lapeimmigration4

The Lape Immigration (continued)

Samuel Lape, Junior, the youngest of the eleven children of Samuel and Anna Hidley Lape, was born on April 12, 1796. Samuel Lape, Jr., served in the War of 1812. He served in Hardenburgh's Regiment, of the New York Militia, from September 10, 1813 to October 27, 1813. In the Spring of 1814 Samuel Lape, Junior, was unable to take an active role in manual labor due to a (possibly war-related) leg injury, but was able to ride a horse. As a mission, which he willfully accepted from his father, Samuel traveled northward in search of new land. When Samuel searched Saratoga County, he appraised the agricultural promise. He carried back to his father a discouraging report. His father then dispatched him westward to Schoharie County, New York, somewhat west and south of Cobleskill, near Summit Four Corners, in the hamlet of Lutheranville, NY. Samuel's destination was the home of one, Charles Neer, a Revolutionary War veteran and an uncle.

Charles Neer was the son of Barent Neer (and Anna Barbara Treber), and the grandson of Johann Karl Neher (and Anna Constantia Reickert), a founder and builder of the "Old Stone Church", in Rhinebeck, Dutchess, NY. Charles Neer married Catherine Hideley, a sister to Anna Elizabeth Hideley (wife of Samuel Lape, Sr.), and moved to Lutheranville, Schoharie County about 1795. Wallace C. Van Houten, the Schoharie County Historian and overseer of Vroman's Nose, of Middleburgh, NY, is a descendant of Mary Barbara Neer, daughter of Samuel Neer, and granddaughter of Charles Neer.

It happened that in Lutheranville, of the six Charles Neer children, there was one, Lany, who was comely, sixteen and single. Imagine the pleasure of Samuel Lape, Jr. returning on a long trip back to his father with news of available land, both "neer" and far. Also imagine how young love made him see charms in a country heavily wooded and far above the settled valleys.

Samuel Lape, Sr. moved to Lutheranville in 1814-1815, at age 63 years, with his son Samuel Lape, Junior, his son Andreas Lape, and a grandson Samuel Andreas Lape (also known as Samuel Lape, 2nd or III). Andreas Lape, born December 24, 1777, married Elizabeth Schauerman who died in 1815. Andreas Lape purchased 143 acres of land in Lutheranville, NY, at a cost of $750, on October 27, 1825, from Susan Ogden, Hannah Murray, and Mary Murray, of New York (K-235).

Andreas Lape's son, Samuel Andreas Lape, also known as Samuel Lape 2^nd or III, was a namesake of his grandfather, Samuel Lape, Sr. Samuel A. Lape married Mary W. Morrison on February 10, 1825, at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY, and had eleven children. He purchased from Andreas Lape and his wife, Elizabeth, (Andreas may have married a second time to Elizabeth Hideley before moving to Lutheranville), 143 acres of land in Lutheranville, NY, on January 8, 1838 (Y-143). Samuel Lape, 2^nd, is buried in Lutheranville near his wife.

One daughter of Samuel A. Lape, Elizabeth O. Lape, born May 11, 1845, married Hiram Sperbeck, an ancestor of Freda Boynton Wharton and Beverly Wharton Radez of Summit, NY. Another daughter, Catherine Maria Lape, born July 27, 1829, married Elisha Smith, an ancestor of Levant Smith, Earl Smith, Arthur Smith, and Roger Smith, formerly of Richmondville, NY.

Samuel A Lape’s son, Harmon Lape, born August 07, 1836, was a member of B Co., 91st NY Infantry, during the Civil War. Harmon married Margaret Elizabeth (Hannah) Hammond and is an ancestor of the Vernon Lape family of Richmondville, NY, the Jeanette Louise Campbell Cornwell family of Central Bridge, NY, and the Joseph Shawn Lape family of Rosemount, Minnesota.

Daniel Lape, the seventh child of Samuel A. Lape, born July 1837, married Mary Levinna Seeley in 1862. They lived and died in Guilderland, Albany, NY, and are buried in Fairview Cemetery, Guilderland, Albany, NY. Daniel is the ancestor of Thomas Martin of Apex, North Carolina.

