The long-term solicitation for colonists in Continental Europe influenced many Germans to immigrate to Pennsylvania. Brigantines crammed with Palatine passengers began regularly embarking from Rotterdam in 1727. Approximately one hundred and seventy-five persons were on each ship that set sail for the Port of Philadelphia.

It was the expectation of land ownership in the New World that appealed to thousands of the common people in the Palatinate and other German provinces. They were landless farmers and rural laborers, and they reasoned out that they would be giving up little or nothing of economic advantage should they leave their native soil. Even though, it was a grave and consequential event to abandon one's homeland. In spite of that, by the springtime of 1733, members of the Birkle family, after much family prayer, reached the important decision to take part in the American adventure, including members of the Michael Birkle family.

Michael Birkle and Maria Willmann were Lutherans and the following is a listing of their children’s baptisms at Hinterzarten, Freiburg, Baden:
Christina Birkle, christened December 13, 1704
Jacob Birkle, christened June 27, 1706
Michael Birkle, christened September 28, 1707
Mathias Birkle, christened November 15, 1714
Maria Birkle, christened August 21, 1716
Barbara Birkle, christened December 19, 1718
Catharina Birkle, christened November 18, 1720
Gertrud Birkle, christened February 8, 1723
Agatha Birkle, christened February 3, 1724

The Rhine River flowed north from Baden. We do not know how they found their way down the Rhine River valley -- whether they came by available river transportation, or like so many others, simply walked or pulled their carts of possessions along the paths that led into the river valley system of roads, highways and bridges. It was customary for several families and friends to band together for the trip, which would take four to six weeks. There were many hazards and delays as fees and tolls were demanded (there were twenty-six customhouses on the Rhine) and the Elector Palatine could forbid departure and have the passengers seized and imprisoned. It was not a journey to be taken by one person or one family. Passengers on the emigration ships often came from the same areas, often from the same town and very frequently were related to one another or were friends.

Nevertheless, after a four- or five-week journey, they ended up in Rotterdam, where they no doubt found the surroundings strange. This was a flourishing trade center with cluttered docks and shipping facilities and bustling street markets with very crowded living quarters. They quickly realized that the little substance they had gathered for the voyage to America could quickly dissipate. Many Palatines, who left their homes in solvent financial condition, departed Rotterdam without any funds (and very few goods) at all. The addition of thousands of refugees fleeing from districts their families had inhabited for centuries placed a great strain on the city. Merchants and shippers, however, looked upon these foreigners as living cargo, accommodated the same way as any cargo was.

Sometime around August 1, 1733, these Palatines, after spending five or six weeks in Rotterdam, boarded the ship Mary, a pink and a brigantine, from Dublin, and set sail for Philadelphia. We do not know how they raised the £3 (three pounds) of English currency for a ship’s passage. The ship made, of course, the usual stop at Plymouth, England, to pick up supplies. Thirty-four Palatines, who with their families, making in all one hundred and seventy persons, were aboard the Mary.

Among the passengers on the Mary were Jacob Birkle and Hans Jacob Birkle (the name is spelled Berkel on the Mary), Anna Barbara (Barbara Birkle) and Dorothea. and the Birkle children: Maria Magdalena (Maria Birkle), sixteen; Catherina, six; Barbara, three; and Hans Jacob, nine months.

Clerks wrote names in the Mary listings as they sounded because the English could not read German script. Jacob Birkle signed with a mark, which was a "B" instead of the usual "X," thus, his name appears thus: Jacob (B) Berkel. Another scribe wrote Hans Jacob Birkle’s name directly underneath. However, it appears Hans Jacobberkel in both listings.

The six- to eight-week voyage was very difficult. Many who had never sailed before crowded the small vessel that had poor sailors and rotten accommodations. They lived in cramped space on board, holding fast to the trunks, chests or baggage that contained all their worldly wealth. They were fortunate to find deck space.

The Delaware River reminded them of the Rhine River. This may have been a good sign. On September 29, 1733, the Mary arrived in Philadelphia at Fishbourne’s Wharf below Walnut Street. At last, they were again on dry land with their belongings. Immediately, they took the Oath of Allegiance at the Courthouse just two blocks away on Second Street. They had never seen any place like Philadelphia with its broad streets and bustling markets. They soon found congenial well wishers, also German, who welcomed them to the brave new land of America. The Mary was the sixth of seven ships bringing Palatines to Pennsylvania in 1733.

Until the year 1735-36, there were no regularly constructed roads to the Susquehanna River. Therefore, the nearest route to unsettled lands of the proprietary was to travel up the Schuylkill River. So, as soon as possible, several German families set out from Philadelphia and found their way up the river until they reached a specified destination in the wilderness. From there they trekked westward along an Indian path past Williamstown (later called Jones Town), a post town at the confluence of the Great and Little Swatara creeks, into the Swatara Creek valley. The long odyssey terminated with their arrival along the agricultural frontier, in the forests of Pennsylvania.

