Ralph Stover
Encyclopedia
Ralph Stover was born on January 10, 1760 and died November 7, 1811 on a farm in Tohickon, Pennsylvania. His father, Henry Stauffer, immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on September 9, 1749, and settled in Bedminster
on 23 acres (93,077.8 m²), purchased of William Allen
, June 12, 1762. The purchase of this land was recorded in the history of Bucks County, Pennsylvania
. Please see below this recording.
born in Germany, and married Barbara Hockman, landed at Philadelphia, September 9, 1749, and settled in Bedminster
on 23 acres (93,077.8 m²), purchased of William Allen
, June 12, 1762. Here
he lived and died, on the farm now, or recently owned by Joseph Sine. They had five children, Ulrich, Barbara, who died young, Henry, Jacob and Ralph.
Ulrich Stover (Stauffer) born July 16, 1750, eldest son of the immigrant, married Barbara Swartz and had seven children, Elizabeth, who died young, Mary married William Fretz, Henry, Abraham, Jacob, Andrew and Joseph. He died on the Tohickon
, Haycock Township, November 2, 1811, where his grandson, John Stover, now or recently, lived.
Henry Stover, second son of the immigrant, born July 9, 1754, married Elizabeth Fretz, [Tinicum], had children, Abraham, Catharine, Barbara, and Elizabeth, and died in Springfield
near Bursonville.
Jacob, the third son, born May 13, 1757, and died April 28, 1844, married Elizabeth Swartz, and by her had one child, and nine children by a second wife. He drove his father's team, a mere lad, when pressed into the service during the Revolution, first with Sullivan's cavalry, and then with the main army, under George Washington
, sometimes carrying his personal effects. He purchased the mill property on the Tohickon Creek
now known as "Myer's Roller Mill", December 27, 1784, and died there.
The most prominent members of the Stover family were Ralph, youngest son of Henry, the immigrant, and his eldest son, Abraham F. Stover. The former, born January 10, 1760, married Catharine, daughter of Abraham Funk, owned a farm on the Tohickon where the Easton road crosses that stream, and died there November 7, 1811. He was many years a Justice of the Peace, when a much more important office than now, and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
, 1793-99. While a member of Assembly, he had an act passed changing the name "Stauffer" to "Stover." His son Abraham F. Stover, born May 10, 1786, married Rachel Fretz, of [Warwick], and died 1854. He followed in his father's footsteps; was several years a [Justice of Peace] and [Surveyor], and three years a member of Assembly, 1817-1820; removed to Fauquier County, Virginia
, 1833, purchased a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm and died there. The late Ralph Stover, Point Pleasant
, was one of his children. A Christian Stauffer settled in Bedminster about the same period, and owned a farm on 181 acre (0.73248166 km²) there, but we do not know that he was a member of the same family.
The Stauffer/Stover family, according to tradition, had its origin in a generation of knights called Stauffacher, at Hohenstauen, in Suabia. The dynasty existed more than 130 years to 1268, when Conrad
, son and heir of Conrad IV
, was taken in battle and beheaded. The family now separated, and their elegant seat has never been reclaimed, one branch finding a home in America.
some of the first inhabitants of the area. "To-Hick-Hanne" means "Deer-Bone-Creek". Ralph Stover State Park
was the site of an 18th century gristmill
that was built on Tohickon Creek
by the park's namesake, Ralph Stover. Remnants of the mill and mill race
can still be seen near Tohickon Creek, Pennsylvania.
The Stover family gave their land to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1931. The recreational facilities were built during the Great Depression
by the Federal Works Progress Administration
created by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
to provide work for the unemployed. Author James A. Michener
donated the High Rocks area to the park in 1956. Although "High Rocks State Park" is listed in the United States Geological Survey
Geographic Names Information System
and the coordinates given in USGS GNIS are located here, it was never an official name according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
or a separate park.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on September 9, 1749, and settled in Bedminster
Bedminster Township, Pennsylvania
Bedminster Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,574 at the 2010 census. Bedminster is part of Pennridge School District.-Geography:...
on 23 acres (93,077.8 m²), purchased of William Allen
William Allen
- Politicians :* William Allen , Canadian politician from Toronto* William Allen , American congressman from Ohio* William Allen , American politician from Ohio...
, June 12, 1762. The purchase of this land was recorded in the history of Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. Please see below this recording.
The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Chapter XXXV, Bedminster, 1742
Henry StaufferHenry Stauffer
Henry Stauffer was born in Ibersheim, Germany on 1724 and died November 27, 1777. He immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 9, 1749, and settled in Bedminster on , purchased of William Allen, June 12, 1762. The purchase of this land was recorded in the history of Bucks County,...
born in Germany, and married Barbara Hockman, landed at Philadelphia, September 9, 1749, and settled in Bedminster
Bedminster Township, Pennsylvania
Bedminster Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,574 at the 2010 census. Bedminster is part of Pennridge School District.-Geography:...
on 23 acres (93,077.8 m²), purchased of William Allen
William Allen
- Politicians :* William Allen , Canadian politician from Toronto* William Allen , American congressman from Ohio* William Allen , American politician from Ohio...
