Introduction
1745-1831: The biography of Joseph M. Lepley in the 1911 book "Past and Present of Hardin County Iowa" states, "Adam Lepley ... died on August 28, 1831, at the age of eighty-six years and six months, in Knox county, Ohio; Barbara, his wife, died on April 17, 1842, at the age of Eighty-seven. They are buried in the cemetery now called Whitney or Bethel on the west side of Job Lepley's farm in Knox county, Ohio, and the body of Adam Lepley was the first laid away in that cemetery."
Adam Lepley I and his wife Barbara Lepley share a modern looking tombstone at the Bethel Cemetery in Knox County, Ohio. The tombstone lists Adam's lifetime as 1745 to 1831 and lists Barbara's lifetime as 1755 to 1842. Marguerite (Lepley) Cockley's 1981 "Lepley Family in America" reports that the original tombstones were inscribed as follows:
"ADAM LEPLEY
BARBARY, wife of ADAM LEPLEY
Click here to read a transcript of a handwritten family record that was prepared by Adam Lepley II of Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1753: The following information is from page 546a of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". I have converted the information to bullet points, to make it easier to understand:
"The first representative of the Lepley family in America came from Germany, accompanied by three sons, Michael, Jacob and Adam, and settled in Eastern Pennsylvania.
This 1884 account is slightly garbled, as sometimes happens with stories passed down from one generation of a family to another. Michael Lepley was not killed at Bloody Run. Instead, he was killed near Fort Freeland in what is now Snyder County. Other sources, including a different page in the 1884 book, report that the maiden name of the wife of Adam Lepley II was Horn, rather than Hover. Some Lepley researchers have stated their belief that Jacob lived out his life in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
1770: The biography of Eli Manuel Lepley in the 1911 book "Past and Present of Hardin County Iowa" tells the story of Adam Lepley I as follows, "Adam Lepley, grandfather of the subject, was a native of Germany, and with two brothers came to the United States in 1770 and settled in Somerset county, Pennsylvania. The two brothers were killed by Indians. Adam married and became the father of eight sons and two daughters. At an early day he walked through to Knox county, Ohio, leading a pack horse, and took up wild land. This he improved and was a farmer until his death."
As far as I can determine, only one of the brothers of Adam Lepley I was killed by Indians.
1771-1779: The following description of the Fort Freeland affair is from the 1877 book "Annals of Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania 1755 — 1855":
"26th April, Michael Lepley, of Penn's township, aged 41, killed at Fort Freeland. Jacob Speese, in a certificate dated the 26th of June, 1786, states that he was stationed therewith a party of militia. He was a lieutenant in command, and on the request of Mr. McKnight, he sent a guard of six men to go with him to his plantation, a short distance from the fort.
Aaron K. Gift, Esquire, of Middleburg, furnished me with the following narrative of this occurrence, as related by his grandfather, Jeremiah Gift, who died at an advanced age, in 1843. The Gift, Herrold, and Lepley families came to Middle Creek valley in the year 1771. John Adam Gift, (great-grandfather of A. K.,) settled on the left bank of Middle creek, three miles west of where Middleburg now stands ; owned and occupied the farm now owned by John H. Walter. His three sons were Jacob, Anthony, and Jeremiah. The militia were then drawn in classes. Jacob had been drawn, and served a tour in the eastern part of the State. The lot in 1779 fell upon John Adam, the father. Jacob insisted on serving in his stead. Michael Lepley and _____ Herrold were drawn at the same time. They were stationed at Fort Freeland, near which lived a family named McKnight, father and son. They secured a guard consisting of fourteen persons, among whom were Jacob Gift, Michael Lepley, and Herrold, to go to milk their cows. The cows were driven into a pen, and while milking, they were surprised by a party of thirty Indians, who fired upon them. They were so completely surprised, they could make very little resistance. Lepley, with others, and old Mr. McKnight, were killed. Herrold ran for the fort. As he ran along a field which sloped towards the fort, the soldiers in the fort heard the report of a rifle, and saw him fall, and an Indian scalp him. Jacob Gift also tried to make his escape, but was overtaken. When the pursuing soldiers came up, they found evidence of a hard fight; the ground was bloody, his rifle broken in pieces, and himself tomahawked and scalped. He had sold his life as dear as possible. Young McKnight was the only one who escaped. He jumped Warrior run, and a tomahawk struck the top rail of the fence just after he cleared it. He was the only one left to tell the tale. Upon Jacob Gift's father the stroke fell heavy. He said, 'It was my lot to go, but my son went and gave his life for mine.' Michael Lepley left a widow, Mary A., and some children. She drew a pension for many years afterwards."
