Family of Families: Spirit of Liberty

By Milano Authors LLC

Family of Families: Spirit of Liberty is a fictionalized account about families over several generations and is the second of three Family of Families series. Though fiction, all the individuals were real, except for some of those introduced by a first name only. They were the everyday common people who all had goals of liberation and a better world. Though a fictional narration, places and dates are as accurate as possible. Some of the stories contained, however, happened as portrayed. The storyline is intended to reflect life as largely experienced by the common individual during their time. A listing of references provides sources for any reader wanting to learn more. It also provides credit for contributing to this Family of Families: Spirit of Liberty story. The story is a continuation of the Family of Families: Spirit of Freedom story and depicts families who struggled through daily life as the lack of a more perfect union caused strife for the new states and commonwealths of America. Everyday citizens nonetheless did what was needed to survive through the Civil War and advanced the cause of liberty. The primary character is the spirit of liberty. This spirit is portrayed within the various individuals as they sought liberty within the backdrop of a country struggling to become more perfect. Milano Authors LLC wishes to recognize and thank volunteer editor Ron McClain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098090456

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Family of Families

Spirit of Liberty

Milano Authors LLC

Copyright © 2021 by Milano Authors LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

1785: The Families

1787: Growth

1795: Frederick and Joseph

1796: Gatherings

1800: Moving West

1802: Families Intermarry

1810: Kern to Karns

1812: War Comes Again

1825: Death and Daniel

1838: A Trying Time

1839: Birth of a County and Elijah

1840: Count Them

1845–1848: Boyhood Elijah

1850s: Trouble Is Brewing

1860–1865: The Struggle for Freedom

1865: Coming Home

Introduction

The Family of Families: Spirit of Liberty story is the second of a Family of Families trilogy. The first, Family of Families: Spirit of Freedom, depicted individuals and a colony who were seeking their freedom from another land. This second in the trilogy follows the descendants of the first as they struggle for liberty in their newly created country just as the country struggles for the liberation of individuals. Though fiction, all the individuals were real, except for some of those introduced by a first name only. They were the everyday common people who lived during the early years of a new country.

Places and dates are as accurate as possible. The storyline is intended to reflect life as largely experienced for their time. Some of the stories contained, however, happened as portrayed. A listing of references provides sources for any reader wanting to learn more. It also provides credit for contributing to this Family of Families story. Milano Authors particularly thank the editing assistance of Ron McClain.

A goal for this story is for the reader to explore life through the eyes of people as it existed following the War for Independence from England. The Family of Families continue to settle and explore the new country called America and hoped for a better life. New relationships are formed through marriage and new generations are brought forth. But the lack of a more perfect union caused strife for the new commonwealths and states of America. While there may seem to be a series of primary characters, there is only one actual main character who is the Spirit of Liberty.

1785: The Families

The Families

Life could not be better for Christian Kern, an immigrant from Germany, and his small family living near the Delaware River in Easton, Pennsylvania. The daily routine includes taking their two sons to the local church where they are receiving an education. The seasonal weather this early spring seems to indicate an early end to winter. Work for Christian includes blacksmith work near his house where the number of horses needing shoeing brings him a consistent income. His wife assists the church, tending to the needs of all the children who attend.

Living west of the Delaware and north of Lehigh River, their home is a two-story wooden structure. Christian often looks at other homes that he believes he will build as he accumulates more money as work improves. They include the more expensive stone home of Jacob Nicholas, a Delaware riverboat captain, who built his home at Fifth and Ferry Streets. Nicholas uses his riverboat on the Delaware River, hauling goods from Philadelphia to Easton. Another nearby home that takes the interest of Christian is a small stone colonial building built for William Parsons completed last year. Parson’s home is later inhabited by George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Christian has every reason to settle into a good night’s sleep. His wife and sons, Johannes and Charles, are already asleep upstairs. As darkness begins, as is routine, he lights a candle sitting on a table downstairs and climbs the ladder to join the family in the one room upstairs. The candle provides a small glow of light that helps him from bumping his head as he clears the opening between the two floors. Upstairs, a little light from outside enters the one small window he had included when building the house.

