STROCK FAMILY REUNION

Strock Family Reprints 1932 Book

Reunion genealogist Bob Strock who is in contact with Strocks across the country last year corresponded with Clancy Strock, well-known as a writer for Reminisce magazine. When Bob told Clancy about the annual Strock reunion, Clancy told him he had a copy of the 1932 book Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family which had been handed down to him from his father. As far as Clancy could determine, however, his Strocks were not descended from our Joseph Strock. Clancy then decided to donate his copy of the 1932 book to the Strock Reunion, perhaps to sell as a fundraiser.

At the business meeting last summer, the group asked about the possibility of reprinting the Strock book so that everyone who wants one can have a copy. David and Judi McGarvey volunteered to look into the possibility of re-printing this book.

We are happy to report that the McGarveys located a printer who can reproduce the book inexpensively. They have ordered 100 copies and will have the books available for purchase at the August 2002 Reunion.

The books will be sold for $10.00, just slightly above cost. Any eventual profit made from the sale of the books will go into the Strock Family Reunion Treasury. Books can also be ordered by mail. Send your request to David McGarvey, 32 W. Glendale Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301, and include $2.00 for shipping and handling.

The 122^nd Strock Family Reunion was held on a glorious summer day. Many new faces and several people not seen for a few years came to enjoy the festivities. Some people who had heard about the reunion, but who were not sure they were related to our group of Strocks were delighted to find their names in Ronald W. Strock’s 1984 publication, The Descendants of Joseph Strock of 1757. Several family members brought pictures, photograph albums, books, posters, maps and other genealogical information to share. One of the highlights of the day was inspecting an old ledger – the day book from the old Strock Cornersburg Store which Jim Strock of Niles, Ohio brought along to share.

The potluck dinner was wonderful as it always is. We feasted on deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, roasted chicken, meatloaf, corn on the cob, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, marinated cucumbers, pasta salads, corn casserole, scalloped potatoes, muffins, yellow watermelon slices, molded pineapple jello – and a wonderful array of desserts – chocolate chip cookies, brownies, angel food custard cake with chocolate frosting, berry and pumpkin pies. Delicious!

President Bob Brookie opened the business meeting. Secretary/Treasurer Sue Brookie gave the treasurer’s report, read the minutes of last year’s meeting and showed the group the scrapbook she had made of the voluminous correspondence the group had received over the year. The scrapbook was available for all to read after the business meeting.

Vice President Cindy Brousseau suggested that we ask everyone to bring recipes of the dishes they bring next year. Cindy will compile the recipes and we can include them in future newsletters. Everyone agreed that this would be a lot of fun to do.

Pat Strock, Esther Strock and Rick Hunter volunteered to decorate the reunion tables next year.

The children present enjoyed the games organized by Cindy Brousseau.

After the business meeting, Sue Brookie organized the annual roundtable game where everyone vies for the interesting prizes people have brought to share. Gary Brousseau won the adult door prize while Kai Hunter won the children’s door prize. Jenna Peterson won the prize for guessing the number of candies in a glass jar, beating out her grandfather who won the previous two years!

We would enjoy seeing YOU this summer!! Please come and join the fun!!

Ronald W. Strock, 74, of Osceola, Indiana passed away at 12:20 a.m., Monday, March 4, 2002, in South Bend, Indiana. Ronald was near and dear to Strocks everywhere for his genealogical research on the family which culminated in the 1984 publication, The Descendants of Joseph Strock of 1757.

Ronald was born 25 July 1927, in South Bend, to Edwin Eugene Strock and Helen Ett Dessie Dunn. He married Ivajean Rose Pierce on 25 February 1950, in Goshen, Indiana. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the US Navy. He worked as a laboratory technician for the Uniroyal Corporation for 39 years, retiring in 1986.

After his father’s death, Ronald took on the task of organizing and expanding his family research. Although he knew of his father’s attempt to update the 1932 genealogy, Ronald had not been interested in the work until he began sorting through his father’s work to try to determine what to do with the files. It was then that he discovered, as he notes in his 1984 book, the "real extent of the work," and he decided to finish the project in memory of his father. He spent many hours with correspondence, in libraries, archives and cemeteries. The Strock family owes a great debt of gratitude to Ronald W. Strock for his tireless work.

When his health began to fail, Ronald gave his data to Bob Strock who continues to add more information to the vast collection of family history compiled by Ronald and his father.

