The "Ever Hear of Neffsville?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My boss at the framing gallery where I work part-time came to check on my progress on one of the jobs he had asked me to do when he showed me a small photo that was in the morning newspaper.  

Taylor Kinney and Lady Gaga
Photo from Lancaster Newspapers

Photo of Lady Gaga and her new fiancé Taylor Kinney.  "Oh yeah, I saw that in the paper also," I told him.  "You know that Taylor grew up right here in Neffsville," Keith said.  "He was a neighbor of mine and if you 'Google' Neffsville, it tells you that the notable residents of this small town are Jim Furyk , Don Gehman, Brad Rutter and Taylor Kinney."  Sure enough, when I got home I "Googled" Neffsville and found that what he told me was exactly correct.  Jim Furyk, the professional golfer whom I had as a student at nearby Manheim Township High School, Don Gehman who is a record producer, Brad Rutter who is the 2nd winningest game show contestant in history as well as the #1 winningest winner on Jeopardy and Taylor Kinney listed as an actor (Chicago Fire), model and being engaged to Lady Gaga.  Didn't take long to add that last bit of information to his bio.  Taylor attended Lancaster Mennonite High School in Lancaster instead of nearby Manheim Township High School.  Neffsville was named for the family of Johan Christian Neff who was from Germany and was aboard the ship Lydia when it arrived in Philadelphia on September 19, 1743.  He lived in nearby Lampeter Township with his family.  The elementary school that is in the center of Neffsville, John Henry Neff Elementary School, was named for him.  

Collectable Shank's Bottle.

One other person is mentioned in the "Google" entry for Neffsville and that is Neffsville pharmacist Jacob Shank.  He developed Shank's Compound Flavoring of Vanilla Bean in 1899 to help improve the flavor of the medicines he formulated.  The product is still made today and Shank's is now the second largest primary supplier in North America of extracts, flavorings and spices.  The business moved out of Neffsville in 1959 when it was purchased by another company.  The old extract bottles are a collectors prize and feature a label that reads "Shank's Extracts, Neffsville, Pa."  I wonder if Lady Gaga realizes how important the town of Neffsville, where her future husband was born, really is.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.