The earliest known ancestor in this line is Jacob HOCHSTETLER (1712-1776), an Amish man who came from Alsace (now France) to Philadelpha, PA via Rotterdam aboard the ship Charming Nancy, arriving 9 Nov 1738. He was apparently married at the time of his arrival and accompanied by his wife (? LORENTZ). She was later killed by Indians in a 19-20 Sep 1757 attack that is meticulously recorded in the PA archives. A son and daughter were also killed. The Indians had set fire to the house and they had hidden in the cellar. When they thought the coast was clear, they came out and the Indians got them (one warrier, Tom Lions, had lingered to eat fruit, saw them and sounded the alarm to the other attackers). Jacob and two sons were carried off into captivity. He escaped after about 3 years but his two sons were held for about 7 years. One tradition has it that the Indians were especially angry with Jacob's wife for having some time before refused them provisions in time of need. Apparently, the same band of Indians also attacked REICHARD (2nd) and MOYER (3rd) families the same day.
The author's grandson and another researcher discovered evidence in 1970 that there were 2 Jacob HOCHSTETLERs who came to America about the same time and the wrong one was attributed as the founder of our line. It made little difference except that the erroneous Jacob arrived in Philadelphia 2 years earlier, wasn't Amish and was born 8 years earlier in a slightly different place in Europe. The rest of the genealogy is good.
Listings in this book include: Dervin E. GEARHART of Nashville, MI, b. 19 Jul 1876 m. 19 Jul 1898 Alice Flora DUNSMORE. Baptist Church. Pearl Ethelyn b. 19 Oct 1899, Eldon Dirvin b. 10 Sep 1904, Fern Isabelle b. 1 Aug 1906.
The book contains a 57 page History of the family, including a more general history of the era. The surname is a well-known Swiss one, we can assume that our ancestors left Switzerland due to religious persecution shortly after the Reformation. Unlike Luther or Zwingli, these early Anabaptists believed in believer's baptism and pacifism, both of which got them in trouble with political and religious authorities (the Anabaptists pioneered the concept of the separation of Church and State).
Switzerland had gained its independence, adopted a constitution and established a republic in 1291 and had fought tenaciously to guard these treasures for nearly 350 years against powerful surrounding monarchies. They understandably feared that, should Anabaptist refusal to bear arms for national defense spread widely, this would endanger the republic. Zwingli d. 11 Oct 1531 and the persecutions against the Anabaptists commenced during his lifetime and continued until the time of the French Revolution (1789), which brought changes in Switzerland, France and elsewhere. The Anabaptists were persecuted by both Catholics and Reformed Protestants. As they were banished from Zurich and other major cities, they migrated to other parts of Switzerland, especially Canton Bern, and to Germany, especially Augsburg and Strasburg in the Rhine provinces. Eventually, persecution in Canton Bern forced them to move into the sparsely populated Jura mountains. One of these settlements was called Sonnenberg, from where they moved ca. 1818 to America (Wayne Co., OH), naming their new home also Sonnenberg. In records of a part of Bern called Cormoret in the Jura mountains, among other names of Amish people is found Johannes HOCHSTETLER, as late as 1745, having moved there from Schwarzenburg region of Canton Bern. It is not known whether the Jacob of 1738 came directly from Bern, Switzerland or first went to the Rhine provinces. Accounts among the descendants of his son Christian state that Jacob was born in the Highlands of Germany along the Rhine.
Long after the Muenster uprising, most well-meaning people mistrusted all Anabaptists, until the Reformed Church finally become established in Holland, when the Mennonites (and other Anabaptists) were tolerated. Later, under William of Orange, they received full protection. That government, and others along the Rhine, sometimes interceded with Swiss authorities on behalf of the Anabaptists, who, being driven from Switzerland, found solace in Alsace (-Loraine), Hessia, Holland (the area along the Rhine collectively referred to as "the Palatinate") and later America.
The "Amish" derives from Jacob AMMAN of the Bernese Alps, who lived about 100 years after Menno SIMON. The Amish broke from the other Mennonites (led by Hans REIST) and tried to return to the older, stricter ways, especially including the practice of "shunning" (also beards and hooks/eyes vs. buttons). In 1700 AMMAN and some followers wrote to REIST to offer a reconciliation, and among the signers are the names Isak KAUFFMAN (means "merchant" in german) and Christian BLANK, family names very common among the Amish today.
