, purchased a tract of land containing 729 acres and allowances from
Isaac Norris and his wife Sarah. This land had been claimed in 1733 by James
Logan, which upon his death reverted to Norris, a son-in-law of Logan. The Baron
had become intimately acquainted with these men during the recent prosperous
years and the Stiegel Company was formed, the Baron paying L50 sterling for his
one-third interest. This partnership was formed in September, 1762. Toward the
close of the year the Baron, who was highly educated and a fine surveyor,
divided this tract into lots, with streets and alleys, for the purpose of
erecting a town which be named and laid out after the city from which he came,
"Manheim." On this beautiful spot on the north bank of the Chickies Creek we
find the now Manheim of today, the finest and most healthful country town in
Pennsylvania, fashioned and shaped after the city whose name it bears beyond the
dark blue seas. The Baron's idle dreams of one hundred and thirty-four years ago
are slowly but surely maturing. When this town was founded there were only two
houses in it and these were little log structures. Stiegel himself was the
first to build a house on the ground laid out Work on this house was commenced early
in 1763, but it was not finished till 1765. It was erected on the northeast
corner of Market Square and East High street in the form of a large square; each
side was forty feet long made of red brick which were imported from England and
hauled from Philadelphia by the Baron's teams. This in all probability accounts
for the long time required in building. The plain neighbors called it a "Mansion"
also. This building had two floors. The second floor was divided into three
parts by halls; the half of it on the south side was arched and constituted the
famous " chapel " which contained a pulpit from which the Baron was wont to
teach to his working men and others at times the doctrines or the Lutheran faith
in the German language. The other half was divided into two apartments, front
and rear. The former had beautiful decorations of tiles with scriptural texts
and scenes about the mantles. The same division of rooms by hallways was had
down stairs; the great parlor was hung with tapestry on which were painted
hunting scenes, life-size, with falcons. Some of this tapestry is still in the
hands of Mr. Arndt, the present owner, but the largest part is safely in the
Pennsylvania Historical Society's rooms in Philadelphia. The mantles were also
adorned with beautiful blue tiles and heavy woodwork doors, wainscoating, etc.
This was the most handsome parlor in the community, excelled by verv few in the
city. Back of this room was the dining hall and back of it the kitchens. The
house was two-storied and on the roof surmounting the whole was the gigantic
cupola extending from chimney tb chimney, to which the workmen repaired to
entertain the Baron with sweet strains of music. Inside the house were found
remaining in after years the finest chinaware, telling of the high aspirations of
the people who once resided there. About the time this house was finished the
Baron brought his family from Philadelphia, to Elizabeth, this being a larger
place than Manheim.
Glass Works
The success at Elizabeth Furnace made the naturally enterprising Baron still
more so. It was quite evident to him that his embryonic town could not grow
without the stimulus of some industries. Consequently between the years 1765 and
1768 he erected a glass factory on the northwest corner of Stiegel and Charlotte
streets. This factory was so large that a four-horse team could easily turn
around in it and come out at the place of entrance. It was built of the same
imported brick, ninety feet high, in the shape of a dome. The manufacture of
glass was commenced In the latter part of the year 1768. (Early in this year he
gave a mortgage on his one-third of all the properties of the company, 14,078
acres of land, for 93,000 to Daniel Benezet). Skilled work-men were brought from
Europe to carry on the work. At this time this was the only glass factory in
America. In 1769 the factory was run to its fullest capacity, employing thirty-
five men. A very lnteresting agreement with a decorator can be seen in Mr.
Danner's relic room. The stipulations are that he shall do first- class work in
handpainting and receive L40 vearly, house roxit and firewood for said services.
The products of this factory were vases, sugar and finger bowls, salts, flasks,
pitchers, tumblers, wine glasses of every imaginable shape; toys and scores of
other articles were manufactured in various colors and handpainted. Much of this
superior glassware is still in existence, and quite a large part of it is in the
hands of relic hunters. This ware has a characteristic ring that puts all
imitations and impostors to shame. August 4, 1769, the Stedmans sold their
interest in the 769 acres upon which the town of Manheim stands to Isaac Cox,
who on February 1, 1770, sold the same to the Baron for L107 and ten shillings.
