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...
Tagged: Albany Township
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)...
When the Wolf Sisters Met the Hagenbuch Brothers
In his 1886 family history, Descendants of Andrew Hagenbuch, Enoch Hagenbuch (b. 1814) wrote the following: [Jacob Hagenbuch] married Magdalena Wolf, a sister of his brother Henry’s wife. Jacob’s wife was born April 29,...
Returning to the Hagenbuch Homestead and Cemetery
It’s been awhile since my father and I have visited the Hagenbuch Homestead in Albany Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The last time we were there was on a cold, winter’s day in January of...
Andreas Hagenbuch’s Sons-In-Law: Were They Soldiers?, Part 1
Between March and April of 2017, three articles were written about the Revolutionary War service of the patriarch Andreas Hagenbuch’s four sons: Henry (b. 1737), Michael (b. 1746), Christian (b. 1747), and John (b....
Homestead Economics: Leather Tanning
Life at the Hagenbuch Homestead stank—quite literally! By the early 1800s, the homestead had a sizable tannery, large enough to be recorded on at least one map of the area as the “Hagenbuch Tanyard.”...
Homestead Economics: Flax, Linen, and Other Fibers
In 18th-century America, before cotton was king, flax was the fiber that ruled the fields. Used to weave linen fabric, people depended upon quality flax for a number of textile products—shirts, tablecloths, breeches, sheets,...
