Introduction: The Lepley family made and repaired muzzle loading firearms in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. There were at least four Lepley gunsmiths in Southampton Township, including Joseph, who ultimately moved to Ohio, where he had a gun shop and blacksmith shop. In Ohio, Joseph lived next to his brother Jacob, whose Ohio-born sons Valentine and William became gunsmiths and migrated to Iowa.
1812-1878: The book "The Reiber Genealogy and Related Families" by John R. Reiber indicates that Joseph Lepley was the son of Adam and Elizabeth (Horn) Lepley, and was born on November 26, 1812 in Southampton Township, Somerset County, moved to Ohio before 1850, and died January 10, 1878. The Reiber book also says that Joseph's first wife was Catherine "Polly" Korns, the daughter of (my ancestors) Daniel and Elizabeth (Reiber) Korns of Southampton Township, who died March 14, 1835. Click here for an 1877 document related to the estate of Daniel Korns, Sr. that proves Daniel Korns' daughter Catherine Korns was married to Joseph Lepley.
The 1949 book "The Genealogy of Michael Korns, Sr. of Somerset County Pennsylvania" by Charles B. Korns indicates that Catherine Korns, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Reiber) Korns of Southampton Township, married a Joseph Lepley. In a straight line, the residence of Daniel Korns, Sr. was about 1.1-miles southwest of the farmstead of Joseph's father Adam Lepley II. The present-day roads between the two farms are fairly direct, and the farms are within easy walking distance of each other.
1812-1878: The 1881 book "History of Knox County, Ohio" states that Joseph Lepley "was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, November 26, 1812, and emigrated to Ohio when a young man, locating in Butler township, where he resided until his death, January 10, 1878. He was married three times-to Catharine Korns, November 26, 1832; to Delilah Beal, May 29, 1836; and to Lydia Mossholder, February 28, 1846. He was the father of eleven children, viz; Joseph R. (sic), Elizabeth, Michael, Alonzo, Alpheus, Aaron, Hannah, Malona, Lloyd, Rhodinia, and Thaddeus, all of whom are living except Michael, who died at Chattanooga, Tennessee, April 23, 1864."
1812-1878: I found a book about Knox County Obituaries in the Ohio section of the Clayton Library in Houston, Texas that mentioned Joseph Lepley, but I forgot to write down the title. The synopsis of the obituary of Joseph Lepley indicates he was born in Somerset County, PA in 1812, resided in Butler Township, Knox County, was married and had children, came to Knox County in 1842, and died in January of 1878.
1835-1880: The Warren Township section of the 1880 book "History of Poweshiek County, Iowa" includes the following biographical information about Joseph and Catherine (Korns) Lepley's son Joseph Korns Lepley: "LEPLEY, J. K. — Farmer and stock-raiser, section 26, P.O. Victor. Was born March 13, 1835, in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where he lived on a farm with his grandparents (his mother having died when he was one day old), attending school in winter, till 1851. In 1851 he went to Knox county, Ohio, where his father lived, and there engaged in farming till the spring of 1859, when he came to Iowa and resumed the tilling of the soil, and in the spring of 1861 bought and settled where he now lives and owns 160 acres of well improved land. Joseph, his father, died in Ohio, January 10, 1878, aged sixty-five. Mr. L. was married, August 19, 1861, in Brooklyn, to Mrs. Margaret Jane Manatt, a resident of Warren township, who was born May 12, 1826, in Ohio. She had five daughters by a former marriage; Mary Ann (born September 6, 1845; now the wife of John Harding, of this township), Sarah Jane (born December 12, 1846; now the wife of George Winchester), Eliza I. (born January 29, 1849; now the wife of George Dunn, of Colorado), Jemima (born December 22, 1851; died March 13, 1874; was the wife of John Nikerk) and Amanda S. (born May 6, 1854; now the wife of S. Gormer, of Victor). By this union there is one son, John B. T. (born October 2, 1862) and one daughter, Flora E. (born July 30, 1865)."
1813- 1835: A tombstone at the Lepley Cemetery, which is on the old Samuel Lepley farm that is now owned by one of my cousins, states "IN MEMORY OF CATHERINE LEPLEY, Wife of Joseph Lepley. Born March 20, 1813. Depardet (sic) this life March 14, 1835." Click here to see a picture of her tombstone.
1840: Adam Lepley and Joseph Lepley are enumerated in the following excerpt from the Southampton Township portion of the manuscript 1840 census records of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The occupation of Joseph Lepley is in the category of manufacturing and trades. As shown farther below, a map in the 1871 "Atlas of Knox County Ohio" illustrates a gunsmith shop and a blacksmith shop on the farm of Joseph Lepley.