The Quaker William PENN purchased the province of Pennsylvania from the British Crown in 1682 and then travelled to Europe to solicit settlers for his new province. He found many interested Anabaptists (and others) in Holland and the Rhine provinces. After 1700, more Swiss Amish came to America directly from Switzerland. During the years 1728 to 1737, there was an active persecution of Anabaptists both in Switzerland and the Palatinate. It is not known whether Jacob came because of this persecution or for better prospects (possibly both). All aboard his ship were said to have come from the Palatinate, but it was then common for people to travel there from Switzerland for passage to America.
The HOCHSTETLER name derives from two german words; "hoch" meaning high and "Stettler" meaning a town person. STETTLER alone is a common Swiss name. Some have thought it derived from a city or town named Hochstadt, with residents called *ters or *lers. There are 2 cities by this name in Bavaria; Hoechstadt an der Aisch (about 20 miles SW of Bamberg in the northern part) and Hoechstadt an der Donau (about 30 miles NE of Ulm in the southern part).
Interestingly, some other names of passengers arriving in 1736 aboard the Harle (with the earlier Jacob HOCHSTETLER) were Johannes LORENTZ, 40 and Heinrich GEARHART, 48, likely other Amish.
Since most of the land closer in to Philadelphia was already taken by 1738, Jacob was forced to move further out to find available land (and be more vulnerable to Indian activity). A Jacob HOCHSTETLER on 15 Jun 1738 bought 200 acres in the then new township of Brecknock, Lancaster Co., PA. He stayed there only a short time, then moved to the Amish settlement on the Northkill, in Bern township, Lancaster Co. (since 1752 part of Berks Co., about a mile west of the present village of Shartlesville). Some believe Northkill was home to the first Amish church in America, established in 1740 (although YODERs and other Amish had been in the region long before).
Because William PENN had dealt fairly and honestly with the local Indians, the latter had friendly relations with white settlers, often visiting them at their homes. The few white/Indian crimes were punished on both sides, so that a general good feeling prevailed until the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1754 (fought between French Canadians trying to inhibit further westward settlement by English and English. The French paid more for Indian land, inducing Indians to join them. The Indians were emboldened by the 1755 sack of Fort Duquesne [now Pittsburg] to try to rid the land completely of white men, especially the warlike Iroquois, and Delaware to a lesser extent, who then began to attack settlers). Although some tribes (esp. those evangelized by Moravians) remained peaceful, others turned violent against the settlers. The border areas along the Blue Mountains (including Northkill) proved especially vulnerable. Complicating matters was the resentment of soldiers to fight for those who refused to defend themselves.
The captives underwent an "adoption" process by which they came to be treated as fellow Indians. In Christian's case, his marriage shortly after his return to white society was one of the elements that finally secured his consent to remain with the whites, so he apparently grew quite attached to the Indian way of life. He apparently had grown quite close to an old Indian to whom he had been assigned and who treated him as a son. It was even said of these HOCHSTETLERs that they had Indian blood, probably a figurative reference to Christian's (others?) hesitation to return to the whites. After his return, he converted and even became a Dunkard preacher. It is said likewise of Joseph that he hesitated long before deciding to return to live with the whites and that the habits he learned while among the Indians never fully left him.
Unlike Christian, Jacob never gave up on getting back to white society, and, sensing this, the Indians never fully trusted him. By 1760, the English and Americans had begun to prevail over the French, having taken Canada (the Indians nevertheless fought on). Because of this, all of the male Indians had left Jacob's group to fight, and he decided this was a good time to attempt an escape. After 3-4 weeks of many adventures and even a dream in which his dead wife advised him to continue on (at a time when he had come close to giving up in hunger and despair), he was spotted near Fort Harris (or John Harris' fortified house?, present-day Harrisburg) and rescued. A treaty was finally signed in 1765. Upon his return, Jacob moved away from Northkill to Hochstetler Berg (about 10 miles away), probably fearing reprisal for his escape.
The author notes that many Anabaptists sympathized with the British during the American Revolution, due to the full tolerance the English had given them. By contrast, the Quakers had been mistreated in England and sided with the Revolutionaries. The Amish were therefore hated and treated as "tories" by many Americans (fined, property siezed, although usually later returned if refusal to serve was strictly religious). Many Amish moved west as pioneers to avoid these problems.