Jacob P. Lape, born July 25, 1807, who married Sally Morrison, was another son of Andreas Lape, and is an ancestor of the George Lape family of Richmondville, NY, and the David Lawrence Thurber family of East Worcester, NY.

Elizabeth Lape, born November 25, 1809 was a daughter of Andreas and Elizabeth Schauerman Lape, and sister of Jacob P. Lape. Jacob A. Lape, born January 27, 1807, grandson of Samuel Lape, Sr., and son of Thomas Lape and Barbary Weatherwax Lape of West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY, at some time moved to Lutheranville, NY, to be with his adventurous relatives. He had apparently fallen in love with his first cousin, Elizabeth Lape. Jacob A. Lape and Elizabeth Lape were married on February 12, 1825, and were the parents of nine children, all of whom were born in Lutheranville, NY. Jacob A. Lape purchased seven acres of land on December 29, 1843, from Barent and Magdelen Fridenall, for $80, near Brooker Hollow Road. He later purchased ten acres of adjoining land from John R. Murray, Jr., for $62.20. By 1865 Jacob A. Lape had 173 acres of land valued at $4000 with stock valued at $750. Both were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY, and are buried at the Lutheranville, NY cemetery. Jacob A. Lape had a Last Will and Testament. Their daughter, Prudence Axey Lape, born 1838, was the second wife of John Wharton, born January 28, 1819, and died 1910, in Richmondville, Schoharie, New York.

Another son of Andreas Lape, Andrew W. Lape, born May 06, 1822, married Maria Van Buren, and they had five children including Sylvester Lape, born in Lutheranville, NY, on November 17, 1847. Sylvester was enlisted in Company B, 7th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery during the Civil War, and is an ancestor of Willis Gilbert Lape (Gary & Julie Lape Green), formerly of Burlington Flats, Otsego, NY, and Milton D. Lape, of Cobleskill, NY. Sylvester Lape is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Worcester, NY.

Samuel Lape, Sr., and family settled in Lutheranville, NY, upon a farm which he originally leased. The family lived in a log cabin near a spring and the present Lape homestead. Samuel was a self-supporting farmer and a God-fearing man. Samuel Lape, Sr., was a trustee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY, where he served for the first two years of the church's foundation in 1822.

The Lutheran Church of Summit, Lutheranville, NY: "The edifice in which this society worships is at Lutheranville in the west part of the town, in the midst of an industrious and prosperous community. The organization was effected in 1823 through the labors of its first pastor, the worthy George Lintner. In 1836 the church building was erected and remodeled in 1858, and will seat three hundred and fifty. The first officers were from the Neer, Lape, Fredindal and Morrison families, the first settlers of the neighborhood. The pastors were as follows: Rev. George Lintner, P. G. Cole, --- Slimser, Nicholas Van Alstine, Benjamin Diefendorf, (eighteen years), Samuel Bruce, J. S. Paul, and S. W. Young."

Lutheranville, NY: "This hamlet was for a long term of years called ‘Tar Hollow’, We are assured by Jacob Wilcox and others, although we have no official proof of the fact, that a Deputy Sheriff by the name of Mr. Whittaker, during the anti-rent troubles of 1844 and 1845, was taken by the anti-rent settlers, while in the performance of official duties, in the collection of a debt, and treated to a good coat of tar and feathers. Our informants assure us, the tar and feathers were placed upon a stone-boat and taken to a convenient place, where the deputy was stripped of his clothing and besmeared with the tar, from head to foot, and then covered with feathers. We believe it was the only instance in the County, where such measures were taken and carried out. Since those exciting times, no place can be found, where more law-abiding citizens reside, than throughout this neighborhood."