This gave him the sale ownership of Manheim. The Baron very soon after this
moved his family from Elizabeth Furnace to the stately mansion already
described, which he had completed five years before. At this time, 1769 and
1770, the Baron was considered one of the wealthiest and most influential men in
Pennsylvania. He had invested all of the L40,000 which he bad brought with him
from the old country in tracts of land in many parts of the State under the
title of the Stiegel Company. He had 200 to 300 men employed; Elizabeth Furnace
was in a flourishing condition. Stoves were sent out to all parts of the
inhabited country. The other furnaces and forges in which Stiegel had an
interest, as well as the glass factory, were run to their greatest capacity, the
glassware was carried into the markets of Boston, Philadelphia and New York.
Quite a goodly portion, fortunately, was sold about home. The Baron was
accumulating wealth which made him still more ambitious. He lived very
extravagantly and invested freely in almost anything to which his attention was
called by a friend. He was in the habit of inviting his city and country friends
to a banquet at the mansion at Elizabeth, or the chateau at Manheim. In 1769
George Washington was his guest while he lived at Elizabeth. The room in which
be slept is pointed out with great pleasure, to this day, by those who occupy
the mansion.
The Tower.
During the latter part of 1769, Stiegel built a
tower, or castio, on a hill near Schaefferstown, Lebanon county, Pa., five miles
north of Elizabeth Furnace. This hill is called to this day " Thurm Berg "
(Tower Hill). The tower was fifty feet square at the bottom and ten feet at the
top and seventy-five feet high, built solidly of heavy timber; some of the logs
are still preserved in the composition of an old barn in the immediate
vicinity. This tower was built for the purpose of entertaining his friends as
well as a place of safety. It consisted of several spacious banquet halls in
which the Baron banqueted his friends. It is said that every time he visited the
castle, or Elizabeth, his coming was announced in thundering tones from the
summit of Cannon Hill by the mouth or a signal gun, from which the "Hill" took
its name. This hill rises majestically to the height of about 600 feet, on the
north-east side of the site of Elizabeth Furnace, and is still known by this
name, or "Stick Berg. "
Characteristics
Baron Stiegel visited Europe at intervals on business. It is said that upon one
occasion he took the family with him. The account books at Charming Forge, now
in the archives of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, show that several times
he drew L1,000, an allowance, for a trip to England. It cannot be ascertained
that he ever returned to his native place even on these trips. While he lived In
Philadelphia and managed the works in this and adjoining counties. It was his
custom to start out in his chariot drawn by four spanking horses, of which he
was a great fancier. He was always suspicious of his surroundings, fearing that
some one might seek his life, consequently he never traveled without postillions
and a pack of hounds running ahead of his horses. The watchman stationed on
Cannon Hill, "Stick Berg," made the joyful announcement. At Manheim the workmen
gathered in the cupola of the chateau and played sweet strains on their well-
accorded instruments, the people flocked to the house and Stiegel entered the
town amid the strains of music, shouts of the inhabitants and the barking of
dogs. The Baron's appearance at each place was the signal for a good time all
around. The cannon also announced his departure for the city, as well as to the
distant charcoal burners and wood choppers; it meant pay day. The Baron's workmen
looked forward with great anticipation to these seasons. He treated his men
exceedingly well, and his presence was their highest joy. For those of his
workmen who were musically inclined he bought instruments and hired teachers. He
took great interest in their spiritual welfare, gathering them and others into
the chapel to his house and preached to them whenever opportunity offered. Some
of his hearers came fifteen miles on foot. Stiegel was a great public
benefactor. He held a note of L100 against the Lutheran congregation at
Schaefferstown. On one of his visits the behavior of those people toward him so
pleased him that he gladdened their hearts by drawing from his vest pocket the
note and handed it to the officers of the church to be reckoned against them no
more. To Zion's people of Manheim he gave the beautiful lot upon which the
church now stands for the sum of five shillings, to make the debt lawful, and
the annual rental of "one red rose" in the month of June, forever. The payment
of this rose is an occasion of great rejoicing in said church each year, a
monument to the noble Baron's memory more lasting than 10,000 towers erected
on old "Thurm Berg."
