Died: Nov. 29, 1941 (Buried at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Pennsburg)
Children: Margaret Alice, William, Russell
Alice Fox was born on October 1, 1884 and was baptized on November 16 of the same year. She and her husband, Philip V. Thomas, had three children:
Alice and one of her younger brothers (possibly Robert)
Margaret Alice (1910-1982)
William (1913-2007)
Russell (1916-2014)
(These children and their descendants are further discussed on the Thomas page)
Alice worked in at least two of the numerous cigar factories in Pennsburg: the J. J. Hillegass Cigar Box factory as well as a cigar factory on 4th Street in Pennsburg.
After the death of her husband, Alice became diabetic and remained at home. She was taken care of by her eldest daughter, Margaret, until Alice’s death on June 12, 1948. Both Philip and Alice are buried at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Pennsburg.
Photos of Alice
Alice, far left, with other workers at the J.J. Hillegass Cigar Box factory
Alice is seated in the middle row, second from the right. This undated photo is captioned as being Alice and her classmates
Alice Fox’s ornate birth certificate is in German and calls much greater attention to the father than mother or child
Gravestone Photos
Gravestone of Alice and her husband, Philip Thomas, at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Pennsburg
Aaron Fox was born on October 31, 1842. In 1872, at the age of thirty, he married Rebecca Hess, born on April 1, 1854.
According to the 1910 census, Aaron and his family lived at 70 Main Street in Pennsburg. This is directly across the street from St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, where many descendants are still members of the congregation. Russell Thomas, grandson of Aaron and Rebecca and son of Alice, recalls the house in Pennsburg that his grandparents lived in:
“When she (Alice) was young, she lived across the street from St. Mark’s… with her parents. That was the Fox’s home. Big ol’ porch in the front. That was a big house, almost like a double house. The youngest, Percy… he lived on one side and grandmum lived on this side. It wasn’t exactly a double home, it was big enough to be a double house!
“We lived on Seminary Street, and my mom used to walk up to visit her mother. And I was a little boy and I went with her and I sat on the porch. There where Bauman Paint Shop used to be, that was the livery stables, the blacksmith shop. At that time, there were a lot of horses and horse buggies yet and I’d sit on the porch, and I can still hear them – the blacksmiths’ ‘clunk, clunk,’ making horse shoes and shoeing the horses.
“That was an interesting corner there, that shitty little corner there. There was Bauman’s Paint Shop and there was the blacksmith shop, and on one side was a fish market, and B&H was there. Across the street was a drug store and grocery, and on the corner a butcher shop. Big fish laying outside the fish market.”
Aaron was a contractor, and he built the Pennsburg High School on Main Street in Pennsburg. The building is now a medical complex and is situated across the street from Dairy Queen. During renovations, a large stone engraved with Aaron’s name was removed and discarded. At the time, Aaron’s teenage grandson, Russell Thomas, attempted to retrieve the stone bearing his deceased grandfather’s name with the help of Rev. Henry Kistler (of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church), but the stone was lost.
Aaron died on October 17, 1922, and Rebecca died on January 20, 1935. Both are buried in the cemetery of the United Church of Christ at Niantic, the same cemetery as Aaron’s parents, younger brother, John, and several of their children. The family plot is marked with four square stones bearing the letter F.
The Children of Aaron and Rebecca
Aaron and Rebecca had fifteen children:
Horace was born in 1871 and died in 1904. He married Elmira Romich and is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Oscar was born in 1873 and died in 1962. He married Telara and is buried at New Goshenhoppen UCC in East Greenville. He had one daughter (according to Russell Thomas), also named Telara.
Rose was born in 1875. She had a son named Clarence (last name Horn?), who was a counselor at Upper Perkiomen High School for many years (according to Russell Thomas).
Mary was born in 1877 and lived less than one year. She is buried at United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Andora was born in 1878 and died in 1935. She married Charles Thomas (cousin of her sister Alice’s husband, Philip Thomas) and is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic. Her husband is not buried in this cemetery.