Ronald W. Strock is survived by his wife and five children, Mitchell, Kathy, Larry, Brian and Eric; three brothers; nine grandchildren; and one great grandchild.

(Information from obituary in 6 March 2002 South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Indiana, and The Descendants of Joseph Strock of 1757 by Ronald Wesley Strock.)

A Summer Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits at the 121st Strock Family Reunion

The 121st Strock Family Reunion was held at the American Legion Hall in Southington, Ohio on Sunday, August 6, 2000. Attendance at the reunion was up this year, even though a summer rain storm made for a damp beginning to the day. Family members ranged in age from toddler to 86 years old and the reunion provided something of interest for every age group.

As always, the potluck dinner was delicious. Some of the dishes on the long table were deviled eggs, roasted chicken, sliced ham, meat casserole, meatballs, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, sliced cantaloupe, fruit plate, vegetable plate with dip, potato chips, bread and butter, banana nut bread, cookies, rhubarb pie, jelly roll and two or three kinds of brownies. Yum!! No one went away hungry.

While it rained, Cindy Brousseau and Donna Fiske kept the children entertained. When the sun came out, the games moved outside and a reunion picture was taken. The annual meeting was called to order by President Bob Brookie. Secretary/Treasurer Sue Brookie read the minutes and gave the treasurer's report. Family members discussed plans for future Strock family newsletters and reunions. Martha Woodford, Donna Fiske and Denise Strock volunteered to decorate the tables for next year's reunion.

Carol Fox, Ora Strock, Judi McGarvey and others brought family pictures, books, maps and genealogical information to share. Bob Strock, who maintains a Strock/Strack family database, brought a very extensive printout and CD-ROM of the information he has collected which he presented to the family group.

Click on images for larger views

  A highlight of the day was a visit from a reporter and photographer from the Warren Tribune Chronicle. They took pictures and interviewed family members for an article which appeared in the paper the day after the reunion. The informative article was accompanied by a picture of Bob and his 90-foot-long printout of approximately 8,000 names of people related to the Strock/Strack family.

Sue Brookie organized the group for the annual roundtable game which everyone enjoys - it's fun and almost everybody goes home with a prize. The adult door prize was won by Ryan M. Strock and Maria Archer won the children's door prize. For the second year in a row, Ora Strock came closest to guessing the number of candies in a glass jar and won a prize for his mathematical (or psychic) skills.

As the day came to a close, we reluctantly said our good-byes and began to look forward to the next reunion. It would be great to see YOU there! If you can't come for the entire afternoon, at least come by and shake a few hands. If you can't make it by 1 o'clock for dinner, come by later and say "hello." If you can't stay long, just eat and run and the rest of us will understand.

But please do come!! You will be receiving your invitation to the reunion soon. Mark your calendar for Sunday, August 5, 2001. Come join us!!

Who was Joseph Strock?

Joseph Strock was born in Germany in 1748, perhaps in the Lower Palatinate region of Württemberg, as family tradition suggests, or in the County of Wittgenstein where family researcher Robert E. Strock has found references to the Strack (Strock) surname. The story of Joseph Strock's heritage has been passed down in the family. It is said that he was the son of a serf who challenged his overload. Joseph's father and uncle were subsequently killed and the surviving family members fled for their safety. Joseph's mother managed to send her sons to the New World and eventually arrived in America herself, in 1757, with a new husband, Mr. Sassaman, and her nine-year-old son Joseph, whose passage had been paid by indenturing him in servitude until his 21st birthday.

Joseph arrived in Northampton County (now Lehigh County), Pennsylvania, according to Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio, where he lived for many years, presumably serving out his indenture. He married in about 1769, to Anna Susanna Bensinger who died shortly after the birth of their only child, Henry, on 27 March 1771, perhaps in Brunswick Township, Berks County (now Schuylkill County), Pennsylvania. Henry was raised by relatives, generally believed to be his uncle and aunt, Samuel and Susannah Strock, and little is known of him as part of Joseph Strock's family.

Several sources credit Joseph Strock with participating in the Revolutionary War and some sources place him at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. Perhaps he brought supplies to Washington's army during that difficult time.

