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Sophia Pfeiffer
Submitted by James M. Richmond
Sophia
Pfeiffer, who was born in Venango Township of Crawford Co., PA,
about 1825. She was the daughter of Johannes Pfeiffer
(b. 16 May
1789 in Mahonoy Township, Northumberland Co., PA; d. 6 July 1864 in Venango
Township, Crawford Co., PA) and Susannah Hetrick
(b. 5 May 1788 in
Northumberland Co., PA; d. 27 July 1838 in Venango Township, Crawford Co., PA).
This image was passed down
through five generations via Sophia's sister, Mary Magdalene Pfeiffer
(b. 30
May 1812 in Venango Township, Crawford Co., PA; d. 12 Oct 1857 in Riley,
McHenry Co., IL.) Mary Magdalene Pfeiffer married
Alfred Fitz Randolph (b. 21 Sept 1808 in Meadville, Crawford Co., PA; d.
1 Nov 1878, Bedford, Taylor Co., Iowa), son of Taylor Fitz Randolph and
Sarah Baum.
Alfred and Mary, in 1844, moved to Wisconsin where they lived for a short
time, then settled in McHenry County, IL, where on 4 Apr 1859 he purchased some land for $500 from
John and Margaret A. Kleckner,
previously of Cambridge Township, Crawford Co., PA. The sale was recorded by Justice of the Peace,
Isaac Peiffer, on the 10th day of April 1859.
This farm is located in northwestern McHenry Co., about two miles
west of the city of Harvard. It is
located about 1/2 mile west of the intersection of Norma Lane and Oak Grove
Road.
Alfred and Mary had one son,
Dr. Walter Fitz Randolph (b. 9 Dec 1833 in Muddy Creek, Woodcock
Township, Crawford Co., PA; d. 4 Jan 1903, Chicago, Cook Co., IL), who received his medical degree from Rush Medical College of
Chicago, in 1869. Walter married
Rachel Goodsil, daughter of Curtis Goodsil and Eunice
Smith, on 2 Feb 1864 in
Riley, McHenry Co., IL. Walter
and Rachel settled in July of 1870 in Bedford, Taylor Co., Iowa, where he
served as mayor, County Coroner, and County Surveyor.
This image of Sophia Pfeiffer was passed down to a daughter of Walter and
Rachel's, Elizabeth Fitz Randolph (b. 4 May 1869 in Marengo, McHenry
Co., IL; d. 12 July 1941,
Bedford, Iowa.) Elizabeth Fitz
Randolph married
Sanford Pell Hall Gorin McCorkle (b. 16 July 1869; d. 26 Apr 1921 at Hopkins,
MO) on 16 Aug 1906 in Denver, Colorado.
Elizabeth Fitz Randolph
passed
the image to her youngest daughter, Mary Louise McCorkle
(b. 5 Oct 1912 in
Bedford, Iowa; d. 10 Oct 1999 in Hopkins, MO). Mary McCorkle gave the image to her niece,
Jeannette McCorkle Richmond, who is also the great, great, grand niece of
Sophia
Pfeiffer.
Sophia Pfeiffer married, on 1
Jan 1845, Isaac Peiffer (b. 23 Feb
1818 in Woodcock Township, Crawford Co., PA), son of Michael Peiffer and
Rebecca Berlin. They had Serapta
Peiffer who married John W. Floyd, and Rebecca
Peiffer.
Isaac Peiffer
was the first Burgess of the borough of Venango, which was
incorporated in 1852. The articles
below give more detail:
"He served one term
as Justice of the Peace of Venango Township, Crawford County, PA, two terms as
Burgess of the Venango Borough, and was School Director of the borough and
township for thirty two years. In
politics he was a Republican."
From
the History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, page 1121.
"The
borough of Venango was incorporated in 1852, when Isaac Peiffer was elected the
first Burgess. The first settlement
in this locality was made by Philp Straw, who established himself on the site of
the village in 1797. In 1817
Solomon Walters ad John Lasher purchased the land, and as there was at that time
probability of a turnpike passing through it, they laid out a village plot.
The road went another way, and the land, after changing hands several
times, was purchased in 1832 by John Kleckner, together with a mill which had
been built there. He repaired the
sawmill and built a grist mill, operating them together many years.
In 1838 he had the village plot surveyed and named it Klecknerville,
which was fortunately changed to Venango when incorporated.
John Lasher, a farmer, John Bender, a blacksmith, and
George Thomas, a
shoemaker, were early residents of the village.
The first store was kept by Reynolds & May, of Erie, while the first
tavern was opened by Philip Kleckner in 1840.
"...The Zion Evangelical
Church was organized at Venango borough in 1816 by Rev. Colson,
with fourteen
original members. A log church was
commenced the same year, but was not completed, the services in the winter being
held in the schoolhouse and in the summer in the unfinished log church.
In 1839 a large frame structure was erected, and in this regular services
were held for the next forty years. In
1879 a frame church was erected on the same lot, on the eastern side of Church
Street, at a cost of $2,500. This
is the oldest religious society in Venango borough.
"The
First Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1875, by sixty-two former
members of the Zion Church, who left it to form a new society.
Rev. I.J. Delo became its first pastor. M.L. Faulkner and John Muckenhoupt were the first elders, and
David Good
and H.J. Brookhouser the first deacons. In
1877 a handsome edifice was erected by this society on the eastern side of
Meadville Street, at a cost of $3,500. From A Historical and Memorial Record of Crawford County, PA, page 643.
 View
photo of her brother, William Bird Peiffer
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