1773: Marguerite Lepley Cockley's 1981 "The Lepley Family in America" reports that an English translation of a marriage record of the Frederick, Maryland Lutheran Church states, "Adam Lebele, the late Michael Lebele's legitimate son, to Barbara Bucherin, Peter Bucher's legitimate single daughter, both of Frederick County, Proc. 3rd , 7th, 14th of March, married 14th March 1773, Oculi Sunday." This record indicates that the father of Adam Lepley I was named Michael. I have seen English language transcriptions of the record that were worded slightly differently, which isn't surprising when dealing with German to English translations. Click here to see a cursive English language version of the record that was included in Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" without any explanation that I could find.
1778-1815: An excerpt from the 1938 book "The Snyder County Pioneers" describes Michael and Jacob Lepley as pioneers in what is now Snyder County, Pennsylvania, and indicates that Jacob Lepley lived out the remainder of his life there. This conflicts with the information about Jacob Lepley in the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" (see above) that says Jacob (brother of Adam and Michael) moved to Ohio.
1779: A transcript of an affidavit concerning the death of Michael Lepley in the 1891 book "History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania..." states, "I, the subscriber, do hereby certify that on the 26th of April, 1779, I was stationed at Freeland's fort with a party of militia whom I had the honor to have the command of, and, at the request of Mr. McKnight, I ordered a guard of six men to go with McKnight to his plantation, as they were but a small distance from Freeland's fort. The party was attacked by a number of Indians, and Michael Lepley, one of my soldiers, was killed and scalped. Witness my hand this 27th day of June, 1786. JACOB SPEES, Lieutenant." The Fort Freeland historical marker is located at 41.099627, -76.805965.
1779: Volume IV of the "Pennsylvania Archives", fifth series, contains the following statement about the death of Michael Lepley: "Mary Anne Lepley, widow of late MICHAEL LEPLEY, states the said MICHAEL was Private in a Company of Northumberland County Militia stationed at Freeland's Fort under command of Lieut. Jacob Speece. On April 26, 1779 he, with five others, were ordered out upon an escort from said Fort, while on their march a short way from the Fort they were attacked by the Indians and he was scalped and killed. At time of death he was forty-one years of age. Increase of pension granted said widow and family."
1787: In Volume XV of the "Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania", the December 20, 1787 minutes include the statement, "The following orders were drawn upon the Treasurer, vizt.: ... In favor of the widow and children of Michael Lepley, deceased, late of the Northumberland county militia, for fifty-one pounds twelve shillings and five pence, being their pension from the twenty-sixth of April, 1779, until the fifth of September, 1786."
1789: The following excerpt from Volume III of the 1907 book "Pennsylvania Archives", Sixth Series identifies Adam Lepley I as living in Londonderry Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1789. Click here to see an excerpt from the 1792 Reading Howell map of Pennsylvania that shows the location of Londonderry Township.
1790: In Volume XVI of the "Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania", the August 14, 1790 minutes include the statement, "Agreeably to the Register and Comptroller General's reports upon the following, orders were drawn upon the Treasurer, vizt: ... In favor of Mary Anne Lepley for twenty-nine pounds eight shillings, being the amount of pension due to her from the twenty-eighth of June, 1786, to the twenty-eighth of July, 1790, according to a decree of the Orphans' Court of the county of Nurthumberland, dated the sixth day of July last."
1790: The following excerpt is from the 1790 manuscript census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. It is worth noting that in this census record, the name of Adam Lepley is next to the name of the gunsmith Jacob Gaumer, which suggests they lived near one another.
1795: In reference to a son of Adam Lepley I, the biography of Eli Manuel Lepley in the 1911 book "Past and Present of Hardin County Iowa" states, "John Lepley, the youngest child of Adam Lepley, was born on August 15, 1795..."
1800: The following composite image (made from two different sheets) shows the Lepley entries in the manuscript 1800 federal census records of Londonderry Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1807: The biography of George Lepley in the 1881 book "History of Knox County, Ohio states, "LEPLEY, GEORGE ... was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, August, 1791, a son of Adam and Barbara Lepley, came with his parents to Knox county in 1807, locating on Brush run, now Butler township, where they set about to clear the land and raise grain, which they continued for many years."
Circa 1810: In reference to Adam Lepley I, the Larimer Township portion of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" (page 590) states: "Some years before the revolutionary war, Adam Lepley emigrated from Germany to Bedford county, and afterward to the present territory of Somerset county. He moved to Ohio about 1810, and there died at an advanced age. He was the father of four sons: Adam, Joseph, Jacob and George. Adam settled in Southampton township prior to 1800. He followed blacksmithing, and died at the age of seventy six. He married Elizabeth Horn, and was the father of Daniel, Valentine, Adam and Catharine, living; Jacob, Joseph, George and Barbara, deceased. Daniel Lepley was born in 1799, and is the oldest man now living in Larimer township."
