JOHN
MATTHEW MIKSCH
Matthew
Miksch, who worked as a gardener in
Europe, probably brought many Old World
traditions to his garden. The 1782 garden
is planted with espaliered pear trees and
peach trees, along with a vast array of
vegetables that the Miksch family would
have needed as a food source in the early
days of Salem. Additionally, its border
beds are planted with a vast array of
herbs. The documentation that forms the
basis for the plant list of the border
beds is from the 1759 Hortus Medicus list
used in Bethabra (a early Moravian
settlement in the Wachovia tract). This
early plant list and plan offer a
detailed description of the medicinal and
culinary herbs.
[courtesy of Old
Salem.org]
JOHN MATTHEW
MIKSCH3 (PAUL2, MICHAEL
DAVID1) was born December 07,
1798 in Christian's Spring, Northampton,
PA, and died July 28, 1882 in Bethlehem,
Northampton, PA. He married (1) ELIZABETH
"LISETTA" DIXON, daughter of
JOSEPH DIXON and ROSENA HUBER. She was
born November 15, 1799 in Emmaus, Lehigh,
PA, and died January 26, 1829 in
Bethlehem, Northampton, PA. He married
(2) CAROLINE JULIANNA VIERLING March 29,
1832, daughter of SAMUEL VIERLING and
MARTHA MIKSCH. She was born September 27,
1795 in Salem, NC, and died March 12,
1879 in Bethlehem, Northampton, PA.
John Mattheus Miksch was born December 7,
1790 to Paul Miksch, warden in
Christian's Spring, and Catharina, maiden
name Busch. (1) "John Matthew
Miksch, 1798-1882, a watchmaker, born at
Christian's Spring. Married twice. His
first wife, Lis. [Lisetta] Dixon, died in
1829, his second, Car. [Caroline]
Vierling, in 1879. An esteemed elder and
trustee, also, for a number of terms
chief burgess of the town [of Bethlehem.]
(2) He joined the widow's society in 1833
at the age of 34 and was the director
1833-1861 and 1871-1872. He died July 28,
1882 by widow's society records.(3)
A book, Pennsylvania
Clocks and Clockmakers
says that John M. Miksch was an
apprentice to Jedediah Weiss and
established a business for himself in
1822. (4)
Census records are found for the family
on several censuses. (5)
Gopsill's 1864-5
Directory shows him
as a watchmaker at 9 Wall Street. His
house was at 7 Wall Street. (6)
A death notice appeared in the Bethlehem
newspaper, 7/29/1882, with an obituary
dated 7/31/1882 and an article dated
8/21882 about his funeral.(7)
Death occurred on 7/28/1882. He was
"one of our oldest and most esteemed
citizens," age 84. "Death was
not unexpected, as he had been suffering
with the infirmities of old age for some
time." Death occurred at his home,
Wall St.(8)
The following information is from his
obituary:
John Matthew was born in the Moravian
settlement of Christiansbrunn (Christian
Spring) on December 7, 1898. His parents
later moved to Nazareth, where they died.
John Matthew's father, Paul Miksch
"for many years held the position of
Warden of that Moravian Settlement."
John Matthew was baptized the same year
as his birth, and "at the proper age
attended school at Nazareth Hall."
Upon completing his studies he and two
other pupils, Jedediah Weiss and Charles
F. Beckel were apprenticed to John Samuel
Krause to learn the clock and watchmaking
business. The three apprentices lodged
together, and after the death of Mr.
Krause, Jedediah Weiss started in
business and employed John Matthew
Miksch. Later, John Matthew started his
own business, in the "old four story
building on main street known as the
Nursery' in the old Moravian days."
This building was later razed to provide
a space for the Moravian publication
building on the same site. He married
Lisetta Dixon of Emaus, and they had two
children, who survived him.
On March 29, 1832 he married Caroline
Juliann Vierling, daughter of Dr.