Samuel Lape, Jr., married Lany Neer on November 16, 1817 in Lutheranville, NY. He purchased 144 acres of land at a cost of $720, on October 27, 1825, from Susan Ogden, Hannah Murray, and Mary Murray, of New York (H-106). Samuel Lape, Jr., also purchased sixty acres of land at a cost of $250, on November 13, 1828, from Lucads Elmondorf of Livingston, Ulster County, New York (K-237).

Samuel Lape, Sr., died on March 13, 1831, aged 80 years, his interment in the Lutheranville Church cemetery in an unmarked grave. He had finally reached his resting place.

If you love me then you will obey my command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him; for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.

-John 14:16-18

Samuel Lape, Jr. in 1865 had 180 acres of improved land valued at $7500 and stock valued at $1312. Samuel grew oats, barley, buckwheat, potatoes and apples. In the year prior he produced 1200 pounds of butter, 900 pounds of pork, 60 bushels of apples and 80 pounds of wool. He afterwards enlarged the farm, making it one of the most extensive farms in the section, reaching 340 acres. Samuel Lape, Jr. built a sawmill with a "ascending-descending" blade; the circular saws didn't make their appearance until 1885. He turned out 20,000 feet of hemlock for the Plank Road. Each plank was eight feet long and three inches thick. He was to receive five dollars a thousand feet, delivered. Instead of hard cash, he accepted road stock, and in the end received exactly nothing at all. Samuel produced potatoes and wheat. Mercantile wheat had to be delivered in Kingston the first day of January, each year, in payment of tax of leased lands. He consented to hold some of the minor town offices, although not a seeker after place. Samuel was a registered Republican and a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY. Samuel Lape, Jr., as well as Samuel Neer, Abraham Dingman, William Fox, Joseph Lincoln, and Elias Osborn, was a Trustee of Schools of the Town of Summit in 1836, consenting to the alteration of District No. 7, dated December 6th, 1836.

As children, to kill time during those long northern winters my brothers & I use to play "hide and seek" in the basement of our parent's home in Summit. A favorite hiding place was an old wardrobe armoire. Once, about the year 1960, while hiding and waiting to be "found" a well used 1817 Liberty Large Cent was found wedged in a shelf edge. The wardrobe was once used by the Samuel Lape Junior family. The coin was given to my father, S. Ward Lape, for safe-keeping and was recently rediscovered. The coin's significance is probably coupled with the 1817 marriage of Samuel Lape and Lany Neer. One can only envision Samuel Lape Junior, after keeping the coin in his pocket as a memento of his love of Lany, placing the coin in the wardrobe for someone in later years to happen upon.

The 1825 census of Summit, NY, reveals that Samuel Lape, Jr., had 5 males (2 that had military duty), 3 females (1 married, 2 unmarried), 100 acres, 20 cattle, 4 horses, 25 sheep, 15 hogs, 25 yards cloth, 30 yards flannel cloth and 100 yards of linen. The 1835 census of Summit, NY, reveals that Samuel Lape, Jr., had 5 males (1 male eligible to vote), 1 married female, 2 unmarried females under age 16, 1 male birth, 100 acres, 23 cattle, 3 horses, 50 sheep, 6 hogs, 20 yards of filled cloth, 44 yards of unfilled cloth and 30 yards of linen.

Samuel Lape Junior was a member of the Schoharie County Bible Society. His membership certificate, signed by Rev. Litner shows his financial contribution of $5.00 on June 28, 1864, making him a life member.

Samuel Lape, Jr., and Lany Neer Lape had twelve children, including Elizabeth Lape, born March 15, 1820; Simeon Lape, born October 19, 1827; John Selmser Lape, born April 18, 1833; George Thomas Lape, born April 18, 1835; and Josiah Lape, born May 30, 1841.

Elizabeth Lape, the oldest child of Samuel and Lany Lape, was baptized at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cobleskill, NY, on May 13, 1820. The remaining children of Samuel and Lany Lape were baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY. Elizabeth married Abraham Harrington in 1839 and they had five children born in Summit, NY.