1831: As noted above, Adam Lepley I died in 1831.
A leftover puzzle: The following image is from the northern part of the WPA survey map of Southampton Township, and has been rotated so north is at the top. The Christian Sturtz property (C-201 Page 246, C-201 Page 247) was surveyed in 1802, and belonged to either the father or grandfather of the gunsmith Jacob Sturtz. The Adam Lepley property was part of the adjacent Joseph Rhoads property (C-168 page 206) that was surveyed in 1786, and belonged to either Adam Lepley I or II. Property of the gunsmith Benjamin Troutman adjoins the eastern boundary of the Adam Lepley property. (Adam Shirer's January 11, 1838 survey (Survey Book C-208 Page 136) identifies the adjacent Southampton Township property of Benjamin Troutman that was formerly owned by John & Christian Meese.) The juxtaposition of these three properties suggests that these gunsmithing families knew each other, regardless of which Adam Lepley (I or II) and which Christian Sturtz (Sr. or Jr.) owned two of the properties. Here are gps coordinates that correspond roughly to the three red dots:
In the above image, the "Adam Laply" property is adjacent to property of Jonathan Boyer that was surveyed November 18, 1837 (Survey Book I Page 50) pursuant to a November 3, 1837 warrant. Boyer's 1837 survey identifies the "Adam Laply" property as belonging to Jacob Comp.
The "Powder Run" creek that is illustrated in the above image was once known as "Powder Mill Run".
An Iowa tradition concerning Adam Lepley I: The 1928 book "The Iowa Journal of History and Politics" has tradition-based information about the individual who is now commonly referred to as "Adam Lepley I".
1776: The lineage of Adam Lepley II is provided above, in conjunction with the description of his father Adam Lepley I. As also quoted above, the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" indicates that Adam Lepley II was born on August 5, 1776 near Willard's gap in what is now Larimer Township, became a prominent man in the community, and was appointed Justice of the Peace of Southampton Township by the Governor and served in that capacity for about 25 years. Based on the turnpike-related description, I believe Willard's Gap is at 39.849511, -78.950048.
1780-1862: According to the 1991 book "The Reiber Genealogy and Related Families", Elizabeth Horn, wife of Adam Lepley II, was born on July 26, 1780 to Valentine and Christina Horn, died on December 20, 1862, and is buried at the Lepley Cemetery. According to Cockley's "Lepley Family in America", Elizabeth Horn was a daughter of Valentine Horn, and died on December 18, 1862.
1795: Somerset County was formed from part of Bedford County on April 17, 1795 but did not include what is now Southampton Township.
1798: According to the 1991 book "The Reiber Genealogy and Related Families", Adam Lepley II and Elizabeth Horn were married on April 8, 1798.
Before 1800: In reference to Adam Lepley II, the Larimer Township portion of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" (page 590) states: "Adam settled in Southampton township prior to 1800. He followed blacksmithing, and died at the age of seventy six. He married Elizabeth Horn, and was the father of Daniel, Valentine, Adam and Catharine, living; Jacob, Joseph, George and Barbara, deceased. Daniel Lepley was born in 1799, and is the oldest man now living in Larimer township."
The following excerpt is also from the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" and describes Adam Lepley II as one of the earliest settlers in what is now Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1800: "...that part of Bedford County in Londonderry township, lying westward of a line to begin on the top of the Little Allegheny mountain, where the Maryland line crosses the same, thence running along said mountain a northerly direction to where the mountain breaks, thence a straight line to the breast works..." was annexed to Somerset County by an act that passed on March 1, 1800.
1800: A transcript of the 1800 census of Londonderry Township, Somerset County has two Adam Lapeley households. The Adam Lapeley, Sr. household as one male and one female over age 45, one male in the 10 to 16 age group, and two males and one female in the up to 10 age group. The other Adam Lapeley household has one male and one female in the 16 to 26 age group, and one male in the up to ten age group.
1800: The 1800 Londonderry Township taxable list shows an Adam Lepley living in Londonderry Township, Bedford County. People sometimes associate the Adam Lepley family with Rockland Township because it is on a list described in an article from the August 1973 "Laurel Messenger". Rockland Township seems to be a name the county toyed with using for what would soon be or include Southampton Township. Peter Troutman, father of the gunsmith Benjamin Troutman, is on the list. There are also a few other Lepley individuals.
1801: According to volume 2 of the 1912 book "Past and Present of Knox County Ohio" Jacob Lepley, a son of Adam Lepley II, was born on June 7, 1801. As detailed on the Joseph Lepley web page, two of Jacob Lepley's Ohio-born sons (Valentine and William) became gunsmiths.
