German Emigrant and Original Settler of Trough Creek & Cassville, Pennsylvania: Johann Philipp Curfman

Johann Philipp Korffmann was the second son of Johann Conrad and Anna Margaret Scheffer, born on 9 March 1754 in Stein-Bockenheim and baptized at the Evangelical Church. At the age of 10, he and his family emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania. Settling in Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania, Philipp purchased 300 acres from his brother Jacob.

There is no record of military service during the Revolutionary War. After 1775, he relocated to Washington County, Maryland. The 1790 census in Washington County listed him and his family under the name of Philip "Curpman." Philipp later adopted the spelling "Curfman," establishing that version of the name in America. Philipp married Barbara Leiss, who was born around 1755 in Germany and died about 1835 in Pennsylvania. They were married and lived for a time in Middle Creek, Frederick County, Maryland before moving back to Pennsylvania. They had seven children, including their firstborn son, Jacob.

He became one of the original settlers of Union Township in Trough Creek Valley, potentially owning land as early as 1788. In February 1791, he acquired land from Robert Galbraith and purchased an additional 1,200 acres in Huntingdon County around 1793-4, along with 150 acres in Bedford County in 1794. Philipp owned a linseed oil mill near Cassville, and a small stream in the area is still named "Curfman’s Run."

Image Credit: Pabucketlist.com Images of Trough Creek Park Rainbow falls

Philip settled on the farm, once owned by Nathan G. Horton, around 1788. He operated an oil mill on or near the site of the sawmill, processing flaxseed from the valley into oil. Flax, a staple production in the Valley, was woven into cloth for clothing, sheets, bags, wagon covers, and various other purposes.

An active community member, Philipp served as one of the earliest supervisors of Union Township in 1794. In 1796, he and his son Jacob were co-supervisors, and Philipp also held the position of Overseer of the Poor. He passed away in 1829 and is buried in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Both Philip and Barbara were staunch Methodist Episcopalians. Bauman's Methodist Episcopal Chapel. - As early as 1854 a class existed in Smith's Valley, on the road between Mapleton and Saltillo, two miles from Cassville. Of this class, Philip Curfman, Abraham Taylor, and D. P. Pheasant were leaders. Their place of worship was a school-house during some years, but finally the present chapel was erected. It is a wooden structure, thirty by forty feet, with a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the role of Overseer of the Poor in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, was a significant responsibility within local government. Overseers of the Poor were appointed officials tasked with managing the welfare and support of impoverished individuals or families within their community. Their duties varied but generally included assessing the needs of the poor, distributing relief or assistance (such as food, clothing, or shelter), providing medical care, arranging for apprenticeships or workhouses for the unemployed, and overseeing the administration of poor relief funds. They were responsible for identifying who was considered "deserving" of aid and ensuring that resources were allocated fairly. Additionally, Overseers of the Poor often had the authority to make decisions about removing individuals or families from the community if they were deemed unable to support themselves, sending them to poorhouses or other institutions.

Background on the Leiss Family:

• Peter Leiss was Barbara’s father.  Not much is known about him.

• Barbara Leiss was born about 1755 in Germany and died about 1835 in Pennsylvania (presumably in Huntingdon/Cassville like her husband Philip.) She married Johann Philipp Korffmann and they had 7 children, including Jacob.

Background on Cassville, PA

In 1796 Benjamin and Robeson Chilcott or Chilcoat laid out a town in the south central part of the county. It was known as Salisbury and Chilcoatstown until 1849 when a committee of citizens were authorized to select a new name and Cassville was chosen. By an act of the legislature Cassville was incorporated as a borough on March 3, 1853. The population has decreased from 1910 when it was 165 to 133 in 1920 and 111 in 1930.