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 sixth 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   NOTE: New information has been added to the Rathfon post.
• 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
• George Dosch Family Part 2; 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.

 

Within the 1786 deed of sale for 207.5 acres of George Dosch’s property in Windsor Township to Michael Dosch are detailed requirements to effectively provide for all the needs of George Dosch and his wife Catharina Dosch for the remainder of their lives at the stone house built by Michael Dosch in 1782 when he was the tenant farmer for George.  This May 4, 1786 deed is in York County Deed Book 2D, page 142; I’ve posted these extensive requirements previously, see Eighteenth Century Social Security.

George Dosch and Catharina, his wife, lived under this agreement for less than one year from May 4, 1786 to March 22, 1787.  Because in 1787, George Dosch moves to a house located on Orange Street in Lancaster Borough, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The deed made March 22, 1787 for the sale of lots and a brick house in Lancaster Borough by Peter Albright of Lancaster Borough to George Dosh of Jochaly Township, York County, Pennsylvania is recorded in Lancaster County Deed Book GG, Page 220.  George being from ‘Jochaly’ is a reference to the “Conhodak” warranted land on which he lived in Windsor Township.

George Dosch paid 315 Pounds for two lots in this deed; one of them containing the brick dwelling which fronted Orange Street.  The lot on Orange Street was bounded on the west by Mulberry Street, on the north by a fourteen-foot alley and on the east by a lot now or late of Lewis Peters.  The other lot contained slightly over three-quarters of an acre of vacant land.  The Orange Street property is marked on the General Plan of Lancaster Borough as Lot ‘No. 462.’

It makes one wonder, George and Catharina Dosch went to great lengths to make sure they would live out their lives without any wants in a stone house on a half acre of ground on the ‘Conhodak’ property; yet they decided to give this up after less than one year.  Was it Catharina Dosch that really wanted this life in the country and George Dosch wanted the life in the city?  Maybe George tried it Catharina’s way for the first year, then got his way for the final years of his life.

George and Catharina Dosch were lifelong members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster; could it be that was a reason for moving to the Borough of Lancaster.  George and Catharina Dosch appear as sponsors at baptisms as early as 1758.  Several notable baptisms at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster where George and Catharina Dosch were sponsors:

George and Catharina Dosch were sponsors at the baptism of Johann Georg Dosch, which took place on August 17, 1760.  Johann Georg Dosch was born March 25, 1760 to parents Michael and Catharina Dosch (given name could be Catharina Margaret, or maybe Margaret was a nickname).  This Michael Dosch is George Dosch’s son, hence Michael Dosch would have been born in Germany prior to immigration of George’s family in 1752.

George and Catharina Dosch were sponsors at the baptism of Anna Catharina Wright, which took place on June 3, 1764.  Anna Catharina Wright was born December 22, 1763 to unmarried parents Arthur Wright and Maria Eva Klein.  Maria Eva Klein is Catharina Dosch’s daughter from her first husband; thus Eva is the step-daughter of George Dosch.  Eva Klein would eventually marry Balzar Groh on January 21, 1783.  Eva Groh died during February 1801 at the age of 60 years; hence Eva Klein would have been born in Germany prior to immigration of George’s family in 1752.  Catharina Wright eventually married Jacob Witmer of Manor Township.  Jacob Witmer would be an executor of George Dosch’s Will.

George and Catharina Dosch were sponsors at the baptism of Catharina Ruby, which took place on June 12, 1791.  Catharina Ruby was born April 29, 1791 to parents Johannes and Salome Ruby (John and Sarah Ruby).  Salome was a granddaughter of George Dosch; she was the daughter of Michael and Catharina Dosch.  John Ruby would be an executor of George Dosch’s Will.

George Dosch’s wife Catharina died during 1794; this information comes from a short note “died during 1794” in the Pew Rent section of the records of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster.  There is no other information about her death or burial in the church records; could it be that Catharina Dosch wanted to be buried on the Conhodak property in Windsor Township?  In that neighborhood, she did have a son and grandchildren from her first marriage to a Kline; that may be why her Kline grandchildren and their descendants are buried in the Dosch Burial Ground, even though a Kline never actually owned the burial ground property.

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

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