1801: Southampton Township was formed from part of the newly annexed portion of Londonderry Township in 1801.
1805: A list of the taxable inhabitants of Southampton township, published in the aforementioned 1884 history book, lists Adam Lepley with a still.
1808: The December 9, 1808 minutes of the Pennsylvania House of Representitives include the statement, "Mr. Ogle presented a petition from a number of the electors residing in the township of Southampton, in the county of Somerset, stating the disadvantages they labor under, from the uncentral situation of the present place of holding their elections, and praying that the place of holding their elections may be removed to the House of Adam Lepley in said township; and said petition was read, and referred to the permanent committee on election districts."
1809: A list in the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" identifies Adam Lepley (II) as a Justice of the Peace in "District No. 7, composed of the township of Southampton" in 1809. Click here to see a transcript of the February 14, 1809 appointment from the "Executive minutes of Governor Simon Snyder".
1809: In 1809 the Pennsylvania Legislature designated the home of Adam Lepley II as the Southampton Township voting location.
1809-1810: An article titled "History of Wellersburg and Southampton Township" in the September 18, 1930 issue of the "Meyersdale Republican" newspaper indicates that Adam Lepley was a Captain of Southampton Township's company of Pennsylvania Militia in 1809 and 1810. I suspect this is a reference to Adam Lepley II, because Adam Lepley I was already a senior citizen in 1809, and according to one account had moved to Ohio in 1807.
1810: According to David L. Baldwin's 1993 book "Some Notes, Quotes and Quips of the Hoyman Clan and Related Lines", Susanna Lepley, a daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Horn) Lepley, married Samuel Hoyman, and Samuel and Susanna (Lepley) Hoyman are buried in the Cook Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. I can't read the date information on her significantly eroded tombstone.
1810: In the 1810 census of Southampton Township, the household of Adam Lepley has one male and one female in the 27 to 45 age group, one male in the 17 to 26 age group, and three males and three females in the up to ten age group. Here is a composite image (made from two different pages) of the Southampton Township portion of the 1810 manuscript census records:
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.
1812: In 1812, Pennsylvania began sending Adam Lepley $40.00 per year to provide "clothing and diet" to Jacob Plumb, who "served in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, with the militia, against the Indians, and was wounded on the right shoulder by a ball, and tomahawked across his nose, which wounds, add to the infirmity of age..."
1813: Here is a transcript of an 1813 receipt for a payment to Adam Lepley on behalf of Jacob Plumb that was published in Volume XXIV (1813) of the "Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania..."
1817: The 1817 triennial assessment of Southampton Township lists Adam Lepley as a Justice of the Peace and owner of a still.
1817: Click here to see an 1817 deed from Michael Korns to Jacob Cook that bears the signature of Adam Lepley II in his capacity of Justice of the Peace.
1818-1820: The following item from the March 3, 1897 issue of the "Somerset Herald" mentions 1818 to 1820 newspapers that had belonged to Adam Lepley II. Click here to read an article in the February 24, 1897 issue of the "Somerset Herald" that summarizes some of the content of the newspapers that had belonged to Adam Lepley II.
1818: According to the March 10, 1897 issue of the "Somerset Herald" newspaper, the October 22, 1818 issue of the "Whig" newspaper reports that Adam Lepley received 372 votes for Auditor, compared to 60 votes received by George Graham.
1819: An article in the December 31, 1917 issue
issue of the Connellsville "Daily Courier" newspaper describes a November 25, 1819 issue of the "Somerset Whig" newspaper that had belonged to Adam Lepley II.
1820: The following composite image shows the Adam Lepley entry in the Southampton Township section of the 1820 manuscript census records of Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
1821: Adam Lepley III, who was a gunsmithing son of Adam Lepley II of Southampton Township, was born on March 5, 1821.
1825: According to the 1912 book "Past and Present of Knox County Ohio" Jacob Lepley, a son of Adam Lepley II, left for Ohio in 1825 with his wife Margaret Hoyman. He would have been about 24 years old at the time. Jacob Lepley was the father of two Ohio gunsmiths, Valentine and William Lepley, who are discussed on the Joseph Lepley web page. A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Charmaine Vanderberg indicates that Jacob Lepley's wife Margaret "Peggy" Hoyman was a daughter of Christian Hoyman and Catherine Korns of Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. That makes Margaret and her gunsmith sons Valentine and William Lepley distant cousins of mine.