As he lays down, thoughts of his bright future enter his mind. Living in Northampton County nearly sixty miles from Philadelphia, his town seems to be growing, and that means more work coming his way and more income for his family. Easton is poised for growth, and since the war is over, there is community pride that it was one of the first three places the Declaration of Independence was publicly read. The others were Philadelphia and Trenton. Sited at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, Easton is becoming a major commercial center.

Downstairs, a couple of small mice scurry around looking for crumbs or anything else to eat. Attracted to the light, one curious mouse begins to use his front feet to climb the candle. The higher he goes, the weight on the candle shifts the balance, and the candle is toppled. As it falls, the mouse scampers away. Melted wax spills onto the wooden table. Just as the air current is about to snuff out the flame, the small flame suddenly grows from the already melted wax on the table. Within a minute, the dryness of the table offers the flame more fuel.

Upstairs, Christian begins to slumber into sleep, and thoughts become mixed, Am I dreaming? The flame from this fire surrounding the horseshoe metal seems to have more smoke than usual.

His wife startles awake. Christian! I smell smoke!

Suddenly awake now himself, Christian shouts, Quick! What is happening? I smell smoke too. It’s coming from downstairs. Christian dashes to the top of the ladder but notices there are flames downstairs, not just smoke. He tells his wife, We cannot risk sending the boys downstairs. I am going to break open that window and lower them outside, then you and I can make a run for it downstairs and get out.

Christian grabs a wooden stool and smashes it through the window. He picks up Johannes using one hand on each arm and says, Son, listen to me. I am going to lower you outside and then your brother. Both of you run to the house over there and tell them we need help.

The window is only large enough for the small boy to fit through and just the forearms and head of Christian. As Johannes goes through the window, he cries out from the shards of remaining glass that scrapes his skin in several places.

Ouch. Papa, I am scared. Don’t drop me.

Son, as soon as you get on the ground, move to make room for your brother. Do as I say.

Johannes hits the ground after the ten-foot fall and rolls away by a few feet. Christian then turns to grab Charles, noticing his wife has put a bed cloth over her own face as smoke begins to fill the room. He grabs Charles and, like Johannes, drops him outside the window.

Grabbing his wife’s arm, Christian heads to the opening. He can barely see from the smoke, but what he does see are flames lapping the ladder, a fire that is now invigorated with the draft caused by the opening upstairs when the window was broken. He jumps through the opening down the ladder into the inferno.

Next door, Mr. Henry Uhler and his wife Ellice, newly arrived from Germany, are awoken by the sound of pounding on their door. Shocked upon opening the door, they see two small boys, bloodied and dirty, crying about their Papa needing help. Mr. Uhler looks up and sees a house completely engulfed in flames as his wife nervously stands behind him and reaches around, taking the boys into their home and beginning to clean them. She puts a compress on the areas that are bleeding.

She says, Husband, I do not believe any of us will get much sleep tonight, but tomorrow, we should take these boys to the church so we can find out what can be done for them.

The church is the German Reformed one that came from the congregations who would meet at the summit of Morgan’s Hill. They would meet on the day following the use of huge bonfires lighted to alert members to attend services the following day. Since 1766, the congregations began worshipping at the newly erected county courthouse in Centre Square, Easton. Previously, a log building had been erected for use in 1755 on the northeast corner of Church Street and between Third and Sitgraves Streets. The church played a prominent role during the Revolutionary War as a hospital for wounded and infirmed soldiers after the battles of Trenton, Brandywine, and Germantown. General Washington visited the soldiers here.

This church is where the peace commissioners held meetings in 1777 with representatives of various Indian nations. Serving as secretary for these meetings was Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense. Routine services were performed in German until 1831.

The day following the deaths of Christian Kern and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Uhler take the new orphans to the church, entering from the Church Street entrance, one of the three entrances. Saddened and confused, Johannes and Charles Kern keep their eyes toward the ground as the adults begin a conversation about their future.

Further south in Maryland, Jacob and Barbara Yingling continue expanding their family. Jacob, as his father John Yingling did, continues to look for land that will complete his desire for space while fertile enough for passing to his children. He already has twenty-six acres in mind