GERMAN FAMILY TO HAVE A REUNION
Blauch Blough Plough Reunion Will Be Held on Tuesday in a Park Near Johnstown
The Blauch Blough Plough Reunion Association will hold its second annual reunion at Arbutus Park, near Johnstown, Tuesday August 24. The officers of the association are: President D. D. Blauch of Johnstown
Vice President C. E. Blough of Johnstown
Rev. Jerome Blough of Holsopple
Rev Perry A. Blough of Waterloo, Iowa
Milton J Blough of Boynton, Pa
Warren Blough of Garrett, Pa.
Secretary Rufus S. Blauch of Johnstown
Assistant Secretary T. K. Taylor of Johnstown
Treasurer and Musical Director, C. M. Blough of Johnstown
A program consisting of addresses and musical selections will be rendered and at 2:30 o’clock the regular business session will be held. The Bloughs are well known in Fayette and Westmoreland counties. Mrs J. T. Hetzel, Mrs R. O. Pickett of the West Side are relatives, their maiden names being Blough.
The following is a brief history of the Blauch family:
Christian and Hans Blauch arrived from Switzerland with their families in America November 3 1750. They located in Lancaster county, Pa. Christian bought 171 acres of land in Lebanon township, Lancaster county now Lebanon county from Richard and Thomas Penn, Governors of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1761.
In 1781 John and Abram Blauch served in the Lancaster county Militia Second Batalion. Tradition says that one was captured by the Hessians and starved to death.
In 1767, Christian Blauch, who was born in Berne, Switzerland and came with his father to America at the age of seven, moved with his family of eight children to Somerset county near Berlin. He died in 177?. He is the founder of the Berlin branch now known as Blauch and Blough.
In 1790 Jacob Blauch a brother of Christian also born in Berne, Switzerland moved from Lebanon with his family of nine children to Somerset county and settled at the Quemahoning. He is founder of the Quemahoning branch now known as Blauch, Blaugh, and Blouke.
Jacob Blauch, a son of Jacob better known as Old Yocky, was the first minister in Paint township Somerset county, and was ordained the first bishop of the Mennonite Church in the Johnstown district. He died in 1849 and was succeeded by Samuel Blough, a son of John of the Berlin branch in the office of bishop. Samuel was again succeeded by Samuel, a grandson of Jacob and nephew o[ the first Samuel. At the death of the second Samuel the office of bishop fell on Jonas Blauch, a grandson of the first bishop who died in 1906. Thus the office of bishop was held by the Blauchs continuously for over 100 years.
The 5th and 6th Wards of the City of Johnstown Pa was at one time the property of John Dibert and Rachel Blauch Dibert, a daughter of Christian Blauch, second son of Jacob Blauch the founder of the Quemahonlng branch of the Blauch family. A son of the founder of Johnstown, Joseph Johns, was married to a daughter of John Blough of the Berlin branch thus connecting the history of Johnstown with the Bloughs.
The farm of which Arbutus Park is a part, was given by John Blauch to his daughter, Christina, who married (Strong) now John Blough. This was held in the Blough family for over 90 years continuously, a fitting place to hold these reunions.
A quaint story is told of one of the members who lived m New Haven. Asked how he spelled his name he used to declare that it was spelled with a big B and a little b and an augh. Many of the older residents will remember the fun occasioned by his quaint way of spelling and the German accent with which he used to call it off.
(The Weekly Courier, Aug. 12, 1909)
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