His Downfall
The Baron lived extravagantly and made a great display of wealth not warranted
by his income. The glass factory, which had cost so much, brought in meagre
returns; the market was too far off and the labor very expensive, as only high-
classed workmen were employed. A number of people preyed upon his generosity. It
is said that the Steadman's were his evil genii; their sanguinary proboscis had
a depleting effect, but this was only one of the factors that led on to
financial ruin and a prison cell. The impending Revolutionary War cloud that
overshadowed and stagnated every branch of business, added to his many human
leeches, proved too much for the once great Baron. On August 4,1774, he wrote
Judge Yeates of his, having done all to keep back the Sheriff, having as a last
resort pledged his wife's gold watch. Under date of October 14, written at
Manheim also, he addresses Honorable Jasper Yeates again, begging for some time
to get his goods to market:
To Jasper Yeates Esq.
Sir-- have been
awaiting your answer to my last price. Mr. Singer is come home but none we yet
received ; lot me there,'ore beg the favor ot you to send it hereby and, If
possible, prevail on Mr. Singer to sent me his answer to my last. I make no
doubt but if be was to come here wo could fall on a method that might serve me
and at the same time secure him and Mr. Stone. I remain in expectation of yr
hereby Your moat obliged Able Servant Henry Wm. Stiegel. Manheim, October I4,
1774.
About this time he wrote a remarkable prayer on the fly leaves of his hymn
book which bears the sanie distressed state of mind and soul of the letter which
he poured out in fervent supplication before a throne of grace. Although he made
a brave and madly effort to surmount his dileoultieii, he had to succumb to the
inevitable and shortly after the date of the last letter he was incarcerated.
Numerous efforts were made to keep him out of prison by the people of Lancaster,
Lebanon and Berks counties, but since they were nearly all poor and the
creditors inexorable they failed of their purpose. In this hour of trial and
great distress some of those rich Philadelphians whom the Baron so often
befriended and entertained so royally at his mansion refused to sacrifice a
single dollar to save his credit or his honor. A few, however, spent
considerable money in his behalf, but not sufficient to keep him out of prison.
The employes were very devoted to their employer and when they learned that he
was being east into prison for debt, wailing and lamentations were substituted
for the jollifications and feastings of bygone days. The once energetic
community must sink back into nothingness and obscurity for the want of
stimulation. The smoke ceased to curl along the valleys and over the hills from
the furnace and forge and glass factory, and the busy hum ivas buslied and a
foreboding silence indicated that life was extinct. On the 15th day of December
the Baron sent out a circular letter to each or his creditors, of which the
following is, a copy:
PHILADELPHIA, Dec.15, 1774
Please take notice that I have
applied to the Honorable. the House of Assembly, for a law to relieve my person
from Imprisonment. If you have any objections please to appear on Thursday next,
at 3 o'clock in the afternoon at the gaol in this city before the committee of
grievances. Your humble servant, "HENRY WM. STIEGEL.". To John. Brubacher.
On Christmas Eve. December 24, 177 Baron Stiegel stepped out of prison a free man.
He had in all probability never received such an appreciable Christmas gift as
this special Act of Assembly. His friends advanced him money and shortly after
his release, he started Elizabeth Furnace one more. All the Baron's interests
everywhere were in the hands of some one else and be was obliged to remove from
Manheim to Elizabeth. There was no more extravagant living on the Baron's part.