Simeon Lape was the owner of the La Monte & Co. General Store, Charlotteville, Schoharie, NY, from 1865-1900. Simeon was a Republican and was the Postmaster of Charlotteville, NY, for about twenty years. He was married to Lucy Lamonte in 1848 and after her death, he married Mary Glimm, who interestingly was born in 1848, the year of his first marriage. Simeon and his wives are buried in Charlotteville.

John Selmser Lape, was baptized at Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, NY on June 9, 1833. John was named after Rev. Selmser, minister of the Lutheranville Lutheran Church from 1832-1839. John owned a farm in East Worcester, Otsego, NY, not far from the property of Amos Belden and Sylvester Lape, the Civil War veteran, and he owned property in East Worcester village near his brother, George T. Lape. John married Orilla Terpening, sister of Deliah Terpening (the wife of Josiah Lape), on December 23, 1852. John Selsmen and Orilla Lape had one son, Menzo Lape.

George Thomas Lape attended the New York Conference Seminary, in Charlotteville, Schoharie, NY, which he attended in 1855 and was educated as a civil engineer, graduating from Union College, Schenectady, NY, class of 1860. He worked on such notable structures as the D& H Railroad in Richmondville, NY, and the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, NY. He married Emma Claxton and was a teacher in the New York Conference Seminary and in Civil Engineering. George T. Lape was a photographer in New York City during the Civil War. George T. Lape and Emma Claxton had one child, Mabel Lape. George owned farm property in East Worcester, Otsego, NY, in 1868; the property was sold to his nephews, John E. Lape and Alfred Lape. George T. Lape died on May 5, 1921, at Seabury Memorial Home, 325 Highland Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY.

Samuel Lape, Jr. died on February 18, 1867, his wife dying on February 09, 1875. Both are buried in marked graves at the Evangelical Lutheran Church cemetery, Lutheranville, NY.

Josiah Lape, the youngest son of Samuel and Lany Lape, managed the Lape farm during the last third of the 19th century. He was the builder of the Lape Homestead, Lutheranville, NY, completed in 1887. Josiah was Commissioner of Highways, Town of Summit, in the 1890's. Josiah grew hops and sold them to dealers for the making of beer. He also sold dairy goods and maple syrup to his brother, Simeon, at the General Store in Charlotteville, in exchange for household items.

Josiah married Deliah Terpening, daughter of Cornelius Terpening, Sr. and Axena Smith, on May 17, 1862. Deliah was the granddaughter of Jacob Terpening, a Private in December 1782 in the company commanded by Capt. John L. Hardenburg belonging to a regiment of the levies of militia raised for the defense of the state, which was then under the command of Lt. Col. Frederick Weisenfels, and was called to the field of active service in April 1782. Josiah and Deliah had five children while living at the homestead, including John E. Lape, born August 30, 1865; Alfred Lape, born March 24, 1863; Lenora Lape, born October 09, 1870; Herbert S. Lape, born November 02, 1879; and Samuel Terpening Lape, born January 05, 1873. Josiah and Deliah Lape sang from their favorite song book. Josiah and probably his father, Samuel Lape Junior, used the kitchen chairs shown below.

Josiah and Deliah Lape also owned 214 acres of property on the Charlotteville Road in East Worcester, Otsego, NY. The property was purchased from Leonard Caryl in 1867 for $16,000. The property was in 1868 sold to his brother, George T. Lape, who in 1896 sold the property to his nephew, John E. Lape.

John E. Lape married Mabel Lamont Steele and purchased in 1896 the George T. Lape farm in East Worcester, NY. John was the father of Inez Lape Palmer, formerly of Worcester, NY.

Inez Lape was born April 21, 1897. She married Julian Palmer and they had a daughter, Beatrice M. "Betty" Palmer. Inez was a lifelong resident of Worcester, Otsego, NY. She was an insurance agent for most of her lifetime. Inez Lape Palmer died on February 04, 1986, and she left behind a red velvet photo album. After her death the photo album probably would have been trashed except that Nancy Green Milavec of Worcester, NY, who has been accused of being a "pack-rat," saved the album in the hope that it would someday find a "home." The photo album was recovered in the Spring of 1999. It is in the possession of Samuel Ward Lape, Sr., the first cousin-once removed of Inez Lape Palmer.