1830: In a transcript of the 1830 census of Southampton Township, the household of Adam Lepley, Esquire has one male in the 50 to 60 age group,one female in the 40 to 50 age group, one male in the 30 to 40 age group, one female in the 20 to 30 age group, one male and one female in the 15 to 20 age group, two males in the five to ten age group, and one male in the up to five age group. The following excerpt from the Southampton Township portion of the 1830 manuscript census documents of Somerset County shows the listing for the Adam Lepley family. I have not yet compared it to the transcript.
1831: According to an article in the August 1970 issue of the "Laurel Messenger" the August 23, 1831 issue of the "Somerset Herald" carried a notice regarding the marriage of Adam Lepley's daughter Barbara to Daniel Witt on August 17, 1831:
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. A map in the 1871 "Atlas of Knox County Ohio" illustrates a gunsmith shop and a blacksmith shop on the farm of Joseph Lepley.
1842-1850: An article by Vaughn E. Whisker in the November 1982 "Laurel Messenger" mentions Adam Lepley 1776-1853 as being a Southampton Township gunsmith known for incorporating fine silver inlays in his rifles. The 1991 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties" by Whisker and Whisker says that according to tax and census records, Adam Lepley 1773-1850, was a gunsmith in Southampton Township, Somerset County, PA during the 1842 to 1850 time period. Since the gunsmith Adam Lepley III was 21 years old in 1842, I wish the Whiskers would have mentioned how they distinguished father from son in the records and determined that Adam Lepley II was a gunsmith.
1850: In the 1850 census of Southampton Township, Adam Lepley (II) is listed as a 76-year-old farmer with real-estate valued at $2,000.00. Also living in the same household is 30-year-old farmer Adam Lepley (III).
1853: Adam Lepley II died on March 7, 1853 and is buried in the Lepley Cemetery, which is on the farm where the gunsmithing hardware featured on this website was found in the 1970s. Click here to see the listing for Adam Lepley II in the Somerset County probate index. Here, below, is a photo of his tombstone.
1853: An article titled "Deaths Recorded in Co., 1853-1854" in the August, 1973 issue of the "Laurel Messenger" states, "Adam Lepley — d. March 7, 1853 — Southampton Twp. Farmer:— 76 years.-7 mo.-2 da. Parents: — Adam & Barbara Lepley. Widow:— Elizabeth Horn. Rheumatism — Buried on home farm. Information given by Valentine Lepley, son." The referenced "home farm" was eventually divided, and the cemetery where Adam Lepley II is buried is located on the portion of the "home farm" that was owned by Samuel Lepley, a son of Adam Lepley III.
1860: The following image from the 1860 Walker map of Somerset County shows the location of the farm of Adam Lepley II and III:
Adam Lepley land transactions
From reading the Hardy Land Deed Records web page, which mentions a number of Lepley land transactions, I suspect that Hugh Simpson and Jacob Ehrenzeller were early land speculators. In Somerset County Deed book 8 page 324, tract 2496 is mentioned as being surveyed for Hugh Simpson on Jan. 12, 1767. In Somerset County Deed book 9 page 152, a 330 acre Southampton tract 2496 goes back to Jan. 20, 1767 to Hugh Simpson. Also, in Bedford County Deed Book D, page 125 Hugh Simpson shows up as having property next to land that was sold in 1790.
In Somerset County Book 11, page 462, deeds no. 11 & 12 mention 156 acres being sold that was patented in the name of Hugh Simpsons and others that was called the A and P Lepleys tract. Deeds 27 and 28 on the same page mention 293 acres called the Stuners and Guiness tract that was sold to a Lepley in the name of Hugh Simpson and Jacob Ehrenzeller and Alex Edwards. Deed 29 on the same page mentions 154 acres called Baughmans tract bordering A. Lepley esquire, that was sold to Adam Lepley in the names of Hugh Simpson, James Milligan and Jacob Ehrenzeller.
Somerset County deed book 11 page 781 mentions Adam Lepley buying 196 acres from Joseph Hardy that was patented to Hardy in 1817. Page 461 deed 16 mentions a 136 acre sale of a tract called "Harden's tract" to Adam Lepley from Joseph Hardy and John Anderson. Page 462 deeds 27 and 28 are the sale of 293 acres called Stuners and Guinness tract to a Lepley. Page 462 also mentions deed 29 to Adam Lepley for 154 acres called "Baughmans tract" released in the name of Hugh Simpson, James Milligan and Jacob Ehrenzeller. The 1818 Great Survey Deed conveyed property to Adam Lepley, and this deed may be related to one or more of the transactions described above.
1821: Adam Lepley III, son of Adam Lepley II, was born on March 5, 1821.
1821: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III was baptized by Rev. Heyer on July 29, 1821.
