The Lape Family of Schoharie County, NY
By Jeffrey J. Lape
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
The Lape family of Schoharie County descended from Samuel Lape, son of Andries Lape and Anna Margaretha Müller, who immigrated to America, settling as Palatine Germans, in the early 18th Century on the Robert Livingston Manor, and later moving to Rensselaerwyck. Andries and Anna Margaretha Lape moved from Germantown, Columbia, NY, to Rensselaerwyck, Columbia, NY, between 1756-1760, their first four children being baptized in Germantown, either at the Christ's Evangelical Lutheran Church or the Reformed Church of Germantown, between 1750-1755, and their remaining children being baptized in Churchtown at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, after 1760. Little is known about their years in Claverack. It is safe to say Andries and Anna Margaretha were true to their farming roots, having leased or purchased property in Churchtown (Claverack), Columbia County, NY, in the "ten mile tract" of the "Lower Manor" of Rensselaerwyck. They lived their early lives on a farm along Millbrook Road, Claverack, Columbia County, NY, and were members of St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churchtown, Columbia, NY.
By an act passed in 1772, Albany County was divided and formed into districts. Claverack district, being all that part of Albany County, bounty on the south by the District of the Manor of Livingston, on the east by the bounds of the Colony, on the west by the Hudson River, on the north by a line beginning at the mouth of Major Abraham's Creek, and running thence up to the first falls, and from thence east as far as the colony extends. Andries Lape leased 302 acres of land in Claverack Manor, the original date of the lease reported as October 28, 1774. He paid 40 bushels of wheat, as well as 4 fowls and 2 days "riding" service to the landlord, per year in rent. Andries Lape (as Andries Leap) shows up on the 1779 Tax List of Claverack District "West", valued at £900, the amount of tax being £161-5-0. In Claverack, Andries and Anna Margaretha counted as friends and neighbors the Müller's, the Neher's, the Kell’s, the Reis’s, the Hydorn‘s, the Van Rensselaer’s, the Decker’s, the Church's, the Rainer's, the Hagedorn's, and the Clapper’s, among others.
Samuel Lape, born December 29, 1751, in Germantown, Columbia, NY, was baptized at Christ's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germantown, New York. His baptism was sponsored by Samuel Schurtz and Anna Hagedorn. Samuel Schurtz was born December 1, 1731 at East Camp, Columbia, NY, the son of Valentin David Schurtz and Anna Catherine Müller (sister of Anna Margaretha Müller) of Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. Anna Hagedorn was the wife of Andreas Müller (brother of Anna Margaretha Müller).
Samuel Lape moved from Claverack, Columbia County, NY, to Greenbush (later named West Sand Lake), Rensselear County, NY, about 1770, marrying Anna Elizabeth Heidley, daughter of John and Anna Catherine Hideley, in Greenbush, NY, about 1772. John Heidley (Heidle, Hidley) immigrated to America in 1754, to Germantown, NY (East Camp), later settling in Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY, just North of Aries' (Snyder's) Lake.
Samuel Lape and his twin brother, Thomas, served in the local militia during the Revolution. Samuel served in the Revolutionary War from about 1777-1785 in at least two regiments, for which he was paid. Samuel Lape was a Sergeant in the Captain De Forest's Company, Captain Husted's Company, and Captain Fraist's Company, 6th Regiment, Henry K. Van Rensselaer's Regiment (Albany County), New York Militia and shows up on a list for the Land Bounty Rights as a member of the 6th Regiment, Albany County Militia (as Samuel Leap). He was paid as a soldier on January 14, 1785, £3.4.9 and on another date, £4.12.10. He was also on the payroll of Captain Cornelius Noble's Company, in Colonel Stephen Schuyler's Regiment of the Albany County Militia, August 11, 1777. Samuel Lape did not file for a Revolutionary War pension, but his name does show up on the Sixth Regiment, Albany County Militia, Land Bounty Rights as Samuel Leap. The Sixth Regiment engaged in skirmishes with the Tories along the Mohawk River and the Hudson River, but were not engaged in any conventional battle. The Sixth Regiment, and other militias in the area, formed a core of protection for the Albany area that helped keep the British Army and the Loyalist Militias from establishing a base of operations there. If a base were to be established in Albany and in the Hudson River Valley as a whole, it would serve to cut the colonies in half. This would cut the New England colonies off from the rest of the colonies, greatly strengthening the British and Loyalist cause.
