There is Something About Rough and Ready: A History of the Village at the Heart of the Mahantongo Valley

by Lawrence Knorr, Steve E. Troutman, Elaine Moran

The little village of Rough and Ready in Upper Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, PA is set in the center of the Mahantongo Valley, famous for its Pennsylvania Dutch culture -- especially the painted furniture. This book focuses on the social history of the village, anchored by information from the 1850 census and Salem Reformed Church cemetery records. This was the famous Isaac F Stiehly's church and most of the families mentioned were in his congregation. The book contains hundreds of photos, most over 100 years old, of life in the Valley.

Table of Contents:

The Origins of Rough and Ready

The 1850 Census in Upper Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

The Old Man

Knorr and Stiely Connections

The Monroe and Harvey Stiely Mill

Maurers of the Mahantongo Valley

Manasses Maurer Family

Caroline Gonser, Indian Maiden of Creek Town, Rough and Ready, Upper Mahantongo Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Steve Rebuck Visits the Mahantongo Valley 24th August, 2010

Daniel A. Maurer Homestead and Stine's Hotel at Rough & Ready, PA

The Maurer Blacksmiths of Hepler

The Daniel Klinger Ramberger Family

Ancestors of the Rambergers

Jacob Ramberger (1802-1854) md. Catherine Klinger (1802-1871)

A Visit to the Jacob and Clara Ramberger Farm, June 18, 2011

Jacob and Clara Ramberger Farm Painting by Leroy Drumheller

Ramberger Anecdotes

Rough and Ready Band - 1906

Zerfings School, 1907

Ramberger Photo Gallery

Ramberger Conclusion

Henry Ramberger of Rough and Ready

The Gold Mine in the Leck Bush near Rough and Ready, PA

The Herb Family of Rough and Ready

Something About Rough and Ready and the Emergency Militia Henry B. Clark - Farmer and Defender of Freedom

Indians in Rough and Ready along Beisel's Run

Beisel Homestead near Rough and Ready

Erdman Family History

Indian Incursions in the Mahantongo Valley

On the Baums, Herbs and Schlegels

Frederick Stein Schwalm: Civil War Veteran, Justice of the Peace, Molly Maguire Jury Member

Something about the Heplers

Something about the Bensingers

Something about the Wolfgangs

George and Elizabeth Wolfgang

The Story of My Life by Bessie May Schadel Bowman

Klingers in the 1850 Census

Snyders in the 1850 Census

Ray Davis Recalls Rough and Ready of the Past

Simmy Court House Records

Simmy and Associated Colored Family Vital Records

Salem Church Photo

Knorr Family Heritage

John H. Knorr Land

A Winter Market Day

Interview with Willard and Joyce Kahler of Old State Road, Rough and Ready, Pa.

Klinger Farms, Rough and Ready, Pa.

Picture Gallery

PA German Fraktur, including a hand drawn, Riderless Horse and a handwritten German Script Prayer

Appendix 1: Researching Economic Life in the Mahantango Valley: A 19th Century Pennsylvania German Community

Appendix 2: SALEM CHURCH CEMETERY UPPER MAHANTANGO TWP., SCHUYLKILL CO. L.R.53047. JULY 25, 1980

Appendix 3: 1850 Census UPPER MAHANTANGO TWP., SCHUYLKILL CO. Heads of Households

Appendix 4: 1850 Census UPPER MAHANTANGO TWP., SCHUYLKILL CO. Most Common Surnames

290 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2012

About the author

Lawrence Knorr has authored or co-authored over 20 books, mostly on history or biography. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the Sons of the American Revolution, and numerous other historical organizations. He enjoys most writing about the formerly famous and his beloved Pennsylvania Dutch culture. He is a lifetime Penn State alum.