Runaway ads were fairly common in eighteenth and nineteenth century newspapers. Sometimes the runaways were slaves, but not so often above the Mason-Dixon line, where there were fewer slaves.
In Pennsylvania it was frequently a servant or an apprentice who had run away. The descriptions of the missing persons were quite detailed, down to their clothes. I guess that wasn’t too difficult when you consider they probably only had one or two sets of clothing. Sometimes they seem to have taken some of their employers clothing when they absconded. That would make it easier to describe their departure outfit.
The description below, from the September 9, 1828 York Gazette, certainly makes you wonder why Mr. Ward wanted his apprentice back. Not that he’s offering much for him.
“10 CENTS REWARD.
Ranaway from the subscriber living in Newbury township, York county, an apprentice to the Blacksmith business named Wendel Kayler--about 19 years of age, about 5 feet 5 inches high, stout made, dark complexion, feet large and flat--his eyes and teeth very large. He took with him a new fine home made cloth coat of a sea green color--new black silk waist coat, a new fur hat, a good pair of cord pantaloons--two new linen shirts with other clothing not recollected.
Said runaway is much addicted to swearing and vicious habits of almost every kind--and so totally destitute of manly principles as threaten and abuse women in the most outrageous manner for the slightest provocation.
For some time previously to his running away, Wendel frequently threatened to kill a bull belonging to his master--and the morning after he absconded, this bull, an animal worth $12, was found shot dead, with his testicles cut off. This fellow will no doubt attempt to get employment as a lock maker--he is however a miserable workman at every thing connected with his trade, having spent much of his time in cursing and swearing at the tools instead of paying attention to the instructions of his master.
As the subscriber is anxious that no person may be imposed upon by this graceless wretch, he has given the above ample description of him--and will pay the above reward but no charges for his apprehension if brought back and delivered to his master or secured in the jail of York County. ALBIN WARD.”
Hi June: If you're ever out Dover way on the second Saturday of the month, beginning tomorrow thru October, please stop in to visit the Greater Dover Historical Society's reconstructed blacksmith shop. I can promise you the blacksmith is not abusive and is indeed, a hard worker. His name is Ted Ziegler from Wellsville and volunteers his time there.
The open houses are from 10 til 2 and I should be there for each one. The blacksmith shop is located in the Ketterman Park on Butter Road, about half a mile from Main Street in the borough.
My grandfather, James Lau, was a blacksmith in York. He was originally from the Pigeon Hills just outside of Spring Grove. He learned his trade early in life. While shoeing a horse early in his career he got kicked and gave up shoeing. However, he became an excellent blacksmith and worked with iron, making many iron implements and fancy work. He worked for a tombstone company located on Company Street in the city of York. I believe the company was called the Birchall Stone Company. During the Great Depression this company went out of business and my grandfather went into business for himself.
In the early 1930's he built a house on the corner of Route 462 (then route 30) and Burg's Lane just west of Wrightsville. In the rear of his house he had a small blacksmith shop until he lost his home because of the depression. However, one of the things he did during this time was to help cut the stone and retrieve it from the quarry just below Long Level that holds the historical marker commemorating the plantation of Thomas Cresap who claimed the area for Maryland. My grandfather and his family moved back into the city of York in the middle thirties but eventually moved to Longstown where he had a blacksmith shop from the early 1940's until about 1949. His blacksmith shop was to the rear of the small white house south of Route 124 just before the main intersection in Longstown. In the early 1950's he had a blacksmith in West York on Sumner Street where the Johnny Spahr Park is today.
I spent many happy times in that blacksmith shop. During summer vacation I would often stay at my grandma and grandfather's house and accompany my grandfather to his blacksmith shop. I actually learned how to form hot iron on the anvil and tried to temper steel and iron. One of my memories was when I left the iron in the fire too long and it came out sparkling and looking like something had chewed the end of it. My grandfather told me that I left the rats chew my piece of iron--an expression often used by blacksmiths to illustrate what happens when they left the iron in the fire too long!
Another fond memory was when my grandfather would spit on the anvil or put water from his slack tub (a wooden barrel of water used to cool and temper hot iron) on the anvil and then place a piece of red hot metal on it and strike it with his sledge hammer. When he did this a very loud bang --louder than any shot gun blast would occur and huge sparks would fly all over the blacksmith. My grandmother hated when he did this but my sisters and friends would shout in glee to see the fireworks display. My grandmother was always afraid of fire because she saw a lady burn when she was a little girl and her dress also caught on fire one time.