That autumn, in a place where trees were largest and stood thickest, Jacob Birkle built a modest home for his family. With his woodsman's ax, he immediately began felling the trees and clearing the land. On January 7, 1734, Dorothea gave birth to a son, John Jacob Birkle -- the first Pirtle born in America.

Mary Magdalena married Andreas Kraemer in the Lutheran Church in Lancaster on October 15, 1738. (Kraemer genealogy states: Andreas KRAEMER (b. 1712 Germany) to PA. Lancaster/Berks Co., m. 1738 Maria Magdalena BIRCKEL. Children: Johannes/John, Andrew, Daniel, George, Jacob, Adam, Christina, Rosina, and Michael. Kramer families moved to Northumberland/Centre Co. in 1788, then to Fairfield Co., OH, in 1810, and on to Hancock Co., OH, ca 1835).

Maria Magdalena also sponsored the dedication of George Adam Vollmar's daughter, Maria Magdalena, on April 9, 1743. This consecration took place in the Lutheran Church at Jones Town -- the Swatara congregation -- where the Jacob Birkle family was members. Previously, the Birkles and Vollmars had sponsored the baptizing of each other's infant daughters at the Swatara church. The Vollmars had sponsored Anna Eva on June 12, 1739, and the Birkles sponsored Anna Maria, on June 3, 1739. Vollmar arrived on the Pennsylvania Merchant on September 18, 1733.

Peter Gaertner and his wife sponsored John Jacob on April 24, 1734. Leonhardt Billmeyer and his wife Ana Bart sponsored Michael Leonhardt on November 9, 1736. Gaertner and Billmeyer arrived on the Britannia on September 11, 1731. Frederick Haehle or Haehnle and his wife Margaretha sponsored Maria Dorothea on January 2, 1742. The Haehnle name is so cryptic that I have been unable to identify it on any of the various lists. Peter Kucher and his wife Barbara sponsored Elizabeth on March 18, 1744. Kucher arrived on the Loyal Judith on September 25, 1732.

We know the above information from the baptismal records kept by the Reverend John Casper Stoever in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We are probably indebted that the Reverend Stoever, an itinerant minister, rather than the churches stored the records. The Stoever records from 1730 to 1779 can be found in Early Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages, which was published in 1988 by the Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore, Maryland.

We also know from the Sixteenth Eighteen-Penny Tax of 1773 that Jacob Birkle lived on a fifty-acre farm in Derry Township in Lancaster County (now in Dauphin County). His family listing is as follows:
Jacob Birkle (1706-____)
Dorothea
Catherina (1727-____)
Barbara (1730-_____)
John Jacob Birkle (January 7, 1734-ca. 1811)
Michael Leonhardt Birkle (August 20, 1736-January 7, 1820)
Anna Eva (May 8, 1739-____)
Maria Dorothea (November 27, 1741-____)
Elizabeth (December 24, 1743-____)

We know from the Stoever records that the baptism of John Jacob, Michael Leonhardt, Anna Eva and Maria Dorothea took place in the Swatara congregation of the Lutheran Church at Jones Town. Elizabeth was baptized in the Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Quitapohila (Quitebehoehle), which is in Lebanon Township.

There is an IGI record for the christening of Elisabeth Berkel, daughter of Valentin Berkel and Elisabeth, on March 12, 1793, in the Lutheran and Reformed Church, Arendtville, Adams, Pennsylvania.

Daniel Burkill married Anna Catharina Daude on November 12, 1771, in Hanover Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, according to an IGI record. Furthermore, there is a record of Christopher Burkill marrying Elizabeth Hobbs on October 26, 1780.

Although I do not know the exact identification of the Hans Jacob Berkel on the Mary, my best guess is that he is Jacob Birkle’s brother Michael (his first name might have been Hans). Since the Anglicization of Hans Jacob Birkle is James Purtle, I agree with most family genealogists that he is the James Purtle in the New London Township tax records from 1737 to 1774. Many of the German settlers in Pennsylvania adopted English names (Zimmerman became Carpenter). This was especially true in Chester County, which was predominately Quaker. In English, I understand that Johann is synonymous for John, while Hans is like Jack and Johannes is for Jonathan.

There is the possibility, though, that Hans Jacob Berkel on the Mary might be Johann Jacob Birkle of Koenigschaffhausen who was born in 1711. As Koenigschaffhausen is northwest of Freiburg and close to Rhine River, this may have been a stopover for the Jacob Birkle group to visit, and Johann Jacob decided to go to America, too.

The James Purtle household is as follows: Ann (his wife), Nicholas Purtle, Elizabeth, Jane and Margaret. There is a record of Nicholas Purtle marrying Elizabeth Thompson in a Quaker ceremony, on June 18, 1755.