1828: The following picture of Sarah (Comp) Lepley is reproduced from Volume II of the 2007 book "A Look at Southampton Township Pennsylvania the way it used to be" with the permission of Mona Huffman. The book reports that Sarah, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Hubbard) Comp, was born in 1828, married Adam Lepley III, and died in 1909.
1851: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III was married to Susan (sic) Comp by a Justice of the Peace named J. Dull on April 27, 1851. Adam's wife was really Sarah Comp.
1852: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a son named Simon Alexander who was born on April 27, 1852. Simon A. Lepley is buried at the Cook Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where his tombstone indicates he was born in 1852 and died in 1937.
1853: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a daughter named Susan Matilda who was born September 18, 1853. Susan is listed as a 6-year-old in the 1860 census, and as a 16-year old in the 1870 census.
1855: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a daughter named Elizabeth who was born on August 4, 1855. Elizabeth is listed as a 4-year-old in the 1860 census and as a 14-year-old in the 1870 census.
1857: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a son named Jacob who was born on February 1, 1857.
1859: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a daughter named Emma Frances who was born on May 19, 1859. Emma (Lepley) Baker is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Marshall County, Iowa, where her tombstone indicates she was born in 1859 and died in 1935.
1860: The following excerpt from the 1860 census records of Southampton Township, Somerset County lists the members of the household of Adam Lepley III:
1861: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a son named Samuel who was born on January 29, 1861 and married Ida Elizabeth Emerich. Samuel's obituary, which was published in the November 13, 1947 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper, states, "Samuel Lepley, 86, died at his home in Wellersburg Monday. He was born Jan. 29, 1861, a son of Adam and Sarah Comp Lepley. His wife, the former Elizabeth Emerick, preceded him in death. He is survived by seven children: Earl, Mt. Savage; James, Wellersburg; Alonzo, Mrs. Ellen Korns, Mrs. Bertha Bittner, Hyndman; Harvey, Sand Patch; Mary, Cumberland; and one sister, Mrs. Effie Kennell, Hyndman. Funeral services will be held this Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Lepley home, the Rev. John Bucher, officiating. Interment will be in the Lepley cemetery, Wellersburg, under the direction of the Zeigler Funeral Home, Hyndman." Of the listed children, I knew Alonzo. Samuel Lepley is buried at the Lepley Family Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where his tombstone indicates he was born in 1861 and died in 1947.
1862: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam and Lepley III had a daughter named Minerva Jane who died at birth in 1862.
1864: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a son named Norman Lincoln who was born on April 15, 1864. Norman Lepley is buried at the Comp Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where his tombstone indicates he was born in 1864 and died in 1940.
1864: Adam Lepley III is in a list of 1864 School Warrants that was published in the June, 1864 issue of the "Pennsylvania School Journal".
1866: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a child named Missouri who was born on December 29, 1866. Missouri Lepley is buried at the Lepley Family Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where her tombstone indicates she was born on December 2-something, 18-something.
1868: The following picture of Effie Lepley is reproduced from Volume II of the 2007 book "A Look at Southampton Township Pennsylvania the way it used to be" with the permission of Mona Huffman. The book reports that Effie Lepley, a daughter of Adam III and Sarah (Comp) Lepley was born on March 13, 1868 and married William Kennell, who was a son of (my ancestor) Andy Kennell. A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Effie had a twin brother named Adam who died at birth.
Effie (Lepley) Kennel is buried at the Cook Cemetery in Southampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where her tombstone indicates she was born in 1868 and died in 1958. Her obituary in the April 10, 1958 issue of the "Cumberland Evening Times" newspaper indicates that she was born on March 13, 1868, and was a daughter of Adam and Sarah (Comp) Lepley.
1870: The following excerpt from the 1870 census records of Southampton Township, Somerset County lists the members of the household of Adam Lepley III:
1871: A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III had a daughter named Sarah Alice who died at birth in 1871.
1874: Jacob Lepley, minor son of Adam and Sarah (Comp) Lepley, died on December 21, 1874 and is buried in the Lepley Family Cemetery.
1876: The following excerpt from the Southampton Township portion of the 1876 book "County Atlas of Somerset, Pennsylvania" identifies the residence of Adam Lepley III. The farm of Adam Lepley III was the farm of his father Adam Lepley II. A small mine at the coal vein that is illustrated south of the Adam Lepley residence was still visible along the road when I was a young man. The D. Korns residence to the northwest of the A. Lepley residence was on the farm of my GG-Grandfather Dan Korns, and is where my mother grew up, and where my earliest memories were formed. As a youngster I walked back and forth between the two farms a good many times. The Dan Korns farm is where Christian Sturtz, Jr., the father of the gunsmith Jacob Sturtz, once lived and is buried.
