YorksPast

Following my talk on the Dosch Burial Grounds in Lower Windsor Township, several people asked for more details on several of the families noted in my talk.  This post on the George Dosch Family is the fifth in a series of posts to provide answers those questions.  Other posts in this series include:

• Christian Rathfon Family in Pleasant Garden from 1784 to 1827
• Michael Dosch Family from about 1773 in Eastern York County
• Christopher Dosch Family; Father of York Co.’s Michael Dosch
• George Dosch Family Part 1; Uncle of York Co.’s Michael Dosch

I titled this blog post “George Dosch Family; Uncle of York Co.’s Michael Dosch.”  I’m breaking down the information that I have on George into several parts.  Michael Dosch is the person who first came to York County from Lancaster County as a tenant farmer after his uncle George Dosch purchased 386 acres in 1773.  Michael started to purchase his own York County property in 1780 and by the time he died in 1799, Michael owns 712 acres in Eastern York County.

George Dosch from Manor Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania purchased the 386-Acre Parcel, shown at the beginning of this post, in Windsor Township on November 6, 1773 from Casper Singer and Mathias Slough.  It is important to note that Lower Windsor Township did not exist in 1773; Lower Windsor Township was created when it was established from part of Windsor Township in 1838.  The all-inclusive Windsor Township having been formed in 1758 from part of a much bigger York Township that stretched all the way to the Susquehanna River when York County was created from Lancaster County in 1749.

George Dosch continued to live in Lancaster County following the 1773 purchase; instead George’s step-son Peter Kline and nephew Michael Dosch were tenants for George: in the areas shown at the beginning of this post.  The deed indicated that George purchased 392.75-acres, a resurvey showed the total property size was actually 386-acres. On May 4, 1786, George Dosch sold 207.5 acres of this property in Windsor Township to Michael Dosch, however George Dosch retained the remaining acreage until his death in 1800.

George Dosch’s step-son Peter Kline continued to farm the remaining acreage until the mid-1790s when Peter moved to property that he owned in Hellam Township.  Peter made purchases of property in Hellam Township from 1792 through 1797.  One purchase included the Tavern and Inn located on the road between Wrights Ferry and York Town.  The building that housed this Tavern and Inn still stands at 50 East Market Street in Hallam.

After Peter Kline moved to Hellam Township, his son Henry Kline took over farming the land still owned by George Dosch in Windsor Township.  All of this time, George Dosch owned the land farmed by Peter Kline and then Henry Kline, yet Peter and Henry are listed in tax records as if they are the owners.  George Dosch gives instructions in his Will how to dispose of this land farmed by the Klines.

Next Friday I’ll continue to examine the family history of George Dosch; the uncle of the Michael Dosch of York County, PA.