A second Hans Jacob Berkel arrived in Philadelphia aboard the Betsey on August 29, 1739. It is thought that he was Jacob Birkle from Breitnau, Baden. As Breitnau is close to Hinterzarten, he was probably a cousin. His wife, though, may be the Anna Maria Burckel, who along with Casper Maessner and his wife, sponsored the christening of Sebastian Kohlmann's daughter, Catarina Barbara, on October 31, 1743. Furthermore, since the baptism took place in the Cacoosing congregation of the Lutheran Church, it may imply that this second Hans Jacob Birkle family first dwelled in the area that is now known as Heidelberg Township in Berks County. (That the Kraemer genealogy uses Lancaster/Berks may mean that the Kraemers lived in Berks County.) Kohlmann arrived on the Snow Fox on October 12, 1738, and Maessner arrived on the Friendship on September 30, 1738.

There is an International Genealogical Index record found in FamilySearch for Elisabetha Birckel, christened March 18, 1741, in the Hill Evangelical Lutheran Church, North Annville Township, Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She may be a daughter of the Hans Jacob Birkle who arrived on the Betsey in 1739. It had been thought that Hans Jacob Birkle resettled in York County, Pennsylvania. Therefore, the record of the christening of his daughter Anna Catharina on February 24, 1747, at the Christ Lutheran Church in York, may confirm this.

Although there is a Jacob Berckle found in the 1783 York County Census, we do not know if he is the son of Hans Jacob Birkle or another Hans Jacob Berckel.

By 1772, though, Hans Jacob Birkle/Jacob Purtle, who had arrived on the Betsey, was in Berkeley County, Virginia. The following three sons were with him: George Purtle (ca. 1746-1813), Henry Purtle (1748-1839) and John Purtle (1758-1787). Jacob Purtle died in 1772 and fifteen-year-old John Purtle was left in the guardianship of George Purtle. One more son, John Pyrtle (1750-1793), lived in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, by 1773. He later was a corporal in the Eighth Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War.

Nicholas Purtle, the son of James Purtle, also lived in Berkeley County, Virginia, by 1772-73. This is why some family genealogists think that Hans Jacob Berkel and James Purtle were the same. It is very intriguing that Nicholas Purtle's son, Joseph Purtle, is listed in the 1790 U.S. Census for Chester County. Did he not move to Frederick County, Virginia, too? The unidentified John Purtle mentioned in the 1777 Berkeley County court orders might also be a son of Nicholas Purtle. We think this may be the case as Nicholas Purtle is involved in seven other cases in this same court book. Additional documentation is necessary before we can resolve these and other riddles pertaining to the James and Nicholas Purtle families.

As already stated, Jacob Berckle is included in the 1783 York County Census. There are seven people in his household. He is listed with one hundred and seventy-five acres in Windsor Township. A third Hans Jacob Berckel arrived on the Polly on October 13, 1764, and he may be the Jacob Berkly found living in Brother Valley Township in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Ludwick Berkley also lived there in 1776. Furthermore, Ludwick Berkley may be the same Ludwig Birckle aboard the Two Brothers, which arrived in Philadelphia on September 21, 1751.

Although Professor Don Yoder discloses in his book, Pennsylvania German Immigrants 1709-1786, that Berkly and Berkley were Palatines from Wurttemberg, we now know that they were from the town of Schwann. They are listed in the 1790 U.S. Census for Bedford County.

Remarkably, the only other Birkles or Purtles in the 1790 U.S. Census for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are listings for Joseph Purtle in Chester County and a Joseph Bertel, who lived in Brecknock Township in Lancaster County.

Of all the Pirtles who fought in the Revolutionary War, none was a greater hero than John Purtle was. He lived in Allen Township in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He was a private in the Fifth Pennsylvania Regiment. (When he enlisted into service his name is Birtle on one of the reports.) On November 16, 1776, he suffered a wound in a battle at Fort Washington, and taken prisoner. After being released, his reassignment as a forage master in the Sixth Pennsylvania Regiment lasted until his transfer to the Regiment of Invalids. On October 12, 1784, John Purtle signed an indenture stating that John Woods was elected a member of the executive council in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The report in which he received a pension in 1785 mentions that he was approximately fifty-eight years old. He is not listed in the 1790 U.S. Census. We do not know the identity of this John Purtle.

Another colonial Pirtle is Thomas Purtle, an English convict, sentenced to transportation to the colonies. He arrived at the port of Annapolis, Maryland, aboard the Patapscoe from Middlesex, England, in June 1731. The sentencing of convicts to transportation to the colonies was a common method of getting people to the colonies. We have no further record of Thomas Purtle. However, in 1747 there is a reward offered for a Thomas Purtell (Purtill), who ran away from bail, in Baltimore County.

There is a marriage record of an unidentified Elizabeth Purtle found in the church records of