, June 12, 1762. Here
Stover Mill
The Stover Mill is a historic mill in Erwinna, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It was built of Pennsylvania fieldstone by Henry Stover in 1832.The mill is unusual in that it takes its power directly from the Delaware River....
he lived and died, on the farm now, or recently owned by Joseph Sine. They had five children, Ulrich, Barbara, who died young, Henry, Jacob and Ralph.
Ulrich Stover (Stauffer) born July 16, 1750, eldest son of the immigrant, married Barbara Swartz and had seven children, Elizabeth, who died young, Mary married William Fretz, Henry, Abraham, Jacob, Andrew and Joseph. He died on the Tohickon
Stover-Myers Mill
The Stover-Myers Mill is a watermill located on the Tohickon Creek in Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The mill was built around 1800 and operated continuously until 1955. The mill was built by Jacob Stover and it used a...
, Haycock Township, November 2, 1811, where his grandson, John Stover, now or recently, lived.
Henry Stover, second son of the immigrant, born July 9, 1754, married Elizabeth Fretz, [Tinicum], had children, Abraham, Catharine, Barbara, and Elizabeth, and died in Springfield
Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,035 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.8 square miles , all of it land...
near Bursonville.
Jacob, the third son, born May 13, 1757, and died April 28, 1844, married Elizabeth Swartz, and by her had one child, and nine children by a second wife. He drove his father's team, a mere lad, when pressed into the service during the Revolution, first with Sullivan's cavalry, and then with the main army, under George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, sometimes carrying his personal effects. He purchased the mill property on the Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River. Located entirely in Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, it rises in Springfield Township and has its confluence with the Delaware at Point Pleasant. It is dammed to form the popular Lake Nockamixon....
now known as "Myer's Roller Mill", December 27, 1784, and died there.
The most prominent members of the Stover family were Ralph, youngest son of Henry, the immigrant, and his eldest son, Abraham F. Stover. The former, born January 10, 1760, married Catharine, daughter of Abraham Funk, owned a farm on the Tohickon where the Easton road crosses that stream, and died there November 7, 1811. He was many years a Justice of the Peace, when a much more important office than now, and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
, 1793-99. While a member of Assembly, he had an act passed changing the name "Stauffer" to "Stover." His son Abraham F. Stover, born May 10, 1786, married Rachel Fretz, of [Warwick], and died 1854. He followed in his father's footsteps; was several years a [Justice of Peace] and [Surveyor], and three years a member of Assembly, 1817-1820; removed to Fauquier County, Virginia
Fauquier County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 55,139 people, 19,842 households, and 15,139 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 21,046 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
, 1833, purchased a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm and died there. The late Ralph Stover, Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania
Point Pleasant is an unincorporated community in Tinicum and Plumstead Townships of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies on both sides of Tohickon Creek by the creek's confluence with the Delaware River; the creek is the dividing line between the townships...
, was one of his children. A Christian Stauffer settled in Bedminster about the same period, and owned a farm on 181 acre (0.73248166 km²) there, but we do not know that he was a member of the same family.
The Stauffer/Stover family, according to tradition, had its origin in a generation of knights called Stauffacher, at Hohenstauen, in Suabia. The dynasty existed more than 130 years to 1268, when Conrad
Conradin
Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...
, son and heir of Conrad IV
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
, was taken in battle and beheaded. The family now separated, and their elegant seat has never been reclaimed, one branch finding a home in America.
History of Ralph Stover State Park
Tohickon Creek was named by the LenapeLenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
some of the first inhabitants of the area. "To-Hick-Hanne" means "Deer-Bone-Creek". Ralph Stover State Park
Ralph Stover State Park
Ralph Stover State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Plumstead and Tinicum Townships, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is a very popular destination for whitewater kayaking on Tohickon Creek and rock climbing on High Rocks...
was the site of an 18th century gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
that was built on Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek
Tohickon Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River. Located entirely in Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania, it rises in Springfield Township and has its confluence with the Delaware at Point Pleasant. It is dammed to form the popular Lake Nockamixon....
by the park's namesake, Ralph Stover. Remnants of the mill and mill race
Mill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
can still be seen near Tohickon Creek, Pennsylvania.
The Stover family gave their land to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1931. The recreational facilities were built during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by the Federal Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
created by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to provide work for the unemployed. Author James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
donated the High Rocks area to the park in 1956. Although "High Rocks State Park" is listed in the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
and the coordinates given in USGS GNIS are located here, it was never an official name according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 117 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and...
or a separate park.