Johann "Peter" Ruth was born ca. 1700 at Steinberg, Germany, the son of Johann Melchior and Maria Catharina Trein Ruth. Anna "Sophia" Lauer was born in 1703 at Hierstein, Germany, the daughter was Hans "Claus" and Maria "Margaretha" Wentz Lauer. Peter Ruth and Sophia Lauer were married in 1724 at Wolfersweiler, Germany. They had four sons, the first three born 1724-1728 at Walhausen, Germany. The family immigrated to America in 1733 and probably settled first in the Myerstown or Stouchsburg area of Berks County, Pennsylvania. After Sophia's death, he married 2) Catharin Mayer Meyer. They had ten children. He died in 1771 in Cumru Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Descendants of his oldest three sons lived in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and elsewhere.

This book was primarily assembled by "The Lerch Reunion" committee who met in Allentown, Pennsylvania during the first half of the twentieth century.

After more than 15 years of research, this family can now trace their origins back to about 1600 in Germany. The immigrants arrived in 1737. Each family paragraph includes the following information when known: generation number, child number, name of descendant, dates, name of spouse, parents of spouse, residence, burial, children, and biographical notations. Some of the major surnames in the every-name index include: Batdorf, Butdorf, Dieffenbach, Fisher, Holstein, Irick, Kaser, Knoop, Lauer, Lower, Miller, Smith, Snyder, Spangler, and others. There is a wealth of information in this massive genealogy!