Vierling of Salem, NC. About this time
John Matthew needed a bigger place for
his business, and moved to the corner of
Broad and Main Street, erecting a
building on the vacant lot "above
the old Sun Inn." When his age would
not allow him to continue, one of his
employees, Edward Erwin, took over the
business. Mr. Erwin had served for over
twenty years under John Matthew. John
Matthew's (second) wife died March 12,
1879.
John Matthew "took a great interest
in the town," served as a director
of "The Society for Propagating the
Gospel Among the Heathen," and
served on the board of the Beneficial
Society. After Bethlehem was incorporated
in 1845 he served on the first town
council. He also served on the finance
committee and was greatly respected as a
debater and "his
straight-forwardness in speech and
soundness of argument, and his advice and
counsel were frequently sought." He
helped name the streets and alleys of
Bethlehem Borough. In served a total of
three years as chief burgess. He took an
active interest in politics, and belonged
to the Whig party and later with the
Democratic party. He was also an original
member of the Bethlehem Band.
In "the evening of his days" he
was nursed by his daughter, [Maria,
daughter by his second marriage.]
"His son residing in Michigan and
his daughter living in Philadelphia were
summoned to the old homestead" and
his two daughters were with him when he
died. Surviving children were Richard P.
Miksch of Niles, Michigan, Mrs. Julius W.
Held of Philadelphia, and Miss Maria
Miksch. He was also survived by his
step-brother, Jonas Miksch of Loyal Oak,
Ohio. (9)
One additional source, Phebe Gibbon's
article on Bethlehem
and the Moravians
gives some insight into John Matthew's
life. She interviews a "Mr.
W.", a watchmaker, b. 1796. John
Matthew's friend and fellow watchmaker,
Jedediah Weiss, appears to be this
"Mr. W." Jedediah, like
"Mr. W., was a watchmaker and had a
grandfather Matthias from "Basle,
Switzerland", and he was born
February 21, 1795/6. In the essay, Mr. W.
says that he began to learn his trade at
14, as one of about 20 brethren in the
"Brothers' House." When the
morning bell sounded the boys got up and
went to a short service in the prayer
hall [singing a verse and listening to
the text of the day]. Following the
service, Jedediah went with three other
boys who lodged together to sweep out the
shops. They next ground their coffee and
prepared their own breakfast of bread,
butter, and coffee, which they partook
with their employer in the shop. After
eating, they made up their cot-beds and
washed dishes and then went to work,
stopping for dinner when the chapel bell
rang at a quarter to twelve. The young
men were allowed to eat dinner and supper
with their own families if they lived
nearby. (10)
(1) ________Record
of births of the Nazareth Moravian
Congregation and also those of the
Affiliated Congregations of Genadenthal (sic),
Friedensthal, and Ninsky from 1743-1880.*
Philadelphia: Genealogical Society of
Pennsylvania, nd., p. 55. [Johann
Mattheus Miksch]
(2) Schultze, Prof. Augustus, D.D. The
Old Moravian Cemetery of Bethlehem, PA,
1742-1897.
Bethlehem: The
Comenius Press,
1897, p. 225. [Indexed, with birth year
and death year and an obituary, LDS
microfilm 0384711, item 4. Also known as
Transactions of the Moravian Historical
Society, Vol. V, Part III. This can also
be found in Pennsylvania
German Church Records,
Vol. II.]
(3) Schultze, Augustus. A
Brief History of the Widow's Society at
Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1913. [LDS
microfilm 6045683, no circulation. Also
at Sutro Library, San Francisco.]
(4) Eckhardt, George H. Pennsylvania
Clocks and Clockmakers.
New York: Devin-Adair Company, 1955, p.
218.
(5) U.S. Census, 1840, Bethlehem Twp.,
Northampton, PA, p. 126. "J. M.
Miksch." U.S. Census, 1850,
Bethlehem, Northampton, PA, p. 461.
"John M. Miksch, watchmaker, age 51.