Betty Palmer was born March 10, 1918. She married Richard Mathew Muehl on August 03, 1946. Betty Palmer Muehl died on July 10, 1977.

Alfred Lape, with the assistance of his brother Herbert, was a dealer of Fine Teas and Pure Coffees, 361 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, during his early years. The Tea & Grocery business is listed in the 1894-1895 Brooklyn City Directory by Lain & Company. After his brother Herbert S. Lape died from pneumonia in 1895 he moved back to East Worcester, Otsego, NY, married Leona Ryder and worked on the East Worcester farm with his brother John E. Lape.

Lenora Lape lived in the Lape Homestead in Lutheranville until her death at the age of 34 from "multiple neuritis" and "pneumonia". Nora was gifted as a painter; painting animals, namely horses, was her favorite pastime. Lenora attended the American Institute in 1892. She never married.

Josiah Lape died on February 22, 1917, Deliah Terpening Lape dying in 1912. Both are buried in the Charlotteville, NY, cemetery.

Samuel Terpening Lape owned the Lape Homestead, Valley View Farm, expanding its land to 480 acres. He used the Eagle combination reaper and in 1886, the first sulky plow was given a trial. He grew 'tucket corn and tapped maple trees for its "sweet water". His main income sources were butter, wool and pork. Hops were grown quite extensively up to 1886 at which time the blue-moss became too great a handicap for their profitable culture. Potatoes were profitable; one year 2600 bushels of American Wonders were grown on seven acres. They were sold from $.60 to $1.00 per bushel. In another year, " the spring season was early, just like the one in 1936, and we had a drought and a plague of grasshoppers. The insects covered the fences and fence posts and ate up the grass. Our hay crop numbered just 37 loads and we substituted about 1500 bushels of potatoes with good results."

Samuel T. Lape married Esther "Etta" May Multer on October 23, 1895. Etta Multer was the daughter of Hattie Husted and Joseph Multer, a Civil War veteran who was shot in the left leg below the knee on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg. Samuel traveled to Albany, 55 miles away, by horse and wagon. If the tiller of the soil in those times accumulated some little wealth, it was not because they made much but rather because they spent so little for anything except for the fundamentals of living: food, clothing and shelter. Samuel used "Buck" and "Bright", superseded by "Old Hank", for "all the heavy work." At about the turn of the century, the telephone came to relieve some of the isolation of farm life. Said Samuel in 1936, "We've never had an auction, never a fire, never a renter, and never have we accepted a government subsidy".

Etta Multer Lape was described as pleasant, warm, and loving. She loved to teach cooking, canning, baking and crochet. Etta sold crocheted, hooded baby sweaters with booties in a New York City market at $1 each. She made homemade butter and soap, and she served a bountiful meal. Etta loved to shop for household goods from the Montgomery Ward and Sears & Roebuck catalogs. She allowed eating at the formal dining room table only on special occasions.

Samuel T. Lape was the trustee of the Lutheranville Schoolhouse and hired Phoebe Edith Ward as a schoolteacher in the Lutheranville School, about 1918. Samuel T. Lape initiated and installed the first telephone system in Lutheranville. He operated the Lutheranville Post Office and he operated a sawmill off the Lutheranville Road. Samuel T. Lape had a business card for the Valley View Farm advertising lumber, dairy and potatoes. Samuel T. Lape used Non-Highway Gasoline Ration cards during the World War II era, April-October, 1943. Samuel and Etta used silverware, a wedding present from his parents, made in the late 19th Century. He was described as intelligent, cantankerous, his favorite expression was "J. C.", and he wore a mustache. Samuel Terpening Lape died in testate from the flu and pneumonia on April 12, 1949. He is buried in the Charlotteville, NY, cemetery. Etta Multer Lape died on August 05, 1957, from complications due to a hip fracture. She is buried next to her husband.