On November 1, 1785, Stephen Van Rensselaer III became the Patroon of Rensselaerwyck. With the help of Alexander Hamilton, Stephen made plans to develop and populate the vast land holdings of the Manor. Handbills were distributed announcing that the Patroon would give the Patriots of the Revolution homesteads without cost. Only after the farms became productive would he ask for any compensation. In 1788, Evert Van Allen and Job Gilbert were commissioned to survey the Manor and divide it into 120-acre farms. The conditions of the grants stated that a farmer find a location, clear it, build a dwelling, and live in it for seven years free. At the end of this time, they would go to the Manor office and receive a durable lease. The project of Stephen Van Rensselaer led to an influx of settlers into Rensselaerwyck after the Revolution due to these inducements.
Samuel Lape moved to the "Upper Manor" of Rensselaerwyck, later to be known as West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY, in 1770. Although Samuel is believed to have lived at Greenbush (West Sand Lake) since 1770, the date of the lease is listed as August 22, 1791. He would have officially settled on the land in 1784, seven years before the "durable lease". It appears that Samuel may have lived with the John Hideley family between 1770-1784. Samuel would have been busy as a Revolutionary soldier during most of these years, and when not soldiering he probably worked for his father-in-law, John Hideley, especially during spring & fall harvest times. Samuel and his wife, Elizabeth Hideley, were also busy starting their family during these years.
Samuel Lape held a lease from Stephen Van Rensselaer for 222 acres. In Greenbush, Samuel Lape's neighbors were the Charles Neer family, the Andreas Weatherwax family, the Laurence Weatherwax family, the John Feller family, the Johannes Kilmer family, the David Calkins family, the Jonas Kenter family, the Henrick Mueller family, the Edenent Campbell family, the John Strope family, and a little farther to the North, the John Hideley family. Like his father Andries Lape and his neighbors, Samuel Lape was a farmer.
Samuel and Elizabeth Lape were active members of Trinity Lutheran Church, West Sand Lake, NY. Originally known as the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rensselaerwyck & Greenbush, it became the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1825. The original church was located on the Glebe Farm, southwest of the present location in the village of West Sand Lake. Samuel Lape was a witness to the choosing by ballot of the following church officers on January 25, 1791: Barent Uhlein, Andreas Wederwax, and Andreas Miller. Samuel Lape gave an affidavit of the proceeding, dated March 15, 1790, and the certificate is recorded in Albany County, in Church Patents, Volume I, page 38.
Samuel and Anna Hideley Lape had eleven children between 1773 and 1796.
Johannes Lape, the oldest son of Samuel Lape, Sr., was born May 28, 1773, in Churchtown, Columbia, NY, married December 23, 1795, Maria Feller, daughter of John Feller of West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY. On February 2, 1790, Johannis Leep leased 133 acres of the "Beaverdam Farm", formerly part of the Benjamin Van Etten property. Johannes and Maria Lape lived on the north shore of Aries’, now known as Snyder’s Lake, North Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY, and had eight children between 1798-1818, including Samuel J. Lape, Johannes Jacob Lape, Reverend Thomas Lape, Nicholas Lape, and William Lape. Johannes Lape died October 17, 1849, and is buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY. Maria Fellers Lape died October 08, 1853, and is also buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. John Lape had a will recorded January 28, 1850.
Thomas Lape, born 1775, Churchtown, Columbia, NY, was the second son of Samuel Lape, Sr., and married Barbary Weatherwax, daughter of Andreas Weatherwax and Katharina Reisdorph, on June 14, 1798, at Albany Lutheran Church, Albany, NY. Thomas and Barbara Lape had six children, including Jacob A. Lape, born January 27, 1805.
Andreas "Loewe" Lape, born December 24, 1777, was the third son of Samuel Lape, Sr., baptized at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church, Churchtown, NY, sponsor: Andreas Löwe, his grandfather. He married Elizabeth Schauerman, daughter of John Schauerman and Maria Schultheis, on October 31, 1802, at First Lutheran Church, Albany, NY. He moved to Schoharie County with his father and his brother, Samuel Lape, Jr., in 1814.
Elizabeth Lape, born December 04, 1779, Churchtown, Columbia, NY, oldest daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Hideley Lape, married Jacob Hagadorn on April 12, 1796, at Claverack Reformed Church, Claverack, Columbia, NY. After his death in 1815, she married his brother Christopher Hagadorn, on August 20, 1815. Elizabeth died on March 03, 1816, four days after her second husband died. Elizabeth Lape and Christopher Hagadorn are buried in St. Thomas Evangelical Church Cemetery, Churchtown, Columbia, NY.