Car. Miksch, age 53, Mar. Miksch, age
14." U.S. Census, 1860, Bethlehem,
Northampton, PA, p. 138. "John M.
Mikich, age 62, Master Watchmaker
$3000/3000 b. PA; Caroline, age 64, b.
NC, Maria, age 24." U.S. Census,
1870, Bethlehem Ward 1, household 152.
John M. Miksch,73; wife Caroline,75;
daughter Maria, age 34; Ada Smith, age
36; and Hannah Weaver, a domestic
servant, age 40.
(6) Gopsill, James. Gopsill's
Directory of Reading, Allentown, Easton,
Pottsville, and Bethlehem.
Lancaster, N. Y. James Gopsill, 1864.
[LDS microfilm 0496918, item 3. Also
Sutro Library, San Francisco.]
(7) Microfilm of Bethlehem newspaper
articles, available from the Bethlehem
Public Library,
<http://www.bapl.org/lochist.htm>;
(8) Photocopy of death notice in
possession of Carol Rand
(9) Photocopy of obituary in possession
of Carol Rand [Bethlehem Public Libary
microfilm]
(10) Gibbons, Phebe Earle. Bethlehem
and the Moravians, Pennsylvania
Dutch and Other Essays.
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott and Co,
1882, pp. 1886-187, 189. [Matthias Weiss
was from Mhlhausen, according to an obit
in "The Old Moravian Cemetery at
Bethlehem" by Schultz. Mhlhausen is
in the Alsace Lorraine area near Basel.]
Notes for ELIZABETH "LISETTA"
DIXON: Lisetta Miksch, maiden name Dixon,
1799-1829, born at Emmaus, PA. Wife of
John Miksch. She had one son and one
daughter. (1)
"Lissetta Miksch" left a will,
dated 13 Jan 1829 and proven Feb. 6,
1829. It mentions a legacy left her by
George Huber, her deceased uncle. Her
estate was left to her husband, and any
left over on his decease was to go to her
children , not named. (2)
Her mother was Rosina Huber Dixon, who
was married to Joseph Dixon. "Rosina
Dixon, 1764-1833. Born at Bethlehem.
Married in 1794 John Dixon [error: should
read Joseph] and moved to Emmaus. She had
one son, George, and two daughters."
(3) [This parentage was confirmed in the
obituary of John Matthew Miksch. Her
brother was George W. Dixon of
Bethlehem.]
The birth of "Elizabeth Dixon"
to Joseph Dixon and Rosina Huber is found
in "Pennsylvania births," from
the records of the Emmaus Congregation.
(4)
A birthdate and deathdate for Lisetta
Miksch is found in Bethlehem church
records. (5)
Some information on the Dixon family can
be found on a
website link to Salem families. (6)
-----------------
(1) Schultze, Prof. Augustus, D.D. The
Old Moravian Cemetery of Bethlehem, PA,
1742-1897.
Bethlehem: The Comenius Press, 1897, p.
196. [Indexed, with birth year and death
year and an obituary, LDS microfilm
0384711, item 4. Also known as Transactions
of the Moravian Historical Society,
Vol. V, Part III. This can also be found
in Pennsylvania
German Church Records,
Vol. II.]
(2) Northampton Will Book 5.
(3) (Schultze, op. cit., p. 505.]
(4) John T. Humphrey. Pennsylvania
Births, Lehigh County, 1734-1800.
Washington : Humphrey Publications,
c1992.
