America's First Amish Bishop

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My daughter-in-law Melissa Murphy Oliver has a 9th great-grandfather who was the first Amish bishop in America:  Jacob “Jakob” Hertzler (1703-1786). An Amish bishop “is the head of the individual church district, and is responsible for administering discipline, ordaining new ministry, baptizing, and marrying new members.”

The last name of Hertzler is commonly associated with being German. However, the geographic area where Jacob was born (Baden-Württemberg) spoke a Swiss-German dialect. And, Baden-Württemberg is located near the boundaries of Switzerland, Germany, and France.  Modern sources state Jacob Hertzler was born in Switzerland of Swiss parents. Jacob’s parents were probably Amish in that the history of the Amish church began in Switzerland. The beginning of the Amish church was a result of a schism within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann whose followers became known as Amish. 

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Jacob married twice. The name of his first wife is unknown. After her death, he married Catherine Knegy/Ruegy (1713-1773) with whom he had three children. Jacob and his family moved from Switzerland to the Palatinate (a province in northeast France), sometimes referred to as the Rhineland Palatinate. You will note on the map that this area is not that far from his hometown of Baden-Württemberg.

After being in France for only a few years, the Hertzlers decided to leave France for America due to religious persecution.  In 1749, the family booked passage on the ship “St. Andrew,” leaving from Rotterdam, Holland, stopping in Plymouth, England, and arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 9 September 1749. The six-week trip would take place in a small wooden ship. The voyage would not have been easy or pleasant. A passenger on a similar ship in 1750 described the voyage as follows:

“During the voyage there is on board these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting,

1750s sailing ship - Google images

many kinds of sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth rot, and the like, all of which come from old and sharply-salted food and meat, also from very bad and foul water, so that many die miserably.”

Amazingly, Jacob and his family survived the trip; and, upon arrival in Philadelphia, they headed to Northkill Creek, northwest of Philadelphia. As early as 1740, the Amish had established a settlement in the Northkill Watershed area in eastern Pennsylvania.  Having been ordained in Switzerland, Hertzler became this Amish community’s first pastor and bishop. 

In 1750 Jacob purchased over 182 acres from Richard and Thomas Penn about 10 miles northeast of Northkill Creek.  Over the years he purchased additional land, eventually having a tract of land of 404 acres and 4 perches (one perche = 5.5 yards). He cleared the timbered land, farmed, and named it Contentment. Today this property is located in Upper Berne Township in Berks County.

 

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In 1757, an Indian massacre took place at Northkill Creek, and the town was abandoned. Many of the residents migrated to Lancaster, Mifflin, Somerset, and Union Counties, Pennsylvania. However, the Hertzlers, Jacob and Catherine stayed on their farm and eventually divided the land among their children.

An interesting side note about Jacob has to do with the “oath of allegiance.” When Jacob arrived in Philadelphia on September 9, 1749, he took the oath of allegiance (presumably to support the King of England, which was common at that time before the Revolution). An oath of allegiance is an oath where one acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. However, in 1778, he refused to take an oath of allegiance. Here is the text from Berks County court decision about his refusal to take the oath:

“Receive into your Custody the within Named who was brought before us to take and subscribe the oath or affirmation of allegiance and he did refuse and still refuse to take the same and safely keep for the space of three months from the day of the date hereof given under our hands and seals sixth day of July 1778. /s/ Charles Shoemaker, Justice

Jacob was fined 18 schillings and 4 pence. I have not been able to find out whether that oath was for Pennsylvania or for the “United Colonies.” Keep in mind, the United States of America did not officially exist until 21 June 1788.

Sample 1770 Oath of Allegiance - Google image

 

Sample 1777 Oath of Allegiance - Google image

Jacob and Catherine Hertzler are both buried in the Amish Congregation Burying Ground adjacent to what was his homestead. Though there are very old tombstones in the small cemetery, there are none for either Jacob or Catherine.

 

Burying Ground

About seven miles east of the former Northkill Creek community, there are memorial markers/memorial to both the community and Jacob Hertzler. In fact, his original home, still stands today and is occupied. The marker by the homestead labels the spot as “Contentment.” 

 

Hertzler Homestead - picture from Blog "Scribbler: Local Tourist"

It is hoped that Jacob and his family, by emigrating to this country, did, indeed, find contentment.

For sources and additional reading:

1 - “Biographic Memorial of Jacob Hertzler: and a Complete Genealogical Family Register of His Lineal Descendants and Those Related by inter-Marriage, from 1730 to 1883” 

2 – “Passage to America,1750” 

3 – “Scribbler: Local Tourist”

4 – “Who Leads the Amish Church?” 

I Married My Cousin

Last year I was updating information on my husband’s (James Robert Oliver) family tree. I kept coming across familiar names, and I just knew that these names were also in one of the other four trees on which I work. Not one to let a mystery stare me in the face, I started going through those other trees looking for those familiar names: Brewer, Morse, Perkins, Sargent. Bingo! I found the connection – my adoptive mother’s family. 