Twins Laura and Clara were born in 1880 and both lived less than a year. They are buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Elmer was born in 1882 and died in 1893. He is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Robert was born in 1887 and died in 1903. He is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Morris was born in 1889 and died in 1961. He married a woman by the name of Jennie and is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Lottie was born in 1891 and had a son named James (according to Russell Thomas).
Adeline was born in 1894 and died the following year. She is buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Percival was born in 1896 and died in 1974. He married Erma Kriebel Urffer (a descendant of Schwenkfeld immigrant Anna Krauss) on April 15, 1916. They had twelve children who lived to adulthood: Mary, Ann, Esther, Margaret, Marlene, Linwood, Robert, Chad, Marion, Betty, Harold, and Donald. Percival and Erma are buried in the cemetery of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Pennsburg.
An unnamed infant child is also buried at the United Church of Christ at Niantic.
Photos of Aaron and Family
Rebecca (Hess) & Aaron FoxAndora (Fox) & husband Charles Thomas
Died: July 4, 1863 in Gettysburg (Buried at the Christ Union Church at Niantic)
Few conclusive records exist regarding John Fox’s short time in the Union Army during the Civil War. Furthermore, due to his short time in service and the lack of good record keeping at the time, determining which of the at least 37 Pennsylvania soldiers named “John Fox” is the correct one is very difficult. Therefore, most of what is known of him has been passed down through the family: that he fought and died at Gettysburg on the second day of that infamous battle.
It is most probable that John Fox, son of Israel and brother of Aaron, served in the 27th Emergency Pennsylvania Infantry Militia. Government records show that a “John J. Fox” and a “John W. Fox” served in this infantry, one of several emergency units formed in June of 1863 to face General Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania that summer. The emergency unit, which did serve at Gettysburg, consisted of 903 men and was disbanded at the end of July, 1863. While John’s tombstone appears to have “N.” as his middle initial, no Pennsylvania regiment with a “John N. Fox” listed served at Gettysburg (*Edit: On closer inspection, the middle initial appears to be a B). Considering all records at the time were handwritten, an incorrectly transcribed middle initial is certainly plausible.
The only known photo of John Fox, taken in his uniform
According to Samuel P. Bates’ History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, the 27th was positioned on Cemetery Hill for much of the battle at Gettysburg, and was among the first regiments to march into the town of Gettysburg on the morning of July 4th. Unfortunately, John did not survive the battle and thus was no longer among them at this time.
More is known about John’s death than his military service. At the age of approximately 23 he served his first and last day in the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg where, it is said, he was decapitated and killed by a cannonball. John’s family sent for his body to be returned to Montgomery County, and he was laid to rest in the cemetery at the Christ Union Church at Niantic.
His rest was not a peaceful one, however. Due to expansions made to the church building, John and his parents’ graves were moved from their initial locations. John’s tombstone was also struck and split in half by lightning on two separate occasions. Today, his tombstone is secured by metal bars and sunken into the ground to prevent further damage.
Israel Fox, second child of Johann Jacob and Catherina Fuchs, was born on December 1, 1811, and baptized at New Hanover Lutheran Church in 1812. Census and death records indicate that he was a farmer. He married Catharina Nace, also born in 1811, on October 4, 1835.
Israel died on September 10, 1859. According to his death record, he died of stomach cancer at the age of 47 after six months of illness. Catherina died on June 12, 1885. They are buried, along with their son, Johannes, in the cemetery of the United Church of Christ at Niantic (now Christ Lutheran Church) in Barto. Several of his other children and grandchildren are also interred in this cemetery.
The Children of Israel and Catherina
Records indicate that they had twelve children:
Samuel, Kate, and Elizabeth, about whom little is known.
Matilda was born in 1836 and died in 1839. She is buried in the cemetery of New Goshenhoppen.
Jacob was born in 1837.
Catherine was born in 1845.
Mary was born on October 20, 1846. She married William Hunsberger (son of Jesse Hunsberger & Barbara Greiss). She died on January 12, 1931.
