Ranck, Peter, 1770-1851

Peter Ranck was a joiner, cabinetmaker, and innkeeper from Jonestown, Lebanon County, PA.

Born in 1770, Peter was the eighth of eleven children born to John Philip, Jr. and Magdelena Ranck. After his father died in 1784, Peter and his older brother, John, decided not to continue the family occupation of farming and took up the trade of joinery with an unidentified local craftsman. Early on, the brothers constructed and repaired houses. Afterward they built primarily case furniture, and Peter was particularly noted for his painted chests.

In 1794, Ranck married Eva Christina Harper who bore him 11 children before her death in 1823, including Peter, Jr., also a cabinetmaker.

He subsequently remarried to a woman named Anna who died in 1843. At the time of his first marriage, Peter purchased a plot of land in Williamsburg, PA, and in 1814, he purchased land surrounding an inn from Christian Seltzer, Jr. and his wife, Rebecca. Later, Ranck abandoned his joinery business and took up innkeeping full time until his death in 1851.

From the description of Account book, 1794-1817. (Winterthur Library). WorldCat record id: 122397734