Florence - 1943

It turns out that John Perkins (1583-1654) and Judith Gater Perkins (1588-1654) are the primary connection. John and Judith Perkins are my mother’s (Florence Marie Swinburne Newhouse, 1907-1997) 9th great-grandparents, and my husband’s 10th great-grandparents. I told my husband about this discovery that he and my mother are 10th cousins, which made us, husband and wife, 10th cousins 1x removed. He certainly was not sure what to make about this. I thought it not only interesting, but funny – I had married my cousin! 

It turns out this Perkins family is well-documented. I had not really

Jim 2014

bothered to pursue this line, but I needed to find out more. I found I could go backward from John to William Perkins (1380-1451) where my mother and husband shared common “great-grandparents.”

John Perkins, along with his wife and children, left Bristol, England, on December 1, 1630, aboard the ship Lyon. He arrived in Boston on February 6, 1631. John’s children are where the relationship between my mother and my husband becomes less direct. John’s daughter, Elizabeth Perkins (1611-abt 1670) is my mother’s 8th great-grandmother; John’s son Jacob Perkins (1624-1400), is my husband’s 9th great-grandfather. From there forward, the relationship between my mother and husband becomes one of cousins, aunts, and uncles. 

This just goes to show if we go back in time, we are probably all related.

The Bow Tie Lives!

When was the last time you saw someone wearing a bow tie? I do watch the reality TV series 48 Hours, and one of the featured detectives wears a bow tie. He always stands out from the rest of the detectives because of his elegant sartorial difference. However, this is not why I’ve been thinking about bow ties: It was a very recent family picture that made me wonder about the bow tie and who in the family might have worn them. Now, I use the term “family” loosely, as I also include in-laws as part of the group. I decided to look at photographs I have accumulated to see if I could find men wearing bow ties. But first, some information on bow ties.

There is more than one spelling for bow tie. The site “Bow Ties 101: An Introduction to Bow Ties” spells the term with two words. However, the site “Bowtie Origin and History” spells the term as one word. Whether you spell it as one word or two, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a bow tie as “a short necktie tied in a bowknot.”

So, how did the bow tie come to be? According to the site “Bowtie Origin and History,” the bow tie developed in the 1600s during the Prussian wars (the Prussians fighting the Swedes and Turks for territory). The Croat mercenaries needed to keep their shirts closed, so they used a scarf tied around their necks. The French upper class adopted this “fashion statement” calling it a “cravat” – the French term for “Croat.” From this humble beginning in the 1600s, we now have the necktie and the bow tie.

Now that I had some background on the bow tie, I started going through family photos to see if I could find any men wearing bow ties. I found more pictures than anticipated; however, more often than not, the men were wearing neckties. I had to wean the list to make it manageable. It was hard to pick, but I finally chose six men: two each from my husband’s family (Jim Oliver), two from my daughter-in-law’s family (Melissa Murphy Oliver), and two from my family. Plus, there is one extra-special surprise at the end of this blog:  It is the photo that inspired these musings.

JIM'S BOW TIE WEARING ANCESTORS

Richard Lee Taylor (Jim’s 4th cousin 6 times removed) 1744-1829. Taylor was born in Virginia and died in Kentucky. In 1769 he explored the Ohio River and Mississippi River from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. During the American Revolution he fought in the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, and Monmouth:  He was a lieutenant-colonel. Additionally, he was the father of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, and the father of Joseph Pannell Taylor, a general in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Francis Dale Knippling (Jim’s uncle by marriage) 1916-2011. Knippling was born in Iowa and died in Texas. He attended Michigan State University and graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1950. In addition to being a practicing veterinarian, Francis worked at Merck Pharmaceuticals in their research laboratories, as a USDA meat inspector, as a professor at the Tuskegee Institute, and as a quarantine inspector in Hawaii.

MELISSA'S BOW TIE WEARING ANCESTORS

Walter Perry Weyand (Melissa’s 3rd great-grandfather) 1853-1931. Weyand was born and died in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. According to the 1880 U.S. census, Walter started out his working life as a cooper in Somerset County. A cooper is an individual who makes and/or repairs wooden casks, tubs, and barrels. By 1900, per the U.S. census, Walter had settled on farming in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and continued in that profession through the 1920s.

James Bernard Murphey (Melissa’s great-grandfather) 1882-1927. Murphey was born in Maryland and died in West Virginia. James enlisted with the U.S. Army on October 7, 1904, for a three-year stint; and, in the process, the Army change the spelling of James’ last name to Murphy. He was stationed at Fort Douglas, Utah, which had been built to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines. In 1906 he was transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas. He was discharged from the Army, at Fort Riley, on May 23, 1906. James returned home and became a coal miner. Coal mining was, and still is, a dangerous profession. James died in a coal mine explosion at Federal Mine 3 in Everettville, Monongalia County, West Virginia.