1876: The following excerpt shows how Adam Lepley III advertised himself in the 1876 book "County Atlas of Somerset, Pennsylvania":
1880: The following excerpt from the 1880 census records of Southampton Township, Somerset County lists the members of the household of Adam Lepley III:
1900: In the following excerpt is from the 1900 census records of Southampton Township, Adam Lepley is listed as a landlord. The excerpt also shows the members of the Samuel Lepley household.
1903: Adam Lepley III and his son Samuel Lepley are listed by the following excerpt from the January 1, 1903 "Individual and Business Directory of Somerset County, Pa."
1903: Adam Lepley III died at the age of 82 in 1903 is buried in the Lepley cemetery in Southampton Township. Click here to see the listing for Adam Lepley III in the Somerset County probate index. Here is a photograph of his tombstone:
1909: According to her tombstone at the Lepley Family Cemetery, Sarah Comp, wife of Adam Lepley III, died on January 11, 1909.
A Lepley family oral tradition about gunsmithing: In September 2004 I received correspondence from a Lepley descendant, born and raised in Somerset County, who owns a Lepley .30 caliber flintlock rifle in excellent condition. He wrote "I can remember Great-grandfather telling the children how proud we should be of the family gunsmiths the night he handed it down to my grandfather, years later I remember he in turn passed it on to my father....I remember the night my father gave me the speech and passed on the gun. In the not to distant future I look forward to giving this speech to yet another in a long line of....Lepley's, my son." The wood on all the Lepley rifles he has seen was curly maple, and he indicates that the round patchbox on his rifle is a very good match to the unfinished parts that are shown elsewhere on this website.
Another Lepley family oral tradition about gunsmithing: In December 2007 I visited Somerset Countian Butch Lepley to show him the Lepley gunsmithing parts, and in February 2023 I talked to him by telephone. Butch's grandpap, Harvey Victor Lepley, told Butch that he (Harvey) and his brothers Alonzo (who I knew) and James were not allowed in the gun shop as children, except to walk through the shop to the window so they could sit in the window with their legs hanging inside to watch their father Samuel Lepley and grandfather Adam Lepley III performing gunsmithing. When they got restless and wanted to play, they would crawl out of the window. Butch loved these stories, and asked to hear them many times so that he wouldn't forget them.
Harvey Victor Lepley was born August 28, 1895. Alonzo S. Lepley, a son of Samuel and Ida Lepley and a brother of Harvey Victor Lepley, was born April 30, 1899. From this, we can get a rough idea of how late the Lepley family was in the business of making long rifles — i.e., when Alonza would have been old enough to balance in a window. This indicates that a Lepley gun shop was still in operation in the early 1900's.
It may be a little surprising to us now, but muzzle-loading rifles were still being used in Somerset County (and other remote areas of the country) long after the advent of cartridge firearms. For example, the 0.38 caliber rifle used by Ephriam Geiger (born 1859, died 1919) of nearby Larimer Township was a muzzle loader that was made in Pittsburgh.
Harvey V. Lepley also told his grandson Butch that he recalled that rifle barrels were drilled there at the Lepley shop by spinning the drill with a piece of leather. This probably means that they were using some form of a bow drill, an early drilling technique briefly mentioned in the book "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle" by Ned. H. Roberts. If they were drilling gun barrels, they would have also been rifling them. Click here to see how rifling guides for muzzle loading rifles were made and used. By the early 1900's, it is possible, indeed even probable, that commercial barrel blanks were being purchased, which were then drilled out and rifled at the shop (both drilled and undrilled barrel blanks were available commercially by that time). The left-over Lepley gun parts that I own indicate that some commercially made rough castings of other components were being used; a common practice in later muzzle-loading years.
Butch made it very clear that his grandpap Harvey was telling stories about the gunshop near the stone house on the former Adam Lepley II and III farm that was owned by William and Effie (Lepley) Kennell, rather than the blacksmith shop that was on the Alonzo Lepley farm that was formerly the farm of Alonzo and Harvey's father Samuel Lepley. Butch recalls hearing his grandfather tell him the story of sitting in the gunshop window while actually pointing at the window of the gunshop that sat in front of the Lepley stone house.
Butch's stories also make me wonder why the last-known gun shop is on William and Effie Kennell's farm that had been the farm of Adam Lepley III. Did Adam Lepley III live in the big stone farmhouse with William and Effie Kennell, or perhaps in the little stone house a few yards away, and is that why the last known Lepley gun shop was very near those two houses? Since Adam Lepley III died at age 82 on June 9, 1903, he would have been quite elderly to still be doing gunsmithing at a time when Alonzo, born on April 30, 1899, could have sat in a window of the gun shop and watched.
