Source: History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, pp. 548-549.
Jacob W. Strohecker, a prominent farmer of the southern portion of Jordan township, was born Nov. 5, 1850, on the farm where he now lives, son of William and Sallie (Wiest) Strohecker.
John and Elizabeth (Williams) Strohecker, his grandparents, were native of Berks County, Pa., where the Strohecker family has been established from an early date. Coming to this region, John Strohecker died at a comparatively young man, in Manhatango Valley, and is buried at Howerters union Church, of which he was a Reformed member. He is described as a tall man, with dark hair and brown eyes. His widow married a Williamsport man, by whom she had five children, and is buried at Williamsport. By her marriage to John Strohecker she had two children: William and John, the latter, who was a mason, settling in the Lykens Valley and reared a family still living in that section.
Daniel Strohecker, the great-great-grandfather of Jacob W. Strohecker, died prior to June 19, 1826, the date papers of administration were filed, Jacob Seitzinger being administrator of his estate. The record is found in Will Book 2, page517, at the Northumberland county courthouse.
William Strohecker, son of John, was born Jan 7, 1811, in upper Manhatango township, Schuykill Co., Pa., and farmed practically all his life in Jordan township, Northumberland county, part of his farm is now owned by his son Jacob W. Strohecker, the rest by William L. Troutman. He made frequent trips to Reading, at which place the farmers of the section did most of their marketing then, and he also drove a huckster team to Pottsville. He was a popular man among his neighbors, served two years as a supervisor of Jordan township, and in politics was identified with the Democratic party. His death occurred July 21, 1889, and is buried at St. David's Church, Hebe, where his wife also rests. Mr. Strohecker married Sallie Wiest, who was born Feb 21, 1816, daughter of John Wiest, and they were parents of sixteen children, namely: John (deceased), George (deceased), Harry, William (born 1836, died 1845), Sallie, Samuel (deceased), Louisa (deceased), Joel, Tobias (deceased), Daniel, Jacob W., Moses, James, Polly (deceased), David and Hannah.
Jacob W. Strohecker received his education in the pay schools, which were conducted in the home neighborhood during his boyhood, and was reared to farm life, working for his parents, as was customary, until he became of age. In 1872 he began farming on the homestead of his own account, having purchased sixty acres of his fathers property, and in 1885 he purchased another tract of 100 acres. He all this himself until his recent retirement, in the spring of 1909, since which time he has made his home in Hebe, where he owns his nice residence and a small piece of ground. In the spring of 1910 he purchased a tract of fifteen acres near that place, and he is one of the substantial residents of the region, where he is so much respected for his industrious career and usefulness as a citizen. He was successful and prosperous during his active years as a result of hard work, and he gained the reputation as an excellent manager. For a number of years he had been quite influential in the local councils of the Democratic party and he held various public offices, having given able service on the school board, of which he was a member for fifteen years, twelve years consecutively, and he was a supervisor for five years. He also was active in church work as a member of the Reformed congregation of St. David's Church, at Hebe, to which his family also belong; he held all the church offices, having been deacon, trustee at the time the present church was remodeled, and elder, which office he still holds.
On Jan. 7, 1870, Mr. Strohecker married Elizabeth Wiest, daughter of John and Lucy (Beissel) Wiest, of Jordan township, and they have three children: John, who is now a lumberman in Cow?? County, Wash., is married and has two children; Cassie married Frank Hoffman, and they are the Farming people, living on the Strohecker farm in Jordan Township, where they have been located since spring of 1909 (they have fourteen children, five of whom are deceased); Mary married Harry Boyer, an engineer, and they reside in Oregon (they have had one daughter, who die in infancy).
Submitted by: William Strohecker.