John Rake, originally Johannes Recher, was present in Amwell Township as early as 1760.
Johannes Rake, an immigrant from Switzerland, is thought to have arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738. He was present in Hunterdon County as early as 1761 when he witnessed the will of Jacob Houshel. Given that his first child was not born until 1768, it seems likely that Rake married his first wife in America. The birthdate for second wife Elsa seems very late, nearly two generations younger than John Rake. More information is needed.
The following is the keynote speech I delivered on September 19, 2015 for the 2nd Annual Cemetery Seminar, sponsored by the Hunterdon Co. Historical Society and others. It is somewhat modified to make it more readable, less like a speech.
Alcohol consumption in the 19th century is always an interesting subject because of how much alcohol was consumed back then. It is one of the ways we measure how much things have changed. We are far more aware now of the dangers of addiction, but in the 1820’s, the county coroner could tell you it was sometimes fatal. Here is the sad story of John Rake, a member of that same family I have written about in other posts.