(5) Martin, John Hill, Historical
Sketch of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, with
Some Account of the Moravian Church,
Philadelphia, O. Rogers, 1972. Grave
record #1134. [Maiden name Dixon-Emmaus]
(6)
<http://users.erols.com/fmoran/dixon.html>;
Notes for CAROLINE JULIANNA VIERLING:
Caroline Miksch maiden name Vierling,
179501879, born at Salem, NC, came to
Bethlehem in 1814. She was married to
John Miksch and was a "kind and
helpful mother in Israel." (1)
Birthdate and deathdate are from
Bethlehem church records. (2)
Caroline was the daughter of Martha
Miksch Vierling and granddaughter of John
Matthew Miksch who owned a tobacco shop
in Salem, NC. An article about Caroline's
ancestors in *The Three Forks of Muddy
Creek*. (3)
Caroline's great grandparents were
Mattheus Miksch, Jr., an early missionary
to St. Croix in the Caribbean who died
there in 1734, and his wife Martha
Elizabeth Jahn Miksch, whose second
husband was the Moravian bishop, Augustus
Spangenberg. Caroline's father, Samuel
Vierling, was a physician in Salem. For
more information on the Vierling family,
see the family pages on an internet link
to Salem families. (4)
Georgetown University's Lauinger Library
Special Collections Division has color
photos and slides of a painting of
Caroline Juliana Vierling (born 1795);
also pictures of the house built by her
father, Samuel Vierling . (5)
------------------
(1) Schultze, Prof. Augustus, D.D. The
Old Moravian Cemetery of Bethlehem, PA,
1742-1897.
Bethlehem: The Comenius Press, 1897, p.
230.
(2) Humphrey, John T. Grave
Stones of Northampton County: for people
born before 1800.
Washington D. C.: Larjon, 2000
(3) Griffin, Frances, ed. The
Three Forks of Muddy Creek.
Winston Salem, North Carolina: Old Salem
Incorporated, 1974, Vol. I, pp. 31-41.
(4)
<http://users.erols.com/fmoran/vierling.html>;
(5) JULIE AND THOMAS
KERNAN PAPERS; Box:
3 Fold: 62 Photographs: Old Salem, North
Carolina Dates: c. 1982-1988.
<http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/fl/f181}5.htm#id56259>;
Children of JOHN MIKSCH and ELIZABETH
DIXON are:
2.i. RICHARD P. MIKSCH/MICKS4, b. Abt.
1825, PA; d. Bef. 1892, MI. 3.ii. EMMA E.
MIKSCH4, b.
September 1826, Pennsylvania; d. Aft.
1900.
Children of JOHN MIKSCH and CAROLINE
VIERLING are:
iii.BENJAMIN SAMUEL/SAMUEL BENJAMIN4
MIKSCH, b. December 17, 1832; d. January
06, 1833, Bethlehem, Northampton, PA.
Notes for BENJAMIN SAMUEL/SAMUEL BENJAMIN
MIKSCH: Bethlehem church records record
his birth date and death date. [Samuel
Benjamin.] (1)
Schultz records his name as Benjamin
Samuel [but Samuel Benjamin in the
index.] (2)
-------------------
(1) Martin, John Hill, A
List of Interments in the Old Moravian
Graveyard on Market Street in Bethlehem,
Pennslyvania.
Philadelphia: Collections of the
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania,
Vol. 258, 1911.The Historical Society of
Pennsylvania. [LDS microfilm 0384711,
item 1]. Grave record # 1256.
(2) Schultze, Prof. Augustus, D.D. The
Old Moravian Cemetery of Bethlehem, PA,
1742-1897.
Bethlehem: The Comenius Press, 1897, p.
138. [Indexed, with birth year and death
year and an obituary, LDS microfilm
0384711, item 4. Also known as
Transactions of the Moravian Historical
Society, Vol. V, Part III. This can also
be found in Pennsylvania
German Church Records,
Vol. II. Note: page numbers may vary;
check index.]
iv.MARIA H. MIKSCH, b. Abt. 1835; d. Aft.
1890, of Bethlehem Borough.
Notes for MARIA H. MIKSCH: Age 24 on 1860
census.
In 1890, Maria H. Micksch, age 56, was
living on Church St. in Bethlehem
Borough. It appears that she remained
single. (2)
(2)
<http://www.enter.net/~ritar/communities.html>;
[Bethlehem Borough.]
