VALLEY VIEW - As Civil War re-enactors cooked blueberry pancakes over a campfire Sunday morning and sunlight pierced the rising smoke, descendants of Sgt. Samuel Schwalm, a local veteran of that war, gathered to remember him by reciting some of the letters he wrote.
It was one of the highlights of the second day of the Hessian Heritage Day held over the weekend. The event is traditionally run by the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association, based in Scotland, Franklin County, and this year was the event's 40th anniversary celebration.
More than 90 people came to the event Saturday and more than 100 came Sunday, Ross Schwalm said.
Johannes Schwalm Historical Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching German auxiliary troops - generically called Hessian - who remained in the United States after the Revolutionary War and became citizens, according to the association's website at JSHA.ORG HomePage.
"JSHA was named in recognition of Johannes Schwalm, a Hessian, serving in von Knyphausen's Regiment, which along with other German auxiliary troops, was captured at the battle of Trenton. Thousands of German auxiliaries to the British Crown remained in America after the Revolution, and many, like Johannes, settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of Pennsylvania. JSHA was organized to pool information of several descendants who were (separately and unknown to each other) researching Johannes and his contemporaries," according to the website.
"We have directors from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and New York. It's a combination of history professors, German professors, retired military officers and people who just love the family," Ross Schwalm, a member of its board of directors, said.
Re-enactors performing Sunday included members of the 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company E, representing Union Soldiers, and Civil War re-enactors Fay and Barry Stocker, Klingerstown, who set up a Confederate camp. Mark Schlegel was part of the Stockers camp on Sunday.
"This used to be an old Schwalm farm years and years ago," Ross Schwalm said of Valley View Park, before he led the prayer service Sunday morning.
Today would have been Samuel Schwalm's 188th birthday.
He was born in Valley View on July 13, 1827. He served three years, one month and 10 days as a member of the 50th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company A, Schuylkill County. He died Feb. 25, 1903, according to his grave marker at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church Cemetery, Valley View.
Re-enactors, historians explore Hession heritage - News - The Citizen Standard
It was one of the highlights of the second day of the Hessian Heritage Day held over the weekend. The event is traditionally run by the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association, based in Scotland, Franklin County, and this year was the event's 40th anniversary celebration.
More than 90 people came to the event Saturday and more than 100 came Sunday, Ross Schwalm said.
Johannes Schwalm Historical Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching German auxiliary troops - generically called Hessian - who remained in the United States after the Revolutionary War and became citizens, according to the association's website at JSHA.ORG HomePage.
"JSHA was named in recognition of Johannes Schwalm, a Hessian, serving in von Knyphausen's Regiment, which along with other German auxiliary troops, was captured at the battle of Trenton. Thousands of German auxiliaries to the British Crown remained in America after the Revolution, and many, like Johannes, settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of Pennsylvania. JSHA was organized to pool information of several descendants who were (separately and unknown to each other) researching Johannes and his contemporaries," according to the website.
"We have directors from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and New York. It's a combination of history professors, German professors, retired military officers and people who just love the family," Ross Schwalm, a member of its board of directors, said.
Re-enactors performing Sunday included members of the 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company E, representing Union Soldiers, and Civil War re-enactors Fay and Barry Stocker, Klingerstown, who set up a Confederate camp. Mark Schlegel was part of the Stockers camp on Sunday.
"This used to be an old Schwalm farm years and years ago," Ross Schwalm said of Valley View Park, before he led the prayer service Sunday morning.
Today would have been Samuel Schwalm's 188th birthday.
He was born in Valley View on July 13, 1827. He served three years, one month and 10 days as a member of the 50th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company A, Schuylkill County. He died Feb. 25, 1903, according to his grave marker at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church Cemetery, Valley View.
Re-enactors, historians explore Hession heritage - News - The Citizen Standard