One time while spending time in this same shop in West York, I saw my grandfather working on some kind of chisel tools. They fell at the base of anvil and were super hot. The redness had all but disappeared. I saw the pieces of metal laying there and I picked two of them up in both of my hands. I was probably 8 or 9 years old. Immediately I yelled with excruciating pain. My hands had severe second degree burns all over the palms and fingers. My grandfather immediately grabbed my little hands and held them over the fire in the forge to burn them more. Old blacksmiths believed that exposing burned hands to more heat would cut down the pain from the burns. (I think it may have helped --probably because it killed more nerves so I couldn't feel the pain).
I remember my granfather and grandmother telling me about another blacksmith shop which was located directly to the rear of the First Moravian Church on the corner of Clark Avenue and Howard Avenue in the city of York. This blacksmith shop was operated by a friend of my grandfather, Robert Heindel. Mr. Heindel's son, Bob, operated the North Hills Radiator Shop for many years on North Hills Road.
I still have my grandfather's blacksmith anvil and some of his tongs and other tools. I was always amazed at how many different tongs he had in his shop. He probably had over 50 pairs of tongs. I later found out that blacksmiths often made a specialized pair of tongs for each job they had.
I would be interested in hearing about other blacksmith shops in York.
Thanks so much for sharing your great memories of your grandfather and his blacksmith shop and the Heindel shop. I remember going to a blacksmith shop at New Bridgeville with my father when I was a very small child. They were magical places for children.
I must admit it hurts to read about your picking up the extremely hot iron. I hope you didn't have any lasting physical effects, but I can see why you would never forget it.
I'll see if I can come up on more on York County blacksmiths for future blogs.
June, I assure you that I suffered no lasting consequences from picking up the hot pieces of metal in my grandfather’s blacksmith shop - only a day or two of pain. Perhaps the additional holding of my hands in the fire did actually in some bizarre way, help them to heal and not hurt as much.
I remember several other blacksmith shops when I was a little boy. My mother often talked about my grandfather stopping at a blacksmith shop at Stony Brook on his way to and from the city of York from his home near Wrightsville in the early 1930’s. The blacksmith was a Plain person - Mennonite or Brethren. He lived in the large house that is currently inhabited by the Ettline family next to Ettline Antiques.
From 1947 to 1956 I lived at 349 East Poplar Street in the City of York. Across the street lived another blacksmith at 344 or 346 East Poplar Street. His name was Mr. Gates – first name was Daniel, I think. His blacksmith shop was located to the rear of his house at the very end of his yard and touched the alley that runs halfway between Poplar Street and Princess Street. The neighborhood kids occasionally watched him work in his shop. Mr. Gates also had a square cement goldfish pond in his backyard on the west side, halfway between his house and the blacksmith shop. The pond had goldfish and water lilies. We, kids, loved going into his yard and watching the fish. He was not very happy when kids threw things into his pond. In the front of his house he made a handrail so that he and his wife could get up the front steps better. We, kids, often hung onto it and played on it. Mr. Gates did not like this because it would loosen the railing and he would come out of his front door with his broom and hit us with it to chase us off. We still returned to play on it at times.
I remember meeting another blacksmith by the name of Mr. Stine or (Stein). His blacksmith shop was located behind the former Playland Roller Rink and Swimming Pool which is on the opposite side of East Market Street across from the Walmart. He may have had something to do with Mahlon Haines’s Horse track located not very far from there. Mr. Stein (Stine) was a horse riding enthusiast and rode extensively in the area. He owned several horses. One of the horses was named “Killer” and was difficult to ride.
Yet another Blacksmith shop that comes to mind is one that was located next to the big barn which is today the San Carlos Restaurant on the west side of the Codorus Creek on Route 30. My grandfather stopped to talk to the blacksmith one time. Some years later after my grandfather died, my mom and grandmother stopped there to see if the man would be interested in purchasing any of my grandfather’s tools. My grandmother was in a difficult financial situation. This was around 1960. I believe this barn then housed the Lauck’s Farm Museum. It would be quite interesting to know where all those farm implements ever went. What ever became of the Lauck’s Farm Museum?? Some of this material may have been moved to Colonial Valley in Menges Mills just east of Spring Grove. In the middle 1960’s my Sunday School class visited the grist/saw mill at Menges Mills and also Colonial Valley. Colonial Valley was right next to the Mill. It consisted of about 10 or 12 recreated small shops such as blacksmith, tinsmith, pottery, etc. It was really a neat educational experience. Sometimes there were live demonstrations by the various craftsmen. It is such a shame to see what has happened to one of most beautiful working grist mills and saw mills in all of Pennsylvania. When we visited the mill you could purchase bags of flour that were ground there. I have also heard that some of the Lauck’s Farm Museum material was given to the Pennsylvania Farm Museum (formerly known as the Landis Valley Farm Museum) in Landisville, Lancaster County. If anyone has any information on whatever became of the material from the Lauck’s Farm Museum, I would be interested to know.