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10 1712-76 HOCHSTETTLER, Jacob [Jr] 'the immigrant' b. 9/1 near St Marie Aux Mines, Echery, Alsace, France d. Feb Bernville, Berks, PA (pic of Northkill Amish sign, big note incl Indian attack ...) - Anna Catharina Lorentz 1701-57 (dau of Christoph L - Catharina FEUTOLDEN, end of line for both, all marked w/'Suisse' immigrants pic, notes)
11 c1674-1732 HOCHSTETTLER, Jakob Sr b. Winterkraut, Berne Canton, Switz d. Ste Marie aux Mines, Alsace, France (pic of Switz? notes) - ?
12 1624-1697 HOCHSTETTLER, Christian b/d Switz - Maria ?
13 1594-1660 HOCHSTETTLER, Peter b/d Switz - Catharina ROHRBACH (dau of Peter R m. Catrina)
14 c1585-? HOCHSTETTLER, Jermann - Lena ?
15 c1560-? HOCHSTETTLER, John - Catherine ?
NOTE: David and Nancy (HOSTETLER) KAUFFMAN's daughter Barbara KAUFFMAN b. 7 Nov 1818 d. 7 Jul 1885 m. Ezra SMITH (b. 1824 PA d. 16 Feb 1893, son of John and Magdalena (BRUBACKER) SMITH). Ezra and Barbara's daughter Sarah Catherine SMITH m. John GEARHART.
b. b. 1712 Echery, near St. Marie-aux-Mines, Alsace (now France)
d. ca. Feb 1776 Bernville, Berks, PA
m1. ? LORENTZ (d. 20/1 Sep 1757 in Northkill area of Berks Co., PA) bef. 1738
m2. Anna ?
Children:
Jacob, his wife and 3 year old John came to Philadelphia, PA 9 Nov 1738 from Europe... (see above). At this time, Philadelphia was just over 50 years old with a population of between 8 and 10 thousand.
A descendant remembers hearing stories about a Lawrence family in Germany being related to Jacob. A Lawrence died in Germany and left a large estate to which the HOSTETLERs were heirs. The family Bible which had the record of the marriage, and which was brought from Germany, was destroyed by fire during the infamous Indian raid. The writer doubtless had in mind the German variant of Lawrence, Lorentz, which is why we suspect Jacob's wife was a member of this family (see DJH note on family 8308, p. 878).
Another story is that a brother of Jacob, Michael, came with them to America, but shortly after returned to the old country since he did not get along well with Jacob's wife. Some say he later made a great fortune there in the old country (or inherited an already existing fortune that could now be passed to the oldest living male of the line).
A nephew of Jacob, Isaac, moved from Switzerland to Alsace, settling near Strasburg. A branch of that family later moved to Bavaria, where the author found a great grandson of Isaac living at Burgweiting, near Regensburg.
According to naming traditions, the name of Jacob's father would have been John. This may have been the same person as the Johannes who moved from Schwarzenburg to Courtelary about 1745.
b. ca. Aug 1742
d. ca. Aug 1812 Mifflin, Juniata, PA
m1. Anna BLANK (father Hans) bef. 1770 in Amish church
m2. Barbara KAUFFMAN
Children (all w/Anna):
Joseph resided in Heidelberg Twp., Berks Co., PA until ca. 1806, when his name last appears on the tax lists of this twp. In 1810, he bought from Joseph ROOT 50 acres in Fermanagh Twp., Mifflin Co., PA near McAlisterville in an area known as the Lost Creek Valley. This land was part of the farm which William McALISTER gave by will, in 1847, to his sons Robert and George Washington McALISTER. In 1912, one of these farms was owned by Mrs. Sarah LLOYD, a granddaughter of William McALISTER, and the other by Solomon KAUFFMAN. The inventory of Joseph's estate was filed 24 Aug 1812. Anna's father Hans BLANK arrived at Philadelphia, PA 4 Oct 1751 on the ship Queen of Denmark. Joseph and his family belonged to the Amish church. Barbara KAUFFMAN's estate inventory was taken 13 Jan 1813. Joseph was buried on the Solomon BRUBAKER farm about 1 mile east of Mifflin, PA.
Around 1800, descendants of Joseph moved into the Kishacoquillas Valley, near Belleville, PA. As early as 1840, many of these helped helped establish the church in Wayne, Champaign and Logan counties, OH, and McLean Co., IL.
b. 1765?
d. ca. Jul 1807 Mifflin, Juniata, PA
m. Barbara MAST (b. 9 Dec 1765 d. Aug 1849 E. Salem, PA, 3rd child of Jacob MAST, who came to America with his uncle Johannes MAST, landing at Philadephia, PA 3 Nov 1750 on the ship Brotherhood from Rotterdam. John appears as a taxpayer in this county (Juniata Co., containing Fermanagh Twp.) as early as 1803. John sold his Fermanagh Twp. farm 25 Feb 1811 to Abraham KAUFFMAN. He was buried on his own farm. Barbara m2. John ZOOK) ca. 17 Jun 1788.