1840: According to the 1991 book "The Reiber Genealogy and Related Families", Adam and Elizabeth (Horn) Lepley's son Joseph Lepley was living in Southampton Township of Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1840. This is harmonious with the 1840 census record that is included above.
1842: The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties" indicates that an individual named Joseph Lepley was a gunsmith in Southampton Township of Somerset County during the 1842 to 1867 time period. If that is based on Southampton Township tax records, I believe that an 1842 record could relate to Joseph Lepley, Sr., but I do not know who an 1867 record could relate to.
1845: Delila (Beal) Lepley is buried in the Campbell Cemetery in Butler Township, Knox County, Ohio. Her tombstone inscription states, "DELILA, Wife of JOSEPH LEPLEY DIED Aug. 18, 1845, Aged 29 y. 7 m, & 8 days." Page 101 of the 1949 book "The Genealogy of Michael Korns, Sr. of Somerset County Pennsylvania" indicates that the parents of Joseph Lepley's wife Delilah (Beal) Lepley were John Beal and (my ancestor) Michael Korns, Senior's daughter Mary Magdaline Korns.
1846: The marriage record of Joseph and Lydia Lepley, which is signed by E. W. Cotton, states "The State of Ohio, Knox County, ss, I HEREBY CERTIFY, That on the 27th day of February A. D. 1846, Mr. Joseph Lepley and Miss Lydia Mossholder were legally joined in marriage, by me, a Justice of the peace, in & for said County Given under my hand, this 27 day of February A. D. 1846."
1850: In the 1850 census record of Butler Township, Knox County, Ohio the Joseph Lepley household consists of only 37-year-old Joseph and his 32-year-old wife Lydia. Both are listed as being Ohio born, but it seems more likely that Joseph was born in Pennsylvania. The next household on the page is that of Joseph's brother Jacob, whose sons William and Valentine became muzzle loader gunsmiths (see below).
1850: 16-year-old Pennsylvania-born Joseph K. (Korns) Lepley appears in the household of my ancestor Daniel Korns, Sr. in the 1850 census records of Southampton township. Joseph K. Lepley is the son of Joseph and Catherine (Korns) Lepley. Catherine died shortly after the birth of Joseph K. Lepley, and Joseph K. Lepley was left behind with his maternal grandparents when his father moved west. In other words, the son "Joseph R." who is listed in the 1881 book "History of Knox County, Ohio" should have been listed as "Joseph K."
1856-1929: The death certificate of Lloyd Lepley indicates he was born in Knox County, Ohio on January 4, 1856, his parents were Pennsylvania-born Joseph Lepley and Ohio-born Lydia Mossholder, and he died on March 13, 1929. I suspect the 1856 year of birth is incorrect (too early) based on the 2-year-age listed in the 1860 census.
1860: In the 1860 census record of Butler Township, Knox County, Ohio, the Joseph Lepley household members are 48-year-old Joseph Lepley, 36-year-old Lydia Lepley, 13-year-old Michael Lepley, 11-year-old Alonzo Lepley, 10-year-old Phebe Lepley, 6-year-old Alpheus Lepley, 7-year-old Joseph Lepley, 6-year-old Aaron Lepley, 5-year-old Hannah Lepley, 3-year-old Walana Lepley, 2-year-old Lloyd Lepley, 18-year-old Alexander Masholder, and 70-year-old Catherine Aplelgate. Joseph is listed as Pennsylvania-born. Lydia and all of the Lepley children are listed as being Ohio-born. The Ohio births of children ranging in age from 2 to 13 suggest that Joseph Lepley was living in Ohio in the circa 1847-to-1858 timeframe.
1860: The obituary of Rodina (Lepley) Farmer that was published in the December 6, 1913 issue of the "Evening Times-Republican" indicates that Rodina Lepley was born in Knox County, Ohio on September 24, 1860. Rodina was a daughter of Joseph and Lydia Lepley.
1862: Calculating from the 1870 census records and his obituary, Thaddeus Lepley was born sometime between June 7, 1862 and September 30, 1862. The obituary of Thaddeus Lepley indicates he was an expert machinist.
