Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-08-20

Total, I06 81 l31
Charles Guss the grandiathe of the de-
ceased came to this country from Germany,
about 1850, and is the progenitor of all
bearing that name in the United States so
far as known. He lived in Vincent twp,
Chester county, and was school teacher
by profession. He soon acquired knowl-
edge of the English language, and wrote a
fine legible hand. Pastor Henry Melchoir
Muhleaberg, the Apostle of the American
Lutheran Church, IN his journal for 1853,
writes: son the 4th of August | received a
visit from Schoolmaster Guss, from Vim
cent, and had a conference concerning the
SCHOOL, In the report OF Pastor Hand
schuh to the Synod in June 1852, he says ::
sin Vincent township there is good school,
an excellent teacher and about sixty schol-
ars" These extracts are found in the Hal
hscte NachrIchfen, publication devoted to
the Missionary labors of the Lutheran min
iSters prior to the Revolutionary War.
Charles Guss died September list, 1875,
aged 90 years. His wife was Mary Skunk,
daughter OF Simon Skunk, whose wife was
a daughter of Conrad Sinner, who made
large donations to the Lutheran churches
on French creek. Mary Skunk, who Is said
to have been an aunt of the Governor of
that name, died in 1872, aged so years. She
and her husband are buried at Rhodes
Mennonite Meeting House, which was built
in 1850, near Spring City, in Chester coun-
ty. In the early German Lutheran churches
the schoolmaster stood next to the minister,
and, as was the custom in those days, Char
les Gu.s often officiated at religious meet
ings in the absence of the regular preacher.
By his family record, which has come down
to us in his own handwriting, we learn he
had two sons and five daughters. Two of
the daughters were married TO Conrad Hall
man, many of whose descendants are living
in Perry Co., among whom is editor Shelby,
of the Perry county Advocate. The sons
were named Charles, Sr., and Simon. The
children Charles, Jr., were Lewis, Casper,
Samuel, John, Chris lana, Sophia and Cath
arine. Descendants of Lewis are living in
Northern Indiana of Casper at Fremont,
o. OF John in Union county, and Louisia-
ma of Samuel in Berks county. and in the
west-among these is the wife of G.. L. Derr,
of Miffiintown. This branch Of the family,
though quite numerous, is much scattered
and to great extent lost sight of. The
children OF Simon Guss and his wife Bar
bara Knerr, both of whom are buried in the
Lutheran graveyard, in Mifflintown, were
as follows Henry, Samuel, ABRAHAM, Is
aac, Jacob, George, Elizabeth (Kerlin) and
William. These all reared families There
were also two other sons who died in their
Youth. Henry X nerr, father of Barbara,
came TO America poor boy and served his
time for his passage over the ocean with
one Conrad Selner. He was worth about
SO, 900 when he died. On one occ aston
Barbara Guss, the mother of the deceased,
went to Chester county for her interest on
the patfimony in her fathers estate, and on
her return brough: with her, tied on behind
the saddle on which she rode, two sweet
cherry trees, one red and the other black,
which were planted where Ephriam Guss
now lives, and were the first of the kind
planted in this region. They are yet kindly
remembered by boys and girls now well ad-
vanced in life. Simon Guss died in 1878
aged 45 years. His wife Barbara in ls43,
aged 15 years.
In 1915, Simon Guss, who was shoema-