A southeastern Jefferson County township anchored by Worthville (formerly Geistown) and the village of Ringgold, with early German farm families, sawmills, grist-mills, and small village trades along Red Bank Creek and Pine Run.
Tip: Add local names like Worthville, Ringgold, Pine Run, or Dutch Settlement when searching; some families are described by village or neighborhood rather than township.
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When searching, combine Ringgold Twp. or Ringgold, Pa. with localities such as Worthville (formerly Geistown), Pine Run, or the Dutch Settlement near Red Bank Creek.
Strategy: if you cannot find a family under “Ringgold” before 1850, broaden your search to neighboring early townships and use the Locality Guide’s county-formation timeline for the Red Bank Creek region.
Ringgold Township occupies a rolling agricultural district in southeastern Jefferson County, with fine farm land along the ridges between Red Bank Creek and its branches. Nineteenth-century accounts describe it as a region of good soil and improving farms, with the village of Ringgold and the borough of Worthville as its principal centers ⓘ.
The earliest era was heavily wooded and rich in game. Stories preserved in the township sketch recall hunters such as Henry Nolf and Lewis Doverspike, who pursued bears and wolves in the northern part of the township. In one incident, a wounded bear attacked Nolf; Doverspike’s gun misfired, and he was forced to drive the animal off with the gunstock before killing it, then carry the badly injured Nolf several miles to safety ⓘ. Such stories highlight the hazards faced by the first hunters and settlers.
As settlement spread, small mills and shops anchored the developing communities. The first grist-mills in the township were built by Daniel Geist at what became Worthville, and by Henry Freas near Ringgold village. Early saw-mills followed in the 1840s, providing lumber for houses, barns, and local industries ⓘ.
Worthville, originally known as Geistown, was laid out by Daniel Geist and long carried his name. With the establishment of a post office it took the name Worthville, and in 1878 it was incorporated as a borough. By the 1880s it boasted a grist-mill, saw-mill, several shops, general stores, and hotels kept by members of the Geist and related families ⓘ.
The village of Ringgold grew as a small trade center in the midst of a “fine farming country,” with the Eagle Hotel, general stores, a tannery, sawmill, and grist-mill serving the surrounding farm population. Merchants such as P. H. Shannon and his brother M. H. Shannon were particularly prominent; P. H. Shannon later became sheriff of Jefferson County and relocated to Brookville ⓘ.
By the 1880s Ringgold remained primarily agricultural. Township statistics show steady growth in taxables and population from the 1850s through the 1880s, with seven schoolhouses, six churches, and associated cemeteries distributed across the township. Farm and stock-raising, especially by families of German origin, formed the backbone of the local economy ⓘ.
Historical summary adapted from Kate M. Scott, History of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (1888), Ringgold Township and Worthville sketches, plus county assessment and school reports.
Cemeteries in Ringgold Township are closely associated with township churches and the two principal communities of Worthville and Ringgold. Use the county cemetery page for exact locations, alternate names, and transcription links.
By the mid-1880s, Ringgold Township maintained seven schoolhouses, with a five-month term, male and female teachers, and a high percentage of attendance according to county reports. Worthville borough later operated its own school within the township’s boundaries ⓘ.
Look for school board minutes, teacher contracts, and attendance registers in township records and county archives; these often mention families by neighborhood (Worthville, Ringgold, Pine Run, etc.).
Scott notes six churches in the township by the 1880s, each with an associated cemetery. These congregations, often with German-heritage memberships, served Worthville, Ringgold village, and outlying farm neighborhoods and are key sources for baptisms, marriages, and burial records.
Denominations in the Ringgold area typically include Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, and other Protestant bodies; consult county church surveys and denominational archives for exact congregation names and register locations.
For sacramental registers and congregational records, contact the Jefferson County Historical Society and the appropriate denominational archives. Many congregations produced anniversary booklets and member lists that document Ringgold families across several generations.
Post offices in the Ringgold area followed the development of its villages and farm centers. The Ringgold post office (established 1847) and later the Worthville office served as key points for mail and identity; residents may be indexed under the village or post office name rather than “Ringgold Township.”
These cards summarize villages, boroughs, and named localities connected to Ringgold Township. Use them alongside historic atlases and modern GIS tools to track families who are listed by village (Worthville, Ringgold) or neighborhood (Pine Run, Dutch Settlement) rather than by township name.
Use historic atlases and modern mapping tools to pinpoint Worthville, Ringgold, Pine Run, and the Dutch Settlement area. Overlay these with township boundary changes to understand which jurisdiction held your ancestor’s records at a given time.
Cross-check Ringgold Township burials across USGenWeb, Find A Grave, and FamilySearch. Pay special attention to church cemeteries at Worthville and Ringgold and to any older burial grounds tied to early congregations.
Look for deeds, mortgages, and mill or business agreements in the Recorder’s Office, and for probate, guardianship, and estate files that mention Ringgold or Worthville residents. Township offices and borough minutes may survive for road work, school districts, and local improvements.
Regional newspapers report farm news, estate notices, obituaries, and items from Worthville and Ringgold; some also cover veterans and militia or Civil War service from the area. Search by township, borough, and surname variations.