Quite some time ago, I wrote an article called “Going-Going- Gone” about houses that are disappearing or have disappeared. One of them was a mystery to me. But finally I have figured out who it belonged to.
The Lawshe family came to America from Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany. Abraham von Laaschet was born in Creyfeldt, Prussia. (The name was Anglicized to Lawshe.) He married Margaret Bechelsheimer, daughter of Elder John Bechelsheimer, minister to the fledging German Baptist congregation in Amwell Township. The Lawshes appear in connection with the church several times in the book A History of East Amwell, 1700-1800.
This is a continuation of my history of the Vandolah family of Sandy Ridge, Delaware township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. (See The Vandolah Family, Sandy Ridge, part seven.) Cyrus, Jr. was the last of the line.
I have been writing about the neighborhood of Sandy Ridge for several weeks now, but have neglected probably the most important family to live there—the Vandolahs. It is time to remedy that omission.
Once again, I return to Egbert T. Bush’s article, “Sandy Ridge Long a Farm Community.” He wrote:
This post is a return to Egbert T. Bush’s article “Sandy Ridge Long a Farm Community,” the first half of which was published last month (“Sandy Ridge, part four.”) Today I resume with Mr. Bush’s description of a small lot on Sandy Ridge Road, where once stood a house that is now long gone. (Block 54 Lot 10).
Observers of Hunterdon history on Facebook have called our attention to the anniversary of the fire that destroyed the Hunterdon County Courthouse on February 13, 1828. This inspired me to look at the Hunterdon Gazette for 1828 to see how people reacted to this disaster.
Last Sunday, I gave a talk to the Lambertville Historical Society about how to research one’s property in Hunterdon County, with a special focus on Lambertville. It was a great group of people, and I got a chance to appreciate how awesome old photos look when projected on an enormous screen. It was also nice to show many more pictures than I can reasonably do on this blog.
This article continues my exploration of the neighborhood of Sandy Ridge by presenting the first half of Egbert T. Bush’s article “Sandy Ridge Long a Farm Community.” There could be no better expert on the subject than Mr. Bush, who lived in Sandy Ridge for many years and taught at the old Vandolah School.
