Shohola Supervisors Table Tax Break Proposal For Volunteers

SHOHOLA — This spring, other Pike County townships are studying Act 172, which gives municipalities the option to offer emergency services volunteers up to a 20 percent reduction in township property tax or Earned Income Tax (EIT), but Shohola supervisors are lukewarm about the proposal. At last week's regular township meeting, Supervisor George C. Fluhr, a long-time Shohola Fire Dept. member, raised the issue for discussion. Supervisors recently received a notice from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) briefing townships on the state proposal.

Fluhr said that the legislators and Gov. Wolf approved Act 172 in 2016. So far, only three Pike municipalities adopted EIT. Shohola is not one of them, noted Fluhr. Fluhr said, "Act 172 only qualifies firefighters that do firefighting, but not officers or those doing other tasks, such as fund-raising. "Besides, about half the department members do not own real estate. So they couldn't qualify for the tax break. I don't think we should do this any time soon." Township Solicitor Jason Ohliger said, "You should ask the department chief if there is an interest and ask for their opinion." Fluhr said, "Right now, I think only five or six members could qualify." Secretary-Treasurer Diana Blume said, "If they want it, supervisors would determine the standards via a resolution." Supervisor Keith Raser motioned to table and supervisors agreed to await fire department input before further discussion and possible action... for complete story, get this week's issue.

Reunion Organizer Discovers Pike County Family's Colonial Roots

DINGMANS FERRY — The Van Etten clan, a distinguished family tracing its Dutch roots to pre-Colonial times (in the mid 1600s), is holding a major family reunion in Dingmans Ferry in July, according to event organizer William "Bill" Van Natta. Bill said, "I picked Dingmans Ferry because of Captain Johannes Van Etten's contribution to protecting the early settlers of the area in the 1750's. "Over the years, spellings of Van Etten families have been Anglicized or changed. Today, the names include Van Etten, Vanetten, Van Natta, Van Atta, Van Natter, and Vannatta. "Johannes' correspondence with Benjamin Franklin makes him our most notable family member in history.

"Also, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognized Fort Hyndshaw with a landmark plaque [a few hundred yards south of Pike County in Middle Smithfield] on Route 209. One family member even suggested that the fort and immediate area be deemed a national battleground area." In the 1740s, Johannes's father Jacob acquired about 300 acres and built a house in the area called Conashaugh [elegant land], which is a stone's throw from what is now the Marie Zimmermann House. Bill said, "One of Johannes descendants, Daniel Van Etten, sold the property to Zimmermann's father in the 1880s. The Zimmermanns then acquired additional property. We're doing a tour of the Zimmermann House and Daniel's stone barn just prior to the reunion in July. "This is our second family reunion. In 2013, when I was researching family history, I discovered the correspondence between Benjamin Franklin and Johannes. "Who wouldn't want to find out that someone in their family was close to Ben Franklin. My discovery inspired me to dig deeper.

"I found that many family members from the early years of Dutch settlement in the 1600s lived in New York State, in Hurley, near Kingston; in Warren County, New Jersey; and in [what is now] Pike County, Pennsylvania. We held our first family reunion in 2015. We held it at the Van Nest-Hoff-Vannatta House in Harmony, New Jersey. "I believed that Pike County was the right place to hold our second reunion. It will be on July 22 at Camp Akenac [Route 739] in Dingmans Ferry." According to Van Natta, many families of Dutch descent, such as Van Etten, Dingman, Brodhead, Rohner, and Dupuis, began settling in Pike starting in the middle 1600s to early 1700s. Bill said that waves of those early Dutch settlers, including Jacobus Jensen Van Etten, the first Van Etten, who arrived in 1652, came for trading and entrepreneurial business opportunities.

By the mid 1600s, the Dutch and English clashed in several wars in areas where both contested the same land. The English prevailed and took over Dutch lands in 1664. Although the English colonized New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the eastern portion of the south, the Dutch influence, and Dutch families remained, noted Bill. Many of Dutch descent, such as Johannes, served under British rule. Benjamin Franklin was a British provincial administrator based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania... for complete story, get this week's issue.