1870: In the 1870 census record of Butler Township, Knox County, Ohio the Joseph Lepley household consists of 57-year-old Joseph Lepley, 52-year-old Lydia Lepley, 19-year-old Alpheus Lepley, 15-year-old Aaron Lepley, 16-year-old Hannah Lepley, 14-year-old Malana Lepley, 13-year-old Lloyd Lepley, 9-year-old Rhodinia Lepley, and 7-year-old Thadeus Lepley. Joseph is listed as Pennsylvania-born. Lydia and all of the children are listed as being Ohio-born. The Ohio births of children ranging in age from 7 to 19 suggest that Joseph Lepley was living in Ohio in the circa 1852-to-1863 timeframe. The next household on the census sheet is that of Jacob and Margaret Lepley, who had two sons (Valentine and William) who became muzzle loader gunsmiths.
In reference to Jacob and Margaret Lepley of Knox County, Ohio, the biography of George Lepley in the 1911 book "Past and Present of Hardin County Iowa" states that they "...were natives of Pennsylvania, and came to Knox county when it was almost unsettled and took up heavy timber land, which Mr. Lepley cleared and improved and on which they lived until their deaths."
1871: The following image is from the Butler Township map in the 1871 "Atlas of Knox County Ohio". It shows a gunsmith shop and a blacksmith shop on the farm of Joseph Lepley. It also shows the adjacent farm of Josph Lepley's brother Jacob. That Jacob Lepley was the father of the gunsmiths Valentine and William Lepley, who ultimately moved to Iowa.
1878: As noted above, various sources indicate that Joseph Lepley died on January 10, 1878.
1885: According to the 1991 book "The Reiber Genealogy and Related Families", Joseph Lepley's third wife Lydia Mossholder died on February 22, 1885.
Based on the information above, Joseph Lepley of Butler County, Ohio was not the same individual who reportedly appears in the Somerset County tax records as a gunsmith in the 1863 to 1874 timeframe.
The mystery Joseph Lepley, Somerset County, Pennsylvania gunsmithIntroduction: A 1960 book mentions a Somerset County gunsmith named Joseph Lepley in the 1863, 1867 and 1874 tax lists.
1860: I looked through the 1860 manuscript census records of Southampton Township several times and did not see a listing for Joseph Lepley.
1863-1874: Chapter 8 of the 1960 book "The Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle" by Henry Kauffman has an alphabetical list of Pennsylvania gunsmiths that mentions Joseph Lepley of Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania as being included in the 1863, 1867 and 1874 tax lists. The only individuals from Southampton Township named Joseph Lepley that I am aware of were not living in Southampton Township in the 1863-1874 timeframe. I did see a Lepley individual with the middle initial "J" in the Southampton Township census records, but I don't know if that is relevant.
1870: I carefully looked through the 1870 manuscript census records of Southampton Township four times and could not find a listing for an individual named Joseph Lepley.
Jacob Lepley's gunsmith sons Valentine and William LepleyThe following excerpt is from the 1912 book "Past and Present of Knox County Ohio". It reveals that Valentine and William Lepley are sons of Jacob Lepley, grandsons of Adam Lepley II of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and great-grandsons of Adam Lepley I, who died in 1831 and is buried in Knox County, Ohio. Jacob Lepley is buried at the Campbell Cemetery in Knox County, Ohio. One can reasonably believe that the presence of his grandfather Adam Lepley I in Knox County had some influence on Jacob Lepley's decision to move there.
One has to be careful when researching the Knox County Lepley families. Pages 106 and 107 of the 1902 book "The Biographical Record of Knox County, Ohio" tell of another Jacob Lepley who immigrated to Knox County, Ohio and had a son named William. That William Lepley died in a sawmill accident in Knox County.
1826: Baldwin's 1993 book "Some Notes, Quotes and Quips of the Hoyman Clan and Related Lines" indicates that Jacob and Margaret (Hoyman) Lepley's son Valentine Lepley was born on January 22, 1826 and resided in Hardin County, Iowa with his wife Margaret Scott.
1829-1903: Baldwin's 1993 book "Some Notes, Quotes and Quips of the Hoyman Clan and Related Lines" indicates that Jacob and Margaret (Hoyman) Lepley's son William Lepley was born on July 6, 1829, was married to Roda Harrington, and died on June 14, 1903.
1848: In 2018, Larry Yantz sent photos of a rifle attributed to Valentine Lepley and a rifle attributed to William Lepley to me. The photos appear to be from a publication. The barrel on the rifle attributed to Valentine Lepley is engraved "V. L. No. 45. 1848". It is a full-stocked rifle with a beautiful and highly distinctive BEDFORD COUNTY STYLE percussion hammer, and stock lines and a trigger guard that would look at home on a Bedford or Somerset County rifle. It also has a uniquely styled hand-forged lock plate.