Born: January 4, 1774 in New Hanover, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania
Baptized: March 5, 1775 at New Hanover Lutheran
Died: 1830 (Buried at New Goshenhoppen UCC)
Spouse: Catherina Huber
Born: 1789
Died: 1870 (buried at New Goshenhoppen)
Married: May 17, 1807 at New Hanover Lutheran Church
Children: Rebecca, Israel, Carl, Sarah, Johannes, Isaac, David
Johann Jacob Fuchs, eldest son of Matthias and Anna Maria Fuchs, was born on January 4, 1774, and baptized March 5, 1775 at New Hanover Lutheran Church. He married Catherina Huber, born in 1789, at the same church on May 17, 1807. Johann Jacob died 1830; Catherina died forty years later in 1870. Both are buried in the cemetery of New Goshenhoppen UCC in East Greenville.
The Children of Johann Jacob and Catherina
According to baptismal records, they had seven children:
Rebecca was born on June 4, 1810 and was baptized on September 24, 1810.
Died: April 22, 1783 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (Burial place unconfirmed)
Spouse: Anna Maria
Born: 1739
Died: March 1792?
Married: February 23, 1759
Children: Johannes, Antony, Anna Catharina, Maria Elizabeth, and Johann Jacob
Our Fox lineage can be traced to German immigrant Matthias Fuchs, born on December 12, 1719, in Württemberg, Germany. The following synopsis of his immigration and life in Pennsylvania was provided by Mr. Leslie Gerhart:
“Matthias Fuchs came to America on the ship Lydia, James Allen, Master, from Rotterdam and qualified at Philadelphia, September 27th 1740, at the age of 21 years. He was born in the Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany, December 12, 1719, and died April 28(?), 1787, age 64 years, 5 months, and 18(?) days. He was a member of the Faulkner Swamp Lutheran Church, and is buried there. His resting place is marked with a good tombstone. The name of all his children are in the Baptismal Record of said Church.
He resided on the “Manor of Douglass” formerly “The John Penn’s Manor,” later “The McCall’s Manor” including the whole of Douglass Township (then in the County of Philadelphia in the Province of Philadelphia) Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Deed Book H 12, pp 484-86 at City Hall, Philadelphia on Record: Andrew Elliott and Elizabeth (McCall) Elliott, his wife, grated unto Matthias Fuchs (alias Fox) and his heirs assigns a tract of land in Douglass Township (part of the McCall Manor) containing 156 acres and 61 parches of land.
December 3, 1774 Martin Sensenderfer and Hannah, his wife granted unto Matthias Fuchs 50 acres and 15 parches of land situated in the Manor of Douglass, aforesaid.
And whereas he became in his lifetime seized in his demesne as of fee he made is last will and testament dated the 19th of April A.D. 1783 and duly proved and remaining in the General Register Office at Philadelphia, in which said will he Nominated, Constituted and Appointed his second son, John Fuchs and his friend, Bernhart Gilbert as executors. In which said will are the names of all his children – which names are the same as those in the Baptismal Record of the Faulkner Swamp Lutheran Church.”
Matthias married Anna Maria (maiden name unknown) on February 23, 1759. Anna Maria lived from 1739 to approximately March 1792. Matthias died on April 22, 1783.
Matthias’s Parents
Tracing Matthias’s parents is difficult due to the scarcity of records from that time period. Some family trees on ancestry.com that list a Matthias Fuchs with the same birth and death dates as our Matthias show three earlier generations:
Matthias’s parents, Johann Cristophel Fuchs (1683-1711) and Johanna Elizabeth Korsing (1688-?)
Grandparents Johann Phillip Fuchs (1663-1698) and Catherine Neitzert (1664-1698)
Great-grandparents Christoffel Fuchs (1636-1698) and Maria Lnu (1640-1680).
The accuracy of these names and dates can only be speculated, however.