Maria Lape, the second daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Hideley Lape, married Leonard Weatherwax, son of Andreas Weatherwax and Katharina Reisdorph, on January 30, 1798. They had six children born in East Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY. She is buried in the Weatherwax Cemetery, East Greenbush, NY. Leonard Weatherwax was a neighbor of Samuel Lape, Sr., in West Sand Lake.
George Lape, born February 15, 1786, Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY, was the fourth son of Samuel and Anna Hidley Lape. He married Gertrude Bauck on February 18, 1806, at the First Lutheran Church, Albany, NY. Although he had a lease from S. Van Rensselaer for 222 acres that was assigned from his father, along with his brother Jacob in 1816, he does not show up on records of West Sand Lake. After the death of Gertrude, George married Charity Bauck on August 20, 1815. George and family moved to East Schodack, Rensselaer, NY. He died on February 19, 1852 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Schodack, Rensselaer, NY. George and Gertrude Lape had two children, Gertrude Elizabeth Lape and Jacob Philip Lape. Charity Bauck Lape is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Schodack, NY.
Jacob Lape, born February 14, 1788, was the fifth son of Samuel and Elizabeth Lape, Sr. He died about 1789, West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY. He may have been buried in the burial plot at the original home of Samuel Lape, Sr., in West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY, next to his mother, Elizabeth Hideley Lape.
Jacob Lape, born June 17, 1790, West Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY, the sixth son of Samuel and Elizabeth Lape, Sr., assumed the lease from his father for the West Sand Lake property in 1816. He married Elizabeth Pinck, daughter of Jacob and Anna Holtzappel Pinck on November 02, 1812. Jacob owned a home in the eastern section of the original Samuel Lape farm property in West Sand Lake. The home was later housed by his son Jacob Henry Lape and afterwards by his grandson, Alfred H. Lape. Jacob and Elizabeth Lape had nine children born in West Sand Lake, including Jacob Henry Lape, George Samuel Lape, John Joseph Lape, and Hiram Luther Lape. Jacob Lape died in West Sand Lake on March 12, 1855, and is buried at the Lutheran Cemetery, Sand Lake, Rensselaer, NY. His property was divided into two lots before his death.
Anna Lape, the third daughter of Samuel and Anna Hidley Lape, was born in 1792. She married Philip Pinck, on March 1818, at Trinity Lutheran Church, West Sand Lake, NY.
Catherine Lape, the youngest daughter of Samuel and Anna Hidley Lape, was born on April 10, 1793. She married William C. Cooper, son of Conrad Cooper and Catharine Kilmer. They had five children and they lived and died in Poestenkill, Rensselaer, NY.
Samuel Lape, Sr., and Elizabeth Lape last received communion together at Trinity Lutheran on July 8, 1799. Elizabeth Hideley Lape died on October 05, 1799, in West Sand Lake, NY; Samuel's father, Andries Lape, died on July 07, 1800, in Claverack, NY; and Samuel's mother, Anna Margaretha Muller Lape, died on October 05, 1804, in Claverack, NY. Samuel (Loeb) last received communion at Trinity Lutheran Church, West Sand Lake, on October 29, 1808, and we "engage and bind ourselves to pay the sums opposite to our names for the building of a new church on the old place where the church now stands", February 21, 1815: Samuel Loeb ($50.00) and Andrew Lape ($15). Samuel Lape was envisioning another adventurous journey.
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. 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 Andreas Lape, his son Samuel Lape, Junior, 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 remarried to Elizabeth Hidley prior to his move to Schoharie County. 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).
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.
Andreas Lape's son, Samuel Andreas Lape, also known as Samuel Lape 2nd 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, 2nd, 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, 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 and Jennie Neahr family, the Arthur Lape and Cora Boughton family, the Sheridan Lape and Elizabeth Rickard family, all of Richmondville, NY.
Daniel Lape, the seventh child of Samuel A. Lape, born July 1837, married Mary Lovina 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 and the Michael 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.
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."
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.
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.
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, daughter of Thomas William Lamont and Elizabeth Maria Paine, 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, NY.
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.
John E. Lape married Mabel Lamont Steele and purchased, along with his brother, Alfred, 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. Inez Lape's daughter, 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. After his brother Herbert S. Lape died from pneumonia in 1895 he moved back to Lutheranville, married Leona Ryder and lived in East Worcester, NY.
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 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.
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. Ward and Peggy Lape presently live in Summit, Schoharie County, NY, and have been blessed with nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.