The "No. 45" on the rifle is surprising because Valentine Lepley was only 22-years old in 1848. Could he have really made 45 rifles by age 22? In an article titled "Hoosier Gunsmith" in the March, 1947 issue of "Muzzle Blasts" the elderly son of a different muzzleloader gun maker (not Lepley) recalled that it only took his father about a week to make an over-under combination rifle and shotgun using commercial barrels and locks, and recalled his father made around 25 guns per year in his peak years.
If the rifle was really made by Valentine Lepley, it raises the question of how did a person who was born in Ohio come to make Bedford-style rifles, and who did he learn to make rifles from? Since I have not encountered information suggesting that Valentine's father Jacob was a gunsmith, it seems likely that Valentine and William Lepley learned gunsmithing from their uncle and next-door Knox County, Ohio neighbor Joseph Lepley.
The rifle attributed to William Lepley has a shad-belly half-stock, and both his and Valentine's rifles have the same eagle and Bowie knife inlays inset into the cheek piece side of the butt stock. Both rifles also have heart inlays, but the hearts vary in position and size from one rifle to the other.
1849: The manuscript Holmes County, Ohio marriage records indicate that Valuntine (sic) Lepley and Margaret Scott were married on May 31, 1849.
1850: The 1850 federal census records of Monroe Township, Coshocton County, Ohio list Valentine Lepley as a 24-year-old gunsmith, and list William Lepley as a 20-year-old gunsmith. Coshocton County is next to Knox County.
1850: I could not find Valentine Lepley or William Lepley on the Monroe Township portion of the 1850 Becker "Map of Coshocton County, Ohio", which identifies landowners. There are tracts illustrated in the northeast corner of Monroe Township that are labeled "J Lepley's hrs".
1854: In reference to two children of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lepley of Knox County, Ohio the biography of George Lepley in the 1911 book "Past and Present of Hardin County Iowa" states, " in 1854 Valentine and George Lepley drove through from Ohio to Union township, Hardin county, Iowa, and there took up wild land, which they cleared."
1856: In the 1856 Iowa census of Union Township, Hardin County, Valentine is enumerated as a 30-year old gunsmith, born in Ohio, who had been residing in Iowa one year.
1857: The Iowa death certificate of Mrs. Lina Bushman indicates that she was born on August 18, 1857 in Union, Iowa and her parents were Ohio-born Valentine Lepley and Margaret Scott. Lina died on October 13, 1929.
1860: Click here to see the listings for Valentine and William Lepley in the 1860 census records of Union Township, Hardin County, Iowa.
1862-1865: A typed record of the Department of Iowa of the Grand Army of the Republic organization indicates that William Lepley was born on July 6, 1829 in Ohio, died June 14, 1903 in Union Iowa, and is buried in the Shepard Cemetery in Gifford, Iowa. The record indicates that William Lepley was a Private in Company F of the 32nd Iowa Infantry, enlisting on August 15, 1862 and mustering out on August 24, 1865 in Clinton, Iowa.
1875: Click here to see the yellow-highlighted locations of various Lepley properties on the Union Township map in the 1875 "Atlas of Hardin County, Iowa", including the V. Lepley (Valentine Lepley) and W. Lepley (William Lepley) properties.
1885: Click here to see the listing for the Valentine Lepley household in the 1885 Iowa state census records.
1892: Click here to see the green-highlighted locations of the Valentine Lepley and William Lepley properties on the Union Township map in the 1892 "Plat book of Hardin County, Iowa". Other Lepley properties are shown, but not highlighted.
1903: William Lepley, a veteran of the Civil War, is buried at the Sheppard Cemetery in Hardin County, Iowa. His tombstone marking states, FATHER WILLIAM LEPLEY JULY 6, 1829, JUNE 14, 1903, SERVED IN THE WAR 1861-65 CO. F. 32ND IOWA INFT. VOL." Click here to see the obituary of William Lepley that was published in the June 16, 1903 issue of the "Evening Times-Republican" newspaper of Marshalltown, Iowa.
1913: Valentine Lepley died in 1913 and is also buried in the Sheppard Cemetery in Hardin County, Iowa. The top of his tombstone states, "LEPLEY" and the front states,"VALENTINE 1826-1913 MARGARET HIS WIFE 1831-1912".
Work product:
A signed Joseph Lepley percussion rifle
For biographical information about other Somerset & Bedford county gunsmiths, visit the Gunsmith Index.
Go to the Korns family genealogy home page
