THE LAUFFER HISTORY

1906 Publication

                                        CHRISTIAN LAUFFER.

P. 117 Vol. XXVI., Penn'a Archives, 3rd Series. We are here informed that Nov. 13, 1771 Christian Lauffer bought 40 acres of land in the County of Northampton.

He was at this time a middle-aged man, with married sons and daughters. Within the next few years the migration into Westmoreland County carried several of his married children westward, and he followed in 1774 taking his whole family,  except Peter. He had six sons and five daughter.

Sons of Christian.                                                 Daughters of Christian.

Bartol.                                                                    Elizabeth.

Christian.                                                               Susanna.

Henry.                                                                    Catherine.

John.                                                                        Mary.

Peter.                                                                       Magdalenna.

Adam.                                                                     

Christian Lauffer was born in 1730 and died in 1800 (approximately).  He  is buried in the old Bash Cemetery, near Pleasant Unity, but no tombstone marks his grave. The early settlers had tombstones brought from across the mountains-300 miles over fearful roads. And when these were not secured, sandstone slabs with names and dates cut on with a chisel, were used as grave markers. These time soon effaced, hence our inability to know .his age, except, approximately, throught(sic) court house documents.

The privations and poverty of these early settlers was extreme.  Salt had to be brought from the East. Wheat had to be taken to the Mongahela to be ground, at first. The markets were far distant. The Indians troublesome. There was a constant struggle to pay for the land-and land hunger helped to keep him and his sons in poverty. 

We know from tradition (my grandfather, Jacob F,, heard it from his father, Henry, Jr.), (John, Jr., the centenarian from his father, John, Sr.), that Christian Laffer lived near Pleasant Unity, but from land transfers we do not know definitely which are his, and which are his son Christian's.

                                             THE LAUFFER HISTORY                          9                                          

From wills of Northampton County, p. 182, Will Book No. I, John Deter, Sr., of Morestown, under date of May 12, 1772, makes a will, leaving property to his wife and nine children. His son, John, is executor, and the witnesses are his  wife, Elizabeth, John Egodius, Adam Marsch, and Christian Laffer. Hence the

date 1774, as the year of his migration given us by the venerable John Lauffer, we accept as approximately correct.