Children:
John and Barbara were married 17 Jun 1788. The inventory of John's estate was filed 20 Jul 1807. John was buried near his father on the Solomon BRUBAKER farm about 1 mile east of Mifflin, PA.
An account book of Jacob MAST's indicates the gifts he gave the couple on their wedding (and date) and also that John and Barbara later (24 Jun 1807) sold over 31 acres of land in Juniata Co., PA to Michael GARVER. He also says the iron fence around the graves of John and his father was erected in 1874. At his death, John owned 217 acres of land in Fermanagh Twp., Mifflin Co., PA.
b. 8 Dec 1792 PA
d. 1877 E. Salem, PA
m. David KAUFFMAN
Children:
Nancy was buried at McAlisterville, PA.
b. 7 Nov 1818 (probably) at Smithville, OH
d. 7 Jul 1885 at East Salem, PA
m. Ezra SMITH (d. 16 Feb 1893, son of John and Magdalena (BRUBACKER) SMITH)
Children:
So 4 Geo WEAVER is 1 Rosena's gg Uncle by m. (i.e. he m. her gg Aunt 4 Barbara by DNA). See Bollinge.html for 1 Rosena's ggg Aunt 5 Rebecca WEAVER by m. (she m. R's ggg Uncle 5 Samuel B bro of Daniel B - Mary MOONSHOWER. So here's a good place for info on famous cons author Richard WEAVER
4 ? W b184x ...
3 Rich Malcolm W Sr 1870-1915 (findagrave) owned a livery stable in Ashville, NC middle-class S fam, early d. caused 'straightened circumstances' for fam, mom worked at her fam's dept store in Lexington, KY - Carolyn 'Carrie' EMBRY 1874-1965 (findagrave)
2 Rich WEAVER 1910-63 English prof at Univ of Chicago, intellectual historian, eldest of 4 sibs - ?
b. 4 Sep 1846
d. 2 Jul 1906 at Vermontville, MI
m. John S. GEARHART of McVeytown, PA (20 Nov 1866), who was b. 18 Oct 1843 d. 1 Jul 1903.
Children:
b. 19 Jul 1876
d. ?
m. 19 Jul 1898 Alice Flora DUNSMORE
Children:
In the Mar/Apr 2013 issue of tAC, Leon Hadar rvw's Fredrik Logevall's (Swedish-born historian and Cornell U prof) bk 'Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire [French] and the Making of America's Vietnam'. He says Graham Greene's 1950s novel 'The Quiet American' (set in 1952) was based on his experiences as a war correspondent in French Indochina in the early 50s, in particular conversations w/American aid wrkr Lee HOCHSTETTER while the 2 were driving back to Saigon from a tour to Ben Tre province in the countryside in Oct 1951. LH had served as PR dir. for the US Econ. Aid Mission in Saigon, and lectured GG re the need for a '3rd Force' there i.e. avoiding both French colonialists AND nationalist/commie guerillas led by Ho Chi Minh. The French had tried to pacify the region since 1945 as part of a wider strategy of restoring the French empire in SE Asia and elsewhere. But LH explained they CAN'T defeat HCM while denying non-commie Vietnamese wishes for indep. GG's 'Alden Pyle' character was modeled on LH, and 'Thomas Fowler' on himself. FL discusses this GG bk and relates many interesting historical details. One lesson is the futility of 'trying to use military pwr to overcome the most potent pol. force in the modern era: nationalism', tried by French, American, British and Soviet forces in various places w/o success i.e. 'to advance fanciful universal ideologies (such as liberal democracy or intl socialism) in the face of intractable local realities'. LH says this era has sadly not ended, as neocons and lib-intls are still hoping they can co-opt the 'Arab Spring' to promote a '3rd Force' in Arab countries (that rejects both pro-W dictators AND Muslim bro-hood). HCM (who admired American fnd'ing values, Geo WA, Abe L ... FL says he was primarily a natl-ist and only 2nd-arily a commie, hmmm) appealed to WW w/o success in 1918, and FDR might've given support had he not d1945 (what-if?). But Truman made anti-HCM in Vietnam part of US Cold War strategy til 1975 failure (1st assisting French, then going in ourselves). I wonder if this LH ties in w/above line?