Allentown, Pa. Tax Collector Notebook

Essentially the historical aspects of this notebook are represented in families involved in the history of Allentown, Pennsylvania: the Livingston, Greenleaf and Graff: Johann George Graff (1747-1835) referred to as George in the notebook was born in Killendorf, Alsace, Germany to Jacob and Eva Catherine Graff who arrived in Philadelphia in 1754 with George and three siblings. They arrived in Whitehall Township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania about 1770/72. Whitehall Township becomes incorporated into Lehigh County when Northampton County is divided in 1812. By this time George is 25 years old and marries Barbara Kohler (1750-1826) and they have eight children, the seventh is daughter Catherine. George served in the Revolutionary War and later is referred to as Captain. By 1802 he is paying rent to H.W. Livingston (Henry Walter) (1768-1810) for a two lot town residence in the vicinity of Eighth and Hamilton Streets, Allentown, Pa. Henry Walter Livingston (1768-1810) was born in Livingston, Columbia County, New York to Continental Congressman Walter Livingston (1740-1797) and Cornelia Schuyler (1746-1822) both of pioneering New York families. His grandfather was Robert Livingston (1708-1790) a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Henry W.s younger sister Harriet (1783-1826) married Robert Fulton (1765-1815). Henry W. graduated from Yale College, was admitted to the bar, had a practice in New York City from 1787-1789 as clerk in the office of Alexander Hamilton. From 1792-1794 Henry was private secretary to Gouverneur Morris who was then Minister to France and instigator of the Erie Canal. In 1796 he married in Philadelphia Mary Masters Allen (1776-1855) a daughter of James Allen (1742-1778) and granddaughter of William Allen (1704-1789) for whom Allentown, Pennsylvania is named. In 1802 and 1810 Henry W. was a member of the New York State Assembly and in the 8th and 9th U. S. Congress from 1803-1807. In 1803 he built his home called “The Hill” in Livingston, New York. Henry W. and Mary Allen Livingston had seven children: Henry Walter (1798-1848) married Caroline de Grasse de Pau and Silvie de Grasse; Walter Copake (1799-1872) married Mary Livingston Greenleaf (1802-1886) in 1828 a daughter of James Greenleaf (1765-1843) [John E. Greenleaf LU PhD 2006 W959n is a relative] and Anne Penn Allen (1769-1851 who inherited 501 acres on Trout Creek near Trout Hall - the James Allen summer home) (sister to Mary Masters Allen), in 1828 he was elected to Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Lehigh County; James Allen (1801-1825); Mary (1803-1880) married James Thomson; Elizabeth (1807-1860) married William D. Henderson in 1828; Cornelia (1808-1884) married Carroll Livingston in 1828; Anne Greenleaf (1809-1887) married Anson Livingston in 1829. Since the Livingston family were from New York state it is apparent that any property in Allentown had come through marriage to Mary Masters Allen and eventually passed to their children most likely W. C. (Walter Copake) and his wife Mary Livingston Greenleaf Livingston (1800-1886, in 1828- Mary, a daughter of James Greenleaf and Anne Penn Allen married Walter Copake Livingston) whose names appear along with Henry W. and Mary Allen Livingston [or their agents: Peter Rhoads, Henry King] as receivers of rent paid by George from 1802-1813 and Catherine Graff from 1839-1865 in Allentown.