The Old Reed Cemetery

In the

Quakake Valley

In Packer Twp., Carbon Co., Pa.

 

The cemetery known as the Reed Cemetery probably contains no members of the Reed family.  Abandoned for at least 70 years, it was given this name because it is located on land once owned by the Reed family.  It is also known as the Horn, Steward and Gerhard Cemetery.  Located on private property in the West End of Packer Township, it is within a small stand of woods, a windbreak between fields.  There may be twice as many burials as shown on this list, but some of the stones may have been taken, buried, or broken beyond recognition.  Some small stones only have initials on them, including an "H" for the second initial, which may indicate Hinkles or maybe Horns are buried here.  This is probably the oldest cemetery in the valley and among the oldest in the county. 


 

SURNAME

GIVEN NAME

BORN

DIED

AGE

GRAVESTONE INSCRIPTION

NOTES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EROH

CHARLES F.

1858/03/20

1877/06/21

19-03-01

"Son of Joel and Mary Eroh"

 

EROH

MARY

1823/08/04

1873/04/13

49-08-09

Wife of Joel Eroh; Stone Erected by her Daughters Mary and Susan

 

EROH

ELIZA CATHERINE

1859/12/24

1869/12/10

09-11-16

Daughter of Jacob and Mary Mace

 

GERHARD

SARAH ELIZ.

1871/06/08

1871/12/11

00/06/03

"Daughter of Jonas & Elizabeth Gerhard"

Daughter of Jonas and Eliz. Bachart Gerhard 

GERHARD

ASA FRANKLIN

1864/07/01

1880/02/05

15/07/04

"Son of Jonas & Elizabeth Gerhard"

Son of Jonas and Eliz. Bachart Gerhard 

GERHARD

REUBEN

1828/05/01

1829/04/15

00/11/15

"Son of Daniel and Elizabeth Gerhard" (There are two stones with the identical info, one hand made)

Son of Daniel & Eliz. Heil Gerhard

GERHARD

DANIEL

1781/09/13

1860/02/29

78/05/16

 

 

GERHARD

ELIZABETH

1789/04/27

1868/12/31

79-08-04

 

Very worn, dates uncertain

GERHARD

Baby boy

1851/12/31

1851/12/31

 

"Sohnlein (baby boy) of Jonas & Elizabeth Gerhard"

 

H.

G.

1834

1834

 

 

 

H.

D.

?

1835/03/??

 

"BGD 15..."

Very worn

MACE

JACOB

1821

1904

 

 

Mace plot

MACE

MARY

1821

1905

 

 

Mace plot

MACE 

EMMA

1849

1939

 

 

Mace plot

No name or initials

 

 

1797/10/27

 

 

Possibly the grave stone of Philip Hoffecker

STEWARD

PAUL

1858/03/06

1858/04/03

 

"Son of David L. & Rebecca Steward"

 

STEWARD

JULIANNA

1785/02/17

1830/03/24

45/01/07

"Wife of Captain David Steward""Born in Oley Twp., Berks Co., Died in Rush Twp., Schuylkill Co."

Very worn, dates uncertain

STEWARD

DAVID

1778/12/12

1861/02/06

82/01/21

"Born in Alsace Twp., Berks Co., Died Rush Twp., Schuylkill Co."

Very worn, dates uncertain

TRUMBOR

CATARINA

1782/06/18

1822/06/19

 

 

Surname may be an early spelling of Drumbor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information on the Quakake Valley...

George Klees and Daniel Heil were the first white settlers in the Quakake Valley, arriving around 1790.  Crossing the Blue Mountain from Berks County, they came north following a road that had been built to a point a few miles south of present day Tamaqua. From there, they forged their own road to the Quakake Valley, where they built the valley's first sawmill.  The valley was heavily forested, and that became the first industry of the settlers.  The sawmills that dotted the region were soon joined by gristmills, once the cleared land was set to plow.  Later settlers followed the road cut by Klees and Heil, while other settlers came from the valley of the Lehigh River, following the course of the Indian's Warrior's Path, which later was used for the Lehigh and Susquehanna Turnpike.  Other settlers came down from Luzerne Co. in the north. The forests soon were relegated to the mountaintops and deep ravines, while the broad valley of the Quakake Creek became rich farmland. Though some industry came into the valley, the valley was, and remains, primarily farmland.

David Steward was born in Alsace Twp., Berks Co., according to his stone, though other sources say he was born in Edinborough, Scotland. Family legend has it that when David was a child in Alsace, he and his mother went to the market. Returning home, they found their family killed by Indians.
   David married 
Julianna Swoyer, who was born in Pricetown, Oley Twp., Berks Co., and they moved north to Rush Twp. in Schuylkill Co. about 1829.  David and Julianna both died in Rush Twp.  They were the parents of eight children.  They included Julianna (mar. Jonas Merkle), Reuben, Daniel David (mar. Rebecca Gottshalk), Lydia (mar. John Steiner), Christiana (mar. Edward Gangwer), Joseph (mar. Maria Leigh of Germany), Matilda (mar. Joel Gerhard), and David Jacob (mar. Rosina Neifert).  "Steward" appears to be the original spelling of the name, though two of David's sons changed the spelling to "Stewart".  Joseph Steward and his descendants mostly stayed with the original spelling.  His son, David L. Steward, who married Rebecca Gerhard, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Heil) Gerhard, were the parents of Paul Steward buried in the Reed Cemetery.

Daniel Gerhard was a son of Mathias Gerhard and Anna Yeakel, who came to the Quakake Valley around 1790.  Daniel married Elizabeth Heil, daughter of Daniel Heil, who pioneered settlement in the Quakake Valley.    They had about 9 children:  Benjamin (mar. Sarah Santee), Joel (mar. Matilda Steward, a daughter of David and Julianna), Hannah (mar. Ephraim Balliet), Daniel (mar. Molly Neifert), Elizabeth, Susanna, Mary (mar. Jacob Mace), Jonas (mar. Elizabeth Bachart, daughter of Jacob and Rebecca Bachart), Sarah, Solomon B. (mar. Matilda Romig, daughter of Benjamin and Julia Romig, who first settled the site where Weatherly would be), the father of Jefferson Gerhard, Reuben (very likely a twin brother of Solomon’s, Reuben died before his first birthday), and Rebecca (mar. David L. Steward, son of Joseph and grandson of David and Julianna Steward).

According to local legend, Philip Hoffecker, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, was buried here in the late 1790s after being murdered on his way to Wilkes Barre. According to Hoffecker family history, robbers killed him in October of 1795. Though the family was not able to retrieve his body, they erected a monument to him in the family plot in Chester County. The stone found with the inscription of the date 10/27/1797 could be his burial place. The fact there are no intitials or names (even the stones of children usually had at least their initials engraved) may indicate the person buried there was not known, as in the victim of foul play.

 

 

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Page, text and research

by

Jack Sterling

2001