SALOME HEPLER PAGE

Click on the camera next to Salome & Michael's names below to see a larger photo.

Lavelle was first called Salome, in honor of Salome Hepler Bolich, wife of Michael Bolich, owner and pioneer settler. Later, the name Salome was applied only to the west end, and Rocktown was applied to the east end of the town. The east end was owned by George Snyder, a brother-in-law of Michael Bolich. The name Lavelle was given to the entire settlement of Salome and Rocktown about 1880, in honor of the noted lawyer of Ashland and famous cavalryman of the Civil War Martin M.Lavelle. It was at this time the first Post-Office was established.

The Pioneer settler of Lavelle was Michael Bolich, born in 1797 near McKeansburg, Pa. For many years the deeds as recorded named this portion of Butler Township as Salome, or Salomeville.
Michael Bolich was a local preacher, probably of the Baptist faith. He held services in many of the log houses here and throughout the Hanyost, Deep Creek and Mahanatongo Valleys. Barry Church, which was attended by the Lavelle folk, is built on ground which was given by Michael Bolich.
His claim was all timber land his hands were the first to swing the axe in the forest and build here a home. The log house, his first home in this region, had a door but no lock, window frames but no windows. The first land cleared was by him, and it was his gun that fired the first shot that send the bear or the wolf either to his hiding place or to the salt barrel for winter use.
South of Lavelle, he built a saw mill run by water power. Here he cut the lumber used to build a home for each of his children, residing in Barry, Butler, and Eldred Townships.
Michael Bolich was the father of the following children Anna, wife of Adam Fertich, Salome, wife of George Bensinger, Rebecca married to Issac Betz, Maria Bolich, wife of Daniel Hepler, Levina, wife of Daniel S. Smith, Nathan Bolich married to Esther Fetheroff, William married to Elizabeth, Emanuel married to Mary, Timothy married to Christiana Grow.
Michael Bolich died in 1871 and was buried in the Reed Cemetery; later his body was removed to the Barry United Evangelical Church Cemetery, south of Lavelle. The church is at the intersection of Dutchtown Rd (4026) and Bolich Rd. Graves are near the road just inside the fence close to the woods.

**Children**
Maria (Polly) Bolich	b. 28- July 1819	d. 30- Jun 1887
Nathan Bolich	b. 18-Dec 1830	d. 5-Jan 1894
Timothy Bolich	b. 1838	d. 11-Feb 1904
Emanuel Bolich	b.	d.
William Bolich	b.	d.
Lovina Bolich	b. 2-Mar 1827	d. 6-Feb 1903
Salome Bolich	b.	d.
Anna Bolich	b. 18-Dec 1817	d. ?
Rebecca Bolich	b.	d.
Amanda Bolich	b.	d.

Click on one of Salome's children above to continue the Hepler story or
click on one of the ships below to sail back to a previous page!

Source: The Hepler Family History, by Avice Hepler Morgan. First Edition, Gateway Press Inc., Baltimore, 1986. Pg. 485. History of the Pioneer of Lavelle from Joseph H. Zerbey History, Pottsville and Schuylkill County. Pa. Page 640-641

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SALOME HEPLER 1819 - 1887

SALOME HEPLER
1819 - 1887