About 1778 or 1779, Joseph married Anna Susanna's sister, Elizabeth (Betsey) Bensinger, who, some say, was the widow of a Hessian soldier. Betsey was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania circa 1762. She and Joseph had eleven children, all born in Pennsylvania: Mary (Maria), John Henry, Molly, Betsey, George, Joseph - all born in Berks County; and Jacob, Hannah (who was blind), Samuel, William, and John - all born in Cumberland County.

Notes in the Strock Family Reunion records state that Joseph Strock lived in Pennsylvania where the Schuylkill River goes into Berks County from Schuylkill County. In about 1790, Joseph moved his family to Cumberland County, where the family members lived in the Carlisle and Ickesburg area. As the children married, they settled within twenty miles of their parents' home. In 1814, Joseph, now the patriarch of a large family, decided life would be more prosperous in Ohio, and so in September of that year, he led all of his clan, traveling by "ox train," to unsettled Ohio to live and farm the new land.

Two of Joseph's sons returned to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania after their discharge from service in the War of 1812, and were surprised to find that their entire family - parents, brothers, sisters, wives and children - were no longer there and according to neighbors had "gone west." The two men walked over the mountains together and were reunited with their family who had settled 300 miles away in eastern Ohio, principally in the area of what is now Austintown, west of Youngstown. Once again all the families lived within a radius of twenty miles of each other.

Joseph and Betsey Strock died in the summer of 1832, within a few weeks of each other. They are buried in the "Dutch" or German Lutheran Reformed Cemetery, now the Old North Cemetery, located on Route 46, just north of the city center of Canfield, Ohio. Their gravestones were destroyed in the 1930s during the construction of a road near the cemetery.

Who was John Henry Strock?

John Henry Strock was the oldest son born to our immigrant ancestor Joseph Strock and his second wife, Betsey Bensinger. John Henry was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1781, on 4 October (according to research by Ronald W. Strock) or 14 November (according to the 1932 Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family). Although the Sketch lists his name as "John Henry," during his research, Ronald found his name consistently given as "Henry" in the census and other records, as well as on his gravestone.

Henry spent his early years near the Schuykill River in Berks (now Schuykill) County, Pennsylvania. When he was about eight years old, his father moved the family west to Cumberland (now Perry) County, Pennsylvania. The biographical account of Henry's life in the Sketch states that Henry served during the War of 1812 with his brother George, but researchers have not found a record for Henry to document his service.

Henry married Catherine Rice (Reis) in about 1803, in Tyrone Township, Cumberland (now Perry) County, Pennsylvania. Catherine was born 25 November 1780 in Pennsylvania. After the War of 1812, Henry relocated his family to the Austintown area of Trumbull (now Mahoning) County, Ohio. After a short while, he headed south and settled in Sugarcreek Township of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Henry and Catherine's daughter Catherine, born 25 September 1815, was the first of Joseph Strock's grandchildren to be born in Ohio, and was the first of the family to be buried there the following year.

The Sketch describes Henry as "a contractor and erector, opening coal mines." In the 1820s, he returned to Austintown Township and was living near his parents when he died, according to Ronald Strock, on 11 December 1830, aged 49. (The Sketch reports his death as 11 December 1860, aged 79.) His wife Catherine died in September of 1854, aged 73. They are buried in the Old North Cemetery on Route 46, just north of the town of Canfield, Ohio. Ronald Strock found their gravestones in rows 11 and 12 when he visited the cemetery in 1984.

Henry Strock had eleven children. Although the Sketch states he was married twice and attributes his last three children to an unnamed second wife, Ronald Strock did not find evidence of the second marriage during his research. Henry's children were Benjamin Jackson, born 1804; Elizabeth, born 1806, married George Peterman; Mary, born 1808, died unmarried at twenty; Isaac, born 1810; Abraham, a twin born 1813; Zachariah Reese (or Reis?), Abraham's twin; Catherine, born 1815, died just before her first birthday; Anna, born 1817, married David Shafer; Susan (Susannah), born 1820, married first Eli Fitch, married second Daniel Eckenrode; Joseph, born 1823; and Julia, born 1828, married Robert Hill.

Our Secretary/Treasurer Sue Brookie is descended from John Henry Strock through his son Joseph.

(Biographical and genealogical information for John Henry Strock taken primarily from Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family, 1932, and The Descendants of Joseph Strock of 1757, by Ronald Wesley Strock, 1984.)

Where is the neighbor's ax?