LINDA'S BOW TIE WEARING ANCESTORS

Herman Jacob Newhouse (Linda’s 2nd granduncle) 1843-1919. Newhouse was born in Holland and died in Idaho. Herman arrived in the United States with his parents in 1844. He enlisted February 1864 in the U.S. Army, Co. H, 8th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. On May 15, 1864, the regiment made a trip across the plains after the Sioux Indians. In the fall of 1864, the regiment came back to St. Paul, Minnesota, and was ordered to go south to join Sherman’s Army. On July 11, 1865, the regiment was discharged at Charlotte, North Carolina, and came home to St. Paul. Newhouse then mustered out and headed for home in Pine Island, Minnesota. Before and after the war, Herman was a farmer.

Frank George Newhouse (Linda’s father) 1906-1972.  Frank was born in Goodhue County, Minnesota, and died in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Newhouse was an attorney and examiner of real estate titles. He was also a “Special State Attorney” for the State of Minnesota (1939-1940), a municipal judge (1945-1951), and a county attorney (1951-1954). He was also in the U.S. Army from 1942-1944. Despite neckties being the fashion of the day, Frank always wore neckties; and, they were always some shade of red or a red pattern.

And now, the reason for the title of this blog “The Bow Tie Lives!”: Tyler Gabriel Oliver.

Tyler is the son of Patrick and Melissa Murphy Oliver. He is Jim’s and my grandson. He loves bow ties!

The Search for Religious Freedom

Church of the Brethren logo

Wilhelmus Knepper (1691-1767), born in Solingen, Westphalis, Germany, is the son of Hans Peter Knepper (1658-1737).  Hans is the 8^th great grandfather of my daughter-in-law Melissa Murphy Oliver, and Wilhelmus is Melissa’s 7^th great-granduncle.

During this time, Germany only recognized the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches.  Other religions were banned, and people were imprisoned for not being a member of one of these two religions.   However, there were others who did not follow the beliefs of these two churches:  Today’s Church of the Brethren developed because of religious dissent.

The Church of the Brethren was founded in 1708.  Members of this church believed in adult baptism—separating them from the recognized state religions.  The followers of this church referred to themselves as the “brethren.”

Originally, Wilhelmus was a member of the Reformed Lutheran Church, being baptized on October 27, 1691.  However, in 1719, at the age of 23, he joined the Dunkard Church, also known as the German Baptist Church—today’s Church of the Brethren.  During the same year, Wilhelmus, and four other members of the Church of the Brethren, were arrested and taken to Dusseldorf to be tried for the religious crime of adult baptism. 

Wilhelmus, and the other, refused to recant their beliefs; thus, they were sentenced to hard labor in Solengen Prison, Julich, Germany.   A weaver by trade, Wilhelmus learned to make buttons, which he and the others sold for the goods they needed to survive; i.e., food and clothing.  Additionally, while in prison, Wilhelmus composed about 400 hymns. 

After one year, Wilhelmus, and the others, were released on November 20, 1720.  Because of the religious persecution the “brethren” were receiving, these religious dissenters had been resettling in the Netherlands where there was better tolerance.  Wilhelmus, and the other men who had been imprisoned with him, also went to the Netherlands.  While in the Netherlands, Wilhelmus met and married his wife Veronica Bloem (1702-1769).

Because of increasing religious persecution, the “brethren” emigrated to North America.  On July 7, 1729, a large group left the Netherlands with a large group Sailed on the Shill Allen, captained by James Craigie:  Wilhelmus and Veronica Knepper were part of the group.  The ship arrived on September 15, 1729, settling in Ephrata, Pennsylvania Colony.

Veronica and Wilhelmus had five children; the two listed below helped to advance the Church of the Brethren:

• Mary (1725-died after 1807) married George Adam Martin (1712-1794), a controversial German Baptist Church minister, from which he was ex-communicated.  He then became a minister of the Seventh-Day German Baptists. In 1764, he conducted a successful revival in the Antietam settlement, which gave birth to the present Snow Hill Society of German Seventh-Day Baptists.  He also founded a church at Stony Creek, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where he is buried. 
• Elisabeth (1740-1807) never married.  In her will Elizabeth left land for use as a meeting-house and graveyard.  This gift is part of the present Mount Zion Cemetery in Quincy Township.  A small meeting-house was built on the donated in 1837 and was used in turn by the German Baptists and Seventh-Day German Baptists. In 1888 the building was replaced and used as a church by the German Baptists, Seventh-Day German Baptists, and Old Order German Baptists.  Like her father, Elizabeth she also wrote hymns.  She is among many family members buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery graveyard. 

Thomas Paine, one of our “found fathers” said the following:  “Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Wilhelmus Knepper’s story supports Paine's statement.