On a related note - I have been searching for an art print of a sad little girl standing in a blacksmith shop holding her broken doll. The doll may have been missing a leg or an arm or possibly even the head. The tears are flowing down the little girl’s cheeks. She is looking to the village blacksmith for help in fixing her doll. The blacksmith is standing beside his forge and anvil with a kind expression on his face. I do not know what this print is called or who the artist was who painted it. It was a very popular print in the middle 1900’s but may have been older than that. At one time I thought it may have been a Norman Rockwell print but I don’t believe that it is. If anyone can help me in finding what this print is called or who painted it, or where I could purchase a copy, I would appreciate it very much.
I too am looking for this black and white print of the crying girl with a broken doll in a blacksmiths! My grandfather had this and i always liked it. My mother was left it, but when she moved house it was left behind.I have been looking for this print ever since but to no avail, if anyone knows of this i would be very gratefull of any information....Thankyou
Thanks, Jim, for even more information on local blacksmiths. I plan to print out your informative comments and add them to the blacksmith file at the York County Heritage Trust Library/Archives.
The Laucks Museum merged many years ago with the Historical Society of York County, now part of York County Heritage Trust. Since the YCHT collections are large and varied and exhibit space is limited, much of the Laucks collection is probably in storage at this point. Blacksmith tools may be identified in that collection, but perhaps only as the tools themselves and not with information as to the previous owner.
The print you mentioned of the blacksmith and the girl with a broken doll sounds intriguing. I did some internet searching and didn't come up with that image, but I see one with a similar theme sold on eBay recently. It is of a blacksmith and a little boy with a broken toy horse. If it is still posted, you can call it up under # 120400389420. I'll keep my eyes open for the one you mentioned.
That sounds like a neat print. I'll keep my eyes open for it. You never know what comes up on eBay. A colored print was sold on eBay recently of a little boy showing a blacksmith his broken horse. The number is 120400389420, if it is still listed. I think they keep the photos up for a month or so after the auction ends.
June and Mrs. G. Ashworth,
Thanks for your help in locating the blacksmith print with the girl holding her broken doll. The one with the boy holding the broken horse also sounds great--I think I did see that one, but the one with the girl is most intriguing to me.
I am really glad that the Lauck's Museum colllection of tools is still here in York County.
Does anyone else remember "Colonial Valley" at Menges Mills just outside of Spring Grove? The little tool shops were really quite enlightening and gave you a real feel and appreciation for our early craftsmen. And the tour of the old mill was an awesome experience. In the 1960's and 1970's it was the only operating grist and saw mill powered by water power in the country (at least that is what the tour information said). I only wish the mill would still be an actual operating mill open to visitors.
On a related note, I believe former President Nixon had relatives (perhaps a brother) or ancestors who lived in Menges Mills. It also sticks in my mind that President Nixon actually visited Menges Mills in the late 1970's.
The York County Heritage Trust Agricultural and Industrial Museum includes the interior of working three story grist mill. Go to www.yorkheritage.org for hours.
York County Parks has their restored Wallace Cross Mill open Sunday afternoons from mid-May to mid-October. You can tour the mill and see grinding demonstrations. Go to their web site at http://www.yorkcountyparks.org/parkpages/CrossMill.htm#OpenHouse for more information.
President Nixon is said to have visited the area quite a few times when his parents lived in the Menges Mills area. His younger brother, Edward, graduated from West York High when the Nixons lived in the county.
I remember Colonial Valley. The mill, stone house and outbuildings originally belonged to the Menges family. Back in the '60s, my cousins and I used to spend weeks at Menges Mills. My (great) Uncle David (Rev. David A Menges) was married to my grandfather's youngest sister, Ruth. They had no children so they enjoyed entertaining us. I remember him telling us that the house was built in the 1700's without nails (they used wooden pegs). There was a smokehouse right outside next to the mill race. The house was furnished all in antiques and it was like a storybook. After my Uncle died, my Aunt couldn't afford the taxes and the house became Colonial Valley. I remember taking my husband to see it but the house had burned and you couldn't get inside. Apparently CV didn't make a go of it and the house was rented out. The beautiful gardens outside the kitchen door were overgrown. I wished I had never seen it in disrepair. I will still always remember it the way it was.
Cindy,
Thanks for sharing your memories. It sounds like a wonderful house. I have heard of your great-uncle Rev. David Menges and that he was quite interested in the history of the area. It is really too bad the museum didn't work out at the site.
June