Homestead Cemetery Cleanup Day, 2025
Last weekend a new generation of Hagenbuchs visited the family homestead for the first time. Getting there, however, was a perfect example of Murphy’s Law. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong! We...
Tagged: Berks County
Finding the Hagenbuchs of Birdsboro
In January of 2023, we received a message from Joy Nairn inquiring about her Reichelderfer ancestors. The Reicheldersfers were neighbors of the Hagenbuchs in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and they lived at the...
Timothy Hagenbuch’s Taufschein for Maria Magdalena Friess
A few weeks ago, I was searching Google for a document related to our Hagenbuch family. I can’t remember exactly what I was looking for now, but I often use search engines to find...
The House Along the Allemaengel Road, Part 3
Where did Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715) build his house after settling upon the Hagenbuch Homestead property in 1741? For decades, my father, Mark, and I have pondered this question. In 2016, I summarized what...
Cemeteries, Sightseeing, Churches, and Family
A few weeks ago, my father, Mark, and I took a 300 mile day trip around central Pennsylvania. We had a full schedule of activities planned, including visits to historic sites, family churches, and...
The House Along the Allemaengel Road, Part 2
The people living in the Allemaengel were fed up. The main route leading to and from their homes had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was almost impassible. Haphazardly built when...
The House Along the Allemaengel Road, Part 1
On March 25, 1738, Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715) received a warrant for 200 acres of land in a corner of what is today Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. This place was the at edge...
Homestead Economics: Conclusion
This series of articles started with a question: What economic activities contributed to the success of the Hagenbuch Homestead in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania? Before beginning to write, I already had some ideas....
Homestead Economics: Distilling Liquor
Many early American farmers distilled their own liquor, not just for their own consumption but also for additional income. According to Mount Vernon, where George Washington ran a sizable distillery, the average Virginia distiller...
Homestead Economics: Crops, Livestock, and More
Of all the different economic activities at the Hagenbuch Homestead, agriculture was the most important and this only increased with time. After acquiring the homestead property in 1741, Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715, d. 1785)...
