Johann Jacob Straub

I wanted to update everybody on what I’m doing currently. I am now rewriting Jacobs’s book that I wrote in 2007 with a lot of new updates. In 2007 I was excited and in a hurry when I wrote this book and I used Ethel’s notes with some corrections. Some of you may know that I am a “type a” and do things with a great sense of urgency and not a whole lot of thought. In retrospect I did a poor job on the first book. Now that my health has slowed me down I have plenty of time for thinking. Since that time we have discovered a lot of new information, including German church records and a diary from the voyage to the New World. I have also expanded the chapter on Jacobs’s life in Maryland and Pennsylvania. In my haste to get this book done in 2007 I omitted a lot of good material. This new version will be at least double if not more in size.

Some of you may not be aware of this but my ancestor Daniel (son of Jacob) first settled in the Cherryville area in 1814. So 2014 will be the 200th anniversary of this event and for his descendents a reunion will be held in Cherryville. Daniel is buried at Mount Zion in Cherryville and his headstone is lying on the ground and in need of repair. We are tentatively planning a big reunion in Cherryville for this event. For this event we have planned to have his headstone repaired and preserved also we want to erect a monument for him. As all of you know I hate to charge for any of my material. I do my best to make them available for free. However I am considering selling this new book maybe even on Ebay to reach some of our northern cousins and all proceeds will go to preserving Daniels headstone and the new monument. The selling of the book is something that I am just considering to defer some of the cost. Currently all of this is tentative.
Mike Stroupe