Miscellaneous Notes on the Shappel family

Source: Folklore of the Schuylkill Canal, Vol. II by John Butz Bowman, Pottsville, PA, 1947.

The following paragraphs are taken from a transcription of the aforementioned source:

Many Shappel families settled all along the hilly slopes of the mountain side, they were mostly in some way related and a whole good family and splendid farmers. But way in the bush, down in a hollow, surrounded by a few green acres of cleared land stood the cabin of Jakey Shappel. He had a large family of boys and girls, eccentric and wild they were. Jakey, himself, was a wizard. He could Pow Wow, tell fortunes, possessed the seventh book of Moses and could undo the work that witches had done. He specialized in all kinds of hexerei.

My uncle's hired man from the second mountain courted one of his (Jakey's) daughters, and he told uncle that if he would employ her to help cut the corn and husk it, it would help them to get married. Well, this young woman was too wild and shy to come to the house for her meals. Bill took both her dinner and supper up to her. Jakey always wore a faded high silk hat with a peacock feather sticking high above the crown.

...

The Shappels were a goodly race, with many large families by that name, and must have contributed about the largest membership to the "Old White Church." There were Shapples, I believe, by every name in the Bible, even unto Galen and Malen. Jakie Shapple raised twelve children in a one room stone-house at the foot of the second mountain. He came to church wearing an old faded stovepipe hat, with a peacock feather stuck in the band. He took his seat right before the pulpit, and to every sentence of the preacher he said aloud "Yah! Yah!" (yes! yes!). One of his sons taught the three Rs.

Submitted by: Russ.