Generation No. 2
2. RICHARD P. MIKSCH/MICKS4(JOHN MATTHEW
MIKSCH3, PAUL2, MICHAEL
DAVID1) was born
Abt. 1825 in PA, and died Bef. 1892 in
MI. He married ELIZABETH Abt. 1853 in
Ohio (?). She was born Abt. 1831 in OH,
and died Aft. 1880.
Notes for RICHARD P. MIKSCH/MICKS: 1870
census, Niles Ward 2, Berrien Co,
Michigan: R. P. Micks, age 45; Elizabeth,
age 39; Mary, age 12; John E., age 8;
Richard, age 4; Judson, age 10 months (in
July, 180). Richard was a silversmith.
Richard was born PA; Elizabeth and two
oldest children b. Ohio. Richard Jr. and
Judson b. Michigan.
1880 census, 2nd Ward, Niles Twp, Berren
Co: He was a watch repairer. Mary was a
dressmaker; Edward was also a watch
repairer. Richard P. Micks, age 55;
Elizabeth, age 49; Mary, age 22; Edward,
age 18; Richard, age 14; Judson, age 10.
His widow, Elizabeth, is listed in the
Berrien County, Michigan Directory, 1892
(ancestry.com). She was living in Three
Oaks, same residence as her son, Judson.
Children of RICHARD MIKSCH/MICKS and
ELIZABETH are:
i. EMMA MICKS5,
b. Abt. 1854; d.
November 10, 1867, Niles, Berrien Twp,
Michigan.
Notes for EMMA MICKS: Died of brain
fever. 13 years old. Daughter of R. P.
and Elizabeth Micks (1)
_______
(1)<http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/scripts/gendis/individual.idc?UniqueID=229306>;
ii. MARY MICKS, b. Abt. 1858, OH.
iii. JOHN EDWARD MICKS, b. Abt. 1862, OH.
Notes for JOHN EDWARD MICKS: Called John
E. on the 1870 census; Edward on the 1880
census.
iv. RICHARD MICKS, b. Abt. 1866, MI.
v. JUDSON A. MICKS, b. Abt. September
1869, MI.
Notes for JUDSON A. MICKS: Ancestry.com:
the Berrien Co., Michigan directory of
1892 lists Judson A. Micks, on Sycamore
St., in Three Oaks. He was a music
teacher.
3. EMMA E. MIKSCH4 (JOHN
MATTHEW3, PAUL2, MICHAEL
DAVID1) was born
September 1826 in Pennsylvania, and died
Aft. 1900. She married JULIUS W. HELD. He
was born Abt. 1825.
Notes for EMMA E. MIKSCH: Living with her
daughter, Mary, 28th Ward, Philadelphia,
1900 census.
Notes for JULIUS W. HELD: A painter on
the 1850 census. Civil War: Enlisted as a
Private on 11 January 1862. Enlisted in
Company E, 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment
Pennsylvania on 11 January 1862. Mustered
out on 29 January 1866 in City Point, VA.
Pension index: wife Emma E. Held.
Children of EMMA MIKSCH and JULIUS HELD
are:
i. G. R. HELD, b. Abt. October 1849.
Notes for G. R. HELD: 9 months old on the
1850 census (taken July 1850)
ii. MARY HELD, b. April 1851.
Notes for MARY HELD: on the 1900 census,
living with her mother. Philadelphia, PA,
28th Ward.
iii. HORACE DIXON HELD, b. 1854; d. 1855,
Bethlehem, Northampton, PA.
Notes for HORACE DIXON HELD: Schultze,
Prof. Augustus, D.D. The
Old Moravian Cemetery of Bethlehem, PA,
1742-1897.
Bethlehem: The Comenius Press, 1897,
"son of Julius Held."
iv. ANNA HELD, b. 1857.
v. JOSEPH HELD, b. 1861.
vi. CLARENCE HELD, b. 1867.
[Courtesy of Carol Rand <crand2@bigfoot.com>
as provided to the MIKSCH RootsWeb
list archives, posted Sun, 18 Aug 2002]
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