sibbley
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2023
- Messages
- 1,515
- Reaction score
- 5,136
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Nazareth, PA
- Detector(s) used
- Dr. Otek MT-XR, Ace Apex, Xterra Pro, Nokta Legend, Nokta Makro Impact, Manticore, XP ORX, XP Deus 2 WS6 Master, XP Deus 2, Deeptech Vista X, Nokta Makro Invenio Pro
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
- #1
Thread Owner
Most of my life I had not really known much about my family and "where I came from". My dad and his siblings weren't really interested in their family farther back than their father and grandfather. I was always left wondering. I had known where our family lived for many years in Berks County Pennsylvania, as the farm was pointed out to me every time we passed it traveling from one town to another.
When I was in my 20's, I had discovered that my family had come to the colonies in 1733, after leaving the old country. Over the years I learned they came over on the ship Richard and Elizabeth, settled in Skippack Township, Philadelphia County at the time, and moved north in the 1740's into Berks County. From there, my grandfather 9 generations back moved into what is now Schuylkill County, built a home for his family and began to build a life there. In 1756, Indians moved through the area chasing settlers out and taking land. My grandfather Johann Marx raised a company of volunteers in Albany, then Berks County, and marched off to take back their homes. Just as the men reached their destination, Indians ambushed the men killing Johann and another man. The rest of the soldiers took refuge inside Johann's home and fought till the Indians retreated.
When Johann's son Valentine started his own family, they moved back to Berks County where he worked as a lock smith. I have actually found records and receipts detailing Valentine selling locks and repairing locks for the church at Grimmsville, Berks County. He is also buried there along with his wife. This is as far as I have been able to find what my family did to make a living till the 1860's when my grandfather Jacob 5 generations back built a farm and raised Rye.
Recently, I have learned that my family were blacksmiths from Valentine's sons to Jacob. They specialized in forging Sickles and were apparently very good at making them. My wife was able to acquire one of these sickles made by Jacob's brother Isaac.
The item description:
" Wonderful quite old sickle or scythe or reaper, hand made, and hand forged and marked. Tools like this were used as part of the harvest, and were indispensable on farms in medieval and even early industrial agricultural operations. Marked and stamped on the blade. I met the curator of the Antique American Carpenter's and Machinist Machinery & Tool Museum, and he told me that this style of reaper was typical of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio blacksmiths. This is probably from the early 1800s, but it could be from the very late 1700s. Marked and stamped with a partly eroded mark that I think should be "I CHRIST" on the blade, as I had two others marked similarly. This superb example is 23 1/16" long measured from the bottom of the handle to the tip of the blade. The hand shaped wood handle is about 5" long and shows some minor cracks due to age and dryness. The entire tool is in good condition, and the forged steel blade has been hand hammered and the blade has virtually no sharpness to the edge."
The dates given in the description are incorrect. Isaac was born in 1840, so the sickle was most likely Late 1850's on. Still, a wonderful piece to have, hand forged by a member of my family.
Pics:
My wife and I have been detecting the family farm. The black smith's shop is still there with a dirt floor and tons of signals. Maybe we will find one of these buried!
When I was in my 20's, I had discovered that my family had come to the colonies in 1733, after leaving the old country. Over the years I learned they came over on the ship Richard and Elizabeth, settled in Skippack Township, Philadelphia County at the time, and moved north in the 1740's into Berks County. From there, my grandfather 9 generations back moved into what is now Schuylkill County, built a home for his family and began to build a life there. In 1756, Indians moved through the area chasing settlers out and taking land. My grandfather Johann Marx raised a company of volunteers in Albany, then Berks County, and marched off to take back their homes. Just as the men reached their destination, Indians ambushed the men killing Johann and another man. The rest of the soldiers took refuge inside Johann's home and fought till the Indians retreated.
When Johann's son Valentine started his own family, they moved back to Berks County where he worked as a lock smith. I have actually found records and receipts detailing Valentine selling locks and repairing locks for the church at Grimmsville, Berks County. He is also buried there along with his wife. This is as far as I have been able to find what my family did to make a living till the 1860's when my grandfather Jacob 5 generations back built a farm and raised Rye.
Recently, I have learned that my family were blacksmiths from Valentine's sons to Jacob. They specialized in forging Sickles and were apparently very good at making them. My wife was able to acquire one of these sickles made by Jacob's brother Isaac.
The item description:
" Wonderful quite old sickle or scythe or reaper, hand made, and hand forged and marked. Tools like this were used as part of the harvest, and were indispensable on farms in medieval and even early industrial agricultural operations. Marked and stamped on the blade. I met the curator of the Antique American Carpenter's and Machinist Machinery & Tool Museum, and he told me that this style of reaper was typical of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio blacksmiths. This is probably from the early 1800s, but it could be from the very late 1700s. Marked and stamped with a partly eroded mark that I think should be "I CHRIST" on the blade, as I had two others marked similarly. This superb example is 23 1/16" long measured from the bottom of the handle to the tip of the blade. The hand shaped wood handle is about 5" long and shows some minor cracks due to age and dryness. The entire tool is in good condition, and the forged steel blade has been hand hammered and the blade has virtually no sharpness to the edge."
The dates given in the description are incorrect. Isaac was born in 1840, so the sickle was most likely Late 1850's on. Still, a wonderful piece to have, hand forged by a member of my family.
Pics:
My wife and I have been detecting the family farm. The black smith's shop is still there with a dirt floor and tons of signals. Maybe we will find one of these buried!
