John Mattler Tawzer was born in Cape May, N.J., to Richard and Hannah Towser, first taxed in 1793 in Upper Precinct, Cape May, N.J. The family lived near Eldora, nearby Aetna Furnace, an iron producing center. John began his work as a boatsman, and later worked in the iron producing furnaces.

See below for details.

 John married Maria Magdalena Baumbach (Bombach-Brumbach) on Jan.13, 1797 at Pine Grove Furnace, Cumberland Co. P.A. Andreas Baumbach, Maria's father had been a resident there since 1787.

John went to work at the Pine Grove Furnace, and the Pine Mountain Iron Works, a fact which points to possible earlier work at the Aetna Furnace in NJ.

 Children

George 10/8/1797,        John 5/9/1807, Catherine 11/27/1814, Margaret 4/18/1816, Jeremiah B. 1/11/1825, James 1811-1822,     Michael 8/21/1813-1822,   Ellen 10/2/1821-1822,  Barbara 4/19/1804(Andrew Lilly), Jane 9/4/1817( George Lilly), Martha 11/1/1826 (Samuel Roof), Andrew 12/16/1802 Illinois, Hanna 5/10/1801, Elizabeth 3/27/1806, Mary 12/20/1808, Richard 9/21/1819.

John Tawzer's Boatsman Days

 John Tawzer's career as a boatsman has been related by many descendants.  William Tawzer used to speak of his grandfather Richard as "being a captain on a ship and made many trips from England to the U.S.. He had a very coarse voice when he spoke and I was afraid of him".  The family of J.B. Tawzer with whom John lived until his death, have stories of Richard being a ship's carpenter and hunting whale as far away as Greenland and Nova Scotia.  He also told of working in the off whaling season, in South America.  His ship's compass survived and was in the possession of Nellie Tawzer in Minneola, Kansas.  She tells the following, "While on the seas one day, pirates boarded the ship and were going to steal him. He had never smoked or chewed tobacco, so the captain made him smoke so he would get sick and the pirates wouldn't want him.  The captain told the pirates he wasn't any good and he was going to kick him off at the next port."  John had his own boat (possibly from his father's half share?) and hauled things up and down Delaware Bay early in his boatsman days. (Erma Wiley)

The Iron Works Days

The Tawzers and the Thomases both worked at Pine Grove Furnace in PA. It is likely that John had worked at the Iron Works in Cape May, NJ before leaving that area.  John moved to PA, to the area of the Iron Works, after proposing to his wife, for she told him that he would have to give up his seafaring ways if she was to say yes. This much is known about John's days at the Pine Grove Furnace Iron Works:

In the 1803/4 time book for Pine Grove Furnace, the very beginnings of the works, John Tawzer is listed as a banksman, and a laborer. This means that he worked in the open mine there, In March 1804 he is listed as a blacksmith, in May he provided loads of coal, suggesting that he hauled it or even made the coke. In June he stacked coal and was a haymaker. On June  30, 1804, the firm "agreed with John Tawzer to fill the furnace-- for which is to have $12. He finding himself in boarding, providing he continues to fill the whole blast and does his duty faithfully and well there is to be such allowance to him as Jos. Arthur may think he deserves." From July through October 16, John is listed as a "filler" whose responsibility was to see that alternating loads of ore, limestone and coal were dumped in the furnace.  From October to November John is called a "Kuper", in December he delivered cordwood.

Tax lists for Menallen Township exist for the year 1806, where John is listed as having 50 acres, and cows and oxen.  In 1817 the acreage increases to 116, and in 1823 it grows to 175 acres.  The 1852 tax list states that the 116 acres were transferred to John Jr.  This property was described as the first off the mountain along the road to Bendersville from Pine Grove.

John most likely divided his time, working his farm in Menallen Twp. and also working at the Iron Works in Pine Grove.  He could have walked over the mountain very easily to reach the works.  Between 1828 and 1830 he is listed as a "founder" and "at the hearth".

On April 20, 1837 John was assisting at the "tar kiln" and on April 26, the kiln was fired "under the Superintendence of Mr. Tawzer, Sr."   In October 1838, George Tawzer, John's eldest son "removed from his father's to this place".  The records in this era contain the names of John's son,  John Tawzer Jr., as well as the eldest sons of George, Andrew and Daniel.

The records of the mining company mention the marriages of several of John's daughters, and on Sept. 15, 1841, state that Andrew Lilly, (John's Son-in-Law) while fixing the blast pipe at the Tower of the Furnace, the furnace blew out and burnt him in the face."

(Details of Iron Works Career thanks to research of  Frederick Weiser)

Latter Life for John and Mary Magdalena Tawzer

Mary Magdalena Tawzer died on July 28, 1846 and is buried at the Lutheran Church in Benderville.  John and Mary had 16 children, 3 of whom died in a diptheria epidemic in 1822, the rest all living to adulthood.

Ten years after the death of his wife, John Tawzer joined his son on a move to Woodford Co. Illinois.  After settling for a short time in Greene Twp, Illinois near Wolf Hill, where they had trouble getting a clear deed, and subsequently moved to a farm one and a half miles east of Roanoke, Illinois, near Panther Creek. John died there on April 24, 1865 and was buried in the cemetary at the Panther Creek Brethren Church.

 His funeral text was Psalms 37:37,  "Mark the blameless man and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the man of peace".

 (Details of John Tawzer's careers added from notes of  Frederick Weiser)