An interesting Strock family story involves the Strock family move from southeastern Pennsylvania to north-eastern Ohio, as recounted in the Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family. After a "hard journey" by wagon, the Strock clan arrived near Smith's Corner (in present-day Mahoning County at the intersection of Canfield-Niles Road South and Kirk Road)

Delighted at the arrival of their former neighbors, a farmer's wife dispatched her son to call his father. "'Grand Dad Strock has come!' he shouted. According to family lore, the farmer "swung his ax about his head, yelled, let go and ran. The next day he could not find the ax and so far as the story goes it is still lost."

Attic Recipes

Mrs. Ellen Case collects attic recipes and has a vast collection of Strock family recipes handed down through her grandmother and great grandmother. She has an old book of minutes of the Sunday School in Black Hawk, Colorado in which recipes have been written over the attendance records. They wrote the recipes in this book because "in those days everything was used once, twice or more," Mrs. Case says. The book is full of newspaper clippings pasted on pages which give directions on how to do everything from making perfume to how to crochet, from making cleaning fluid to cooking tomato soup.

Here is one of the menus in Mrs. Case's collection, most likely from her grandmother, Jennie Elizabeth Strock Delaplain:

Breakfast: oranges, oatmeal, sausage, creamed potatoes, bread, buckwheat cakes, coffee.
Lunch: fried oysters, baked potatoes, cold chicken, rolls, pickles, stewed prunes, soft gingerbread, cupcakes, tea.
Dinner: pea soup, boiled corned beef, cauliflower, boiled potatoes, chicken salad, olives, stewed tomatoes, Washington pudding with sauce, coffee, nuts.

One clipping in Mrs. Case's book suggests what to serve at "'La Musicale.' - Chocolate served in dainty after-dinner-coffee cups, cheese-crackers, bread buttered and cut in circles, fruit with whipped cream, fancy cakes, and confectionery will be sufficient entertainment for a number of friends at an afternoon musicale. Let one of the hostess's most intimate friends pour the chocolate, sitting at a small table covered with a lunch-cloth. The napkins and plates should be passed at five o'clock."

Mrs. Case is always interested in adding new recipes to her collection. If you have an old recipe to share, please contact Judi McGarvey at [email protected]

Banana Bread Across the Generations

Donna Fiske shares this recipe from her grandmother Luana Fredebaugh Strock, wife of Donald Charles Strock, which was handed down in the family from Donald's cousin Genny Strock Fredebaugh:

½ cup shortening or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
3 large bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sour milk
½ cup chopped nut meats

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and bananas. Add flour sifted with baking soda and baking powder. Mix with milk and nuts. Turn into a well-greased loaf pan and bake at 350° F for 60+ minutes until toothpick comes out clean. (Donna substitutes applesauce for half of the butter, honey for half of the sugar, and wheat flour for a fourth of the regular flour.)

A Visit to the Strock Stone House

(Click on pictures for larger images.)

The day before the 2000 Strock Family Reunion, a few family members met at the Strock Stone House for a special tour. The house, located at 7171 Mahoning Road in Austintown Township, Mahoning County, was built circa 1830-31, by William Strock, son of our immigrant ancestor Joseph Strock.

Joyce Pogany, President of the Austintown Historical Society, led the very lively, interesting and informative tour of the house. The visit of the Strock family members was reported in an article in the 10 August 2000 issue of the Mahoning edition of The Review.

The Strock Stone House, along with the Austin Log Cabin on Raccoon Road, is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Both properties may be toured on the first Sunday of each month from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment; call (330) 792-1129. Admission is free.

The historical society has note paper, mugs, miniature houses and afghans depicting the Strock Stone house for sale. They also welcome donations of old items of interest for display in the various rooms of the old house.

Strock or Strack?

What is the correct spelling? Prior to the 20th century, names and even words were not always spelled the same way twice! In a society where many people could not read and write, those who could often spelled things the way they thought right, not always as others spelled them.

Another problem was in pronunciation. People arriving from a non-English-speaking country found their neighbors mispronouncing their names when they spelled them as they had been in the "old country." Many people changed the spelling of their name to correspond with the way it was pronounced here. Some were fonder of the spelling of their name than the way it was pronounced, and they made a different choice.

In the old records, the Strock family name often appears as "Strack." At some point almost everyone in the family changed it to "Strock."