Butch was 69 years old when I spoke to him by telephone in February of 2023. One summer night around midnight when Butch was 16 years old, he was hanging out at Shorty Donges' restaurant near the center of Meyersdale when Alonzo Lepley showed up with about 15 muzzle loading rifles and pistols stashed in the trunk and back seat of his car. Alonzo showed them to Shorty, and sold them all to Shorty, even though Butch begged Alonzo to save a particularly handsome one for Butch to purchase. Later, Shorty told Butch he took the guns to Pittsburgh and sold them. The rifle Butch had hoped Alonzo would save for him was very long, and in pristine condition with a carved curly maple stock (Butch couldn't remember whether it was incised or relief carving).
I asked Butch if he remembered seeing any flintlocks among Alonzo's rifles, and Butch's answer surprised me. He said he didn't remember seeing any cap locks among Alonzo's rifles. I also asked him if any of the stocks had patch boxes or cap boxes, and he couldn't remember due to the passage of time. Out of the 15 or so firearms, many were in beautiful condition, some had varying degrees of wear and tear, and one had a crack that had been repaired with a screw.
Butch also told me of the tradition that a Lepley and a Korns took a horse and buggy to Marshalltown, Iowa to see the sister of the Lepley individual, and on the way home the horse couldn't pull the buggy by itself up the last hill, so the men had to help. The horse died the next day. Butch told these stories in much more detail than my feeble notes allow me to relate. When I called Ken Korns in October 2013 to discuss a different topic, he volunteered the same story about the trip to Iowa, the horse failing as it neared home, the men having to help pull the buggy, and the horse dying the next day. A few days later I received a call from Warren Korns, and he said that Butch Lepley brought a distant relative to the Lepley Cemetery on Warren's farm, and that individual told Butch the same Iowa story. In other words, the identical story was passed down in three family lines.
Lepley gun, tools, farms:
An unsigned Lepley percussion long rifle
The Adam Lepley II & III farm, where a gun shop was located near two stone houses
The Lepley gunsmithing tools and left-over gun parts
The Samuel Lepley farm where the gunsmithing tools and left-over gun parts were found
For an interesting description of how the old gunsmiths made and repaired muzzle-loading long rifles, see the well-illustrated book "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle" by Ned. H. Roberts of .257 Roberts fame (The Granite State Press, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1940).
Go to the Korns family genealogy home page
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 one who moved to and had a gun shop in Ohio. A reliable Lepley family tradition tells of Southampton Township Lepley gunsmiths who were still in business in the early twentieth century. The Lepley family also produced Ohio-born gunsmiths who migrated to Iowa. The story of the Lepley family in America begins with three pioneer immigrant brothers: Adam Lepley I, Jacob Lepley, and Michael Lepley.
Adam Lepley I and his brothers Jacob and Michael
died August 26, 1831
Aged 86 years, 6 months, 20 days
died April 17, 1842
Aged 87 years and 19 days"
A correspondent who owns a Lepley rifle also has the original deed to a farm of Adam Lepley. It does not state the original date of purchase, but the lien was completely satisfied on Nov. 4, 1816. The entire purchase price was $295.95. The land was first surveyed June 3, 1767 to satisfy application # 2698 dated Jan. 20, 1767. It was delivered to him "free and clear of all restrictions and reservations", except that "a fifth share of all gold and silver ore found was to be delivered to the pit's mouth for use of the commonwealth". It isn't yet clear which farm the deed is for, but the deed indicates that the property was bordered by a vacant farm, the farm of Hugh Simpson, the farm of Jacob Ehrenzellar and the farm of Alexander Edwards. The 1767 date indicates this property was part of the great survey, and in no way implies that Adam Lepley was involved in 1767.
A portion of Cockley's "Lepley Family in America" that seems to have been written by Vanderberg indicates that Adam Lepley III was a farmer and a gunsmith. In June of 2018, David Rawlings of Hagerstown informed me that his grandfather James Lepley (brother of Alonzo), who died in 1984 at age 96, told him about watching his grandfather Adam make and fit percussion hammers. James Lepley's father was Samuel Lepley who was born in 1861 and died in 1947. Samuel's father was Adam Lepley III who was born in 1821 and died in 1903. James Lepley's story to his grandson David Rawlings confirms that Adam Lepley III performed gunsmithing services.
Please e-mail me if you have additional information on the Lepley gunsmiths and their rifles. I am particularly interested in obtaining photographs of actual positively identified Lepley rifles for this website. (I am also interested in obtaining photos of Troutman rifles.)
For biographical information about other Somerset & Bedford county gunsmiths, visit the Gunsmith Index.
Click here for information in the 1928 book "The Iowa Journal of History and Politics" about the individual who is now commonly referred to as "Adam Lepley I".