The Children of Matthias and Anna Maria
According to the baptismal records of New Hanover Lutheran Church in Gilbertsville, the couple had five children who survived infancy:
Johannes was born on June 10, 1761 and married a woman by the name of Margaretha. Based on church records, it can be inferred that among their children were Johann Jacob (b. 1784), Catharina (b. 1785), Matthias (1793-1795 and buried at New Hanover), Friederich (b. 1794), Margaretha (1796-1797), David (b. 1797), Susanna (1799-1801 and buried at New Hanover), and Salome (b. 1801).
Antony was born on March 25, 1763. He died on November 29, 1843 and is buried at New Hanover Church. He married a woman by the name of Elizabeth. Based on church records it can be inferred that among their children were Jacob (b. 1792), Margaretha (b. 1795), Susanna (b. 1797), Johann Jonas (b. 1800), Elizabeth (1802-1814), Lydia (b. 1804), Ruben (b. 1810), and Judith (1813-1840).
Anna Catharina was born on January 28, 1765.
Maria Elizabeth was born on April 3, 1767 and died on October 16, 1776 at the age of 9 years, 6 months.
The exact location of Matthias & Anna Maria Fuchs’ final resting place remains something of a mystery. The account of Matthias’s immigration and settlement (page 6) states that “He was a member of the Faulkner Swamp Lutheran Church, and is buried there. His resting place is marked with a good tombstone. The names of all his children are in the Baptismal Record of said Church.”
However, no “Falkner Swamp Lutheran Church” ever existed. This confusion likely arises from the close proximity of the Falkner Swamp Reformed Church and the New Hanover Lutheran Church; both churches exist within half a mile of each other in Gilbertsville, are the oldest of their type still existing in the country, and once shared a Sunday school building.
Matthias Fuchs’s name is found in “A History of the Lutheran Church in New Hanover, Montgomery Co., Penna.” along with his daughter, Maria Elizabeth, a few of his grandchildren, and several other “Fuchs” who may or may not have belonged to the same family. The record lists Matthias’s death date as April 22, 1783, at the age of 64 years, 6 months, and 18 days. Notably absent from New Hanover’s list of deaths, however, is Matthias’s wife, Anna Maria.
Representatives from New Hanover Lutheran Church have confirmed that, despite the family’s presence in the church for many years, no record of either Matthias’s or Anna Maria’s interment in the cemetery exists. Extensive searches of the cemetery have also been unsuccessful in locating their final resting places.
Upon inquiry into whether Matthias and Anna Maria may have been interred at the neighboring Falkner Swamp Reformed Church, a representative of that church provided the following information on an “Anna Maria Fuchs,” one of only two “Fuchs” in their death records:
“On page 10 in our Death & Burials (meaning the pastor’s records) we show: Anna Maria Fuchs, widow of Matthew March 1, 1792 53-3-14
I show no other reference to the name FUCHS in our burial or cemetery records. In the first book on Death & Burials (our reference pg. 10) there is a place for the pastor to record the place where the deceased is buried, in the case of Anna Maria Fuchs this was left blank.”
Since no information regarding when Anna Maria was born has been found to date, it is impossible to know whether this Anna Maria Fuchs is the same. Chances are high that it is, however, especially since “Matthew” is an Anglicized version of Matthias. Assuming that “53-3-14” indicates that this Anna Maria lived 53 years, 3 months and 14 days, she would have been born in 1739. This would make her 20 years younger than Matthias, but old enough to have borne their first child in 1761.
The best theory I can propose is that Matthias’s funeral was likely held at New Hanover, but that if he was buried in the church’s cemetery it went unrecorded, and any tombstone he may have had has since been lost. As for Anna Maria, assuming that the record at Falkner Swamp is for the same Anna Maria Fuchs, it is likely that she moved to the Reformed church after her husband’s death. This would have been around the time that the present Falkner Swamp church building was constructed. Her funeral was most likely held there, but like Matthias, if she was interred in a church cemetery there is no written record of it and no surviving tombstone to serve as proof.
A final possibility is that the couple was buried on their property, though locating such a burial ground over two centuries later would, unfortunately, be nearly impossible.
The oldest part of the cemetery behind New Hanover church. It is surprisingly difficult to get a non-blurry photo in this cemetery, even in broad daylight.
Leaves on the Tree 