Strock Family Genealogy

In the 1880s Wallace Strock began recording family information he had learned from his father, Moses L. Strock. He and his brother Sylvester and their cousin Claude Johnson began contacting family members and compiling information which resulted in the Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family, published in 1932, 100 years after the death of Joseph and Betsey Strock.

In 1958, Edwin E. Strock began to update the information he found in the Sketch. He began a correspondence with members of the Strock family which spanned almost 20 years.

After Edwin’s death in 1977, his son Ronald Wesley Strock decided to organize and publish his father’s work. Ronald dove into the project with enthusiasm and added to the treasure trove of information with visits to archives, courthouses and cemeteries across Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1984, Ronald published his work as The Descendants of Joseph Strock of 1757.

When Ronald’s book was published, there was renewed interest in preserving the record of the Strock family. Robert E. Strock agreed to put the genealogical data in Ronald’s book into a computer database, along with corrections and additions Ronald received after the publication of his book.

Today Bob is maintaining a file of genealogical information on over 15,000 people with a connection to the Strock/Strack family names. This file contains more than five major lines plus many smaller lines that have not (yet) been connected to the others. He has added much information by studying telephone directories and lists, marriage lists, US Census records, and the Social Security Death Index. Also many have provided information through internet web pages and message lists.

Is your family represented? For genealogical information, contact Bob at P. O. Box 399, Dalton, OH 44618; (330) 828-2019; or e-mail [email protected].

Genealogical queries and postings of information

Here is a listing of GenConnect Boards for Strock and Strack. .

First Families of Ohio

Descendants of Joseph Strock are eligible to be members of First Families of Ohio. Members of The Ohio Genealogical Society who are descended from a person who, prior to 1821, settled in the area which is now encompassed by the State of Ohio may submit an application with proof of descent and a payment of a $30.00 application fee. New members are inducted into FFO at a special banquet during the annual OGS conference. For applications, contact The Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 S. Main St., Mansfield, OH 44907; (419) 756-7294; e-mail [email protected], web site: http://www.ogs.org/.

Strock Family Reunions

Descendants of Joseph Strock began meeting for family reunions in 1879. The 122^nd Strock Family Reunion will be held 5 August 2001 at the Southington American Legion Hall, Warren-Burton Rd., Southington, Ohio. For information contact Bob and Sue Brookie at 36603 Stevens Blvd., Willoughby, Ohio 44094; 440-942-5687.

The 100^th Reunion occurred 5 August 1979. Click here to view a picture.

Click here to view pictures of  the reunions in 1999 and 2000.

Some Reunion History

The 1932 Genealogical Sketch of the Joseph Strock Family explains the history of our reunions:

"In 1880 the Strock people got together to have the first of the reunions and since that time they have each year met to visit and renew the old and form new ties. At least one of the family has been at every one of the fifty-one meetings. Could we only go back and, knowing what we do now, live over the half century just passed!

"In '88 it was held in Milton, Mahoning Co., O., east of Tiger at the Johnson home. An old kodak picture shows the table and some we still meet each year.

"Later they met at the old Samuel Strock home [see above], for 91 years in the family. Held in the homes, it came to be a burden and for some time they met with the Kistler family jointly, later by ourselves, and now we are able to go alone.

"Not that some had more time to go, but had more of the kindly feeling for the cousins, lead them to come year by year to the annual gatherings.

"There are many pictures of these meetings and we hope that in some meeting soon we can see the faces of the past shown on a screen and so enlarged as to make clear the faces from the past.

"The secretaries have a mailing list that now holds three hundred names. Each year we get the notice and go or stay at our own personal will.

"In all these meetings the table has been the real center and here the Strock wives have shone. Good cooks - and now in the sixth generation we are proud of the tables set in the Strock homes.

"We hope the history can be added to and ask that at the end of five years there can be printed from such facts as we may be able to gather an addition to what we now submit…."

Do you have Strock family pictures or mementos or news of your family to share?

If you have Strock family pictures or mementos, please bring them to share at the next reunion, Sunday, August 5, 2001. If you can't join us this summer, please send Sue Brookie a note with news to share with other family members. Sue can be reached at 36603 Stevens Blvd., Willoughby, OH 44094.  Or e-mail Judi McGarvey at [email protected].

Comments or queries about this web site are welcome. Contact Judi McGarvey at [email protected]