His costly outfit had been sold and he didn't try to replace it. His only hope
was that the faithful furnace would help him pay every dollar of his
indebtedness. The war broke out, to the utter dismay and discomfiture of the
well-minded Baron, for many of those debtors who withheld his money were among
the loyalists and their property was confiscated. Stiegel himself was for a time
charged with loyalism, which proved to be on the side of the colonies from first
to last in their great struggle for liberty and independence. A letter, written
to Judge Yeates, January 24, 1776 (now In the possession of Mr. George
Steinman), explains the distressing situation. Very soon thereafter large orders
for cannon, shot and shell for the patriotic army relieved the oppressed
condition. The furnaces were few in America, and these were taxed to their
fullest capacity for the production ini munitions of war. Stiegel made known to
the authorities that more power could be had by conducting the water from "Sur,
Loch"(Saw Hole)around the base of Cannon Hill to Furnace Run. The authorities
sent him a large number of Hessian Prisoners, captured at Trenton (it is said
200), to dig the desired canal, which was over a mile in length. Although the
water long since ceased to flow through this ditch, it is still plainly visible;
in some places the solid rocks have been severed to the depth of ten feet. This
digging took place in the winter and spring or 1777. Many of the Hessians
remained in this country and became good citizens, very notably, George and
John Biemesderfer. The former settled near Pennville, Lancaster county, the
latter in Lebanon county, from whom nearly all that excellent stock of
Biemesderfers sprang. The Baron was obliged to procur for the laborers. He
bought two steers and some wheat from Andreas Wiseler living near Clay and not
being able to pay for them he pledged his fine turtle shell cased gold watch and
failed to redeem it. About forty years ago it had come down to Mr. Aaron
Wissler, foundryman at Brunnerville, this county. He took it to Mr. Zahm,
jeweler, and traded it for a fine up-to-date watch. Mr. Zahm cast It into the
smelting pot. This watch had "H. Wm. Stiegel " and a rose engraved on the inside
of the lid. Toward the close of 1778 the government orders ceased, and the
creditors once more began pressing the Baron for money. He had made money on the
government orders but not enough to meet all his obligations. He struggled man-
fully against the tidal wave, but ruin and disaster came in its wake and the
great, manly Stiegel was overwhelmed. His great yearning and all-absorbing
thought was how be might satisfy all his creditors. At the close of this year,
1778, we find him penniless, nothing left save his education. He removed his
small belongings to the Lutheran parsonage at Brickerville, where he taught
school and surveyed land and preached. This combined effort gave him a beauty
living at the age of forty-eight, in the prime of life. Some of those who
formerly were employed by the Baron and for whose musical education he had paid,
now paid him a small sum per week to teach their children, and many who had
listened to his sermons years before now paid out of sympathy. In 1780 he was
privileged to occupy the Castle, in Schaefferstown. From the Castle, in which he
remained but a short time, he moved into a little one and a-half story tenement
house, which is still standing, in which he taught school. He carried his little
belongings to or near Charming Forge, in 1781, teaching school at Womelsdorf and
later quite close to the Forge, probably In his dwelling house. He was employed
for a, time as bookkeeper at the Forge. In 1782 his bosom companion went to
Philadelphia on a visit, to bar relatives and friends, took sick and died, and
the Baron never saw her again. This blow, added to his many misfortunes, caused
him to slowly pine away and in the following year, 1783, he died, at the age of
fifty-three, in the very prime of life, in the mansion at Charming Forge, and
was presumably buried on the family plot in the Lutheran graveyard at
Brickerville.
Children.
The Stiegel Descendants.
The children of Elizabeth Stiegel, wife of William Old, were:
William Old, Jr., of the third generation, married Elizabeth Nagel as above stated and
had the following children:
Jacob Stiegel, son of the Baron, had only one son, Jacob, who married Catherine
Brecht (or Bright), daughter of Michael Bright, of Reading, Pa., who had eight
children:
ELIZABETH STIEGEL'S TOMBSTONE.
This Stone to a Hard Brownstone, in an excellent
state of preservation, 5 feet 8 inches long, 2 feet 2 inches wide and 6 Inches
thick, resting on two upright stones, one at either, end of the width and
thickness of the slab. To the right of Mrs. Stiegel's tomb is that of James Old,
a grandchild, which can be read with the aid of a lens. Inscription.
Here rests
Elizabeth whose lifeless body is committed to the earth until Jehovah calls her
to another life. God has already freed the soul in the love and wounds of Jesus,
from the fetters and thralldom of sin. This Is the tribute which posterity pays
her memory. Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Huber, departed this life at the home
of her father. She was born 27th March, 1734, and was married the 7th November,
1752, to Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel; died February 3d, 1758.
A Singular Coincidence.
Elizabeth Furnace, started in 1757, was finally shut down in 1857,
after running exactly one hundred years. The church building which he helped to
erect in the town of which he is the founder, was razed the same year, 1857.