Samuel Terpening Lape and Etta Multer Lape had one child, Samuel J. Lape, born November 05, 1899. The" J." as Samuel's middle name has caused some reflection and much debate in the family for many years. He was named after his grandfather, Josiah Lape or Joseph Multer, but his mother, Etta, would never satisfy the questioner as to which grandfather he was named after, despite the emphasis of the answer being in his father's name.

Samuel J. Lape was a farmer, banker, insurance agent, and a conservationist. Like his ancestors, Samuel attended the Lutheranville School. He dismantled the Lutheran Church, Lutheranville, in 1940. He served on the Schoharie County Draft Board, 1940-1944, and as a Deputy Sheriff, 1940-1944, under Sheriff Eli Schelmendine. He was a Republican.

In 1932, Samuel J. Lape and family moved to Summit, NY, due to the availability of electricity. He drove a motorcycle with a sidecar, 1920-1921. His first automobile was a Ford Model T, 1925-1926. He drove a Chevrolet 4-door sedan, 1926-1936. Samuel grew Green Mountain potatoes 1932-1945, made a profit in 1936, selling them at $0.40 per bushel, enabling the purchase a 1936 Ford V-8.

Samuel J. Lape received his first refund from Treasurer Bonds (which he generously refused to cash) in 1932. His first tractor and cultivator was purchased in 1940. He married the local schoolteacher, Phoebe Edith Ward, a descendant of General Artemus Ward, first Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary forces, on August 04, 1921. Samuel T. Lape employed her about 1918, to teach at the Lutheranville Schoolhouse. She taught for six years after attending the Oneonta, NY, Normal School; taught the three "R’s" at the Lutheranville Schoolhouse, 1919-1921 and 1929-1930. Samuel and Edith had two children, including Samuel Ward Lape, born September 16, 1922.

On June 30, 1947, in consideration of $1.00, Samuel J. Lape inherited from his father and mother, the Lutheranville, NY, property. Of interest is that the property deed from May 8, 1920 "either became lost, mislaid or stolen...", and was not officially recorded until 1947 and some parts until October 1, 1963. Samuel J. Lape sold the Valley View farm in 1960. He received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Prsident in 1970. He moved to Jefferson, Schoharie, NY, in 1972 and died from heart failure in 1975. Edith Ward Lape died from heart failure one year before her husband. Both are buried in the Charlotteville, NY, cemetery.

Samuel Ward Lape lived in the Lape Homestead, Lutheranville, NY, with his ancestors until 1932, when he and his family moved to their present home on Lape Road, Summit, NY. He helped his father on the family farm as he attended school at the Lutheranville Schoolhouse, 1929-1932; Oliver School, 1932-1935; and Richmondville Central School, 1939-1940, graduating as class President and Valedictorian in 1940.

Said Ward Lape, remarking of the Lutheran Church of Lutheranville, "It was built before 1820 and taken down in 1940, the wood was used for the construction of the Lape Barn. The church had double pine floorboards that were 15-18 inches wide, tongue & grooved, no nails, and no knots. The belfry was hardwood, 4x4, pined & mortised. I attended a Christmas party in the Church in 1929. The last person buried at the church cemetery was in 1930. My great-great grandfather, his wife and my great-great aunt were buried in the cemetery."

Ward Lape married Margaret Theresa Kearney, daughter of Thomas Kearney and Jeanette Christ, on June 24, 1945, and they had six children. They lived at the Lape Homestead, Lutheranville, NY, until 1952 when he and Margaret, and sons Samuel Jr., William, and Jeffrey, moved to their present home in Summit, NY. Other children, Richard, Timothy and Elizabeth, were born while residing in Summit, NY. Ward farmed in Summit until 1967, after which time the farm became inactive and he went to work for SUNY Cobleskill until his retirement in 1985.

The Samuel Ward Lape children currently own forty-two of the original 480 acres once owned by their ancestors. Ward and Peggy Lape lived in Summit, Schoharie County, NY, until Ward died on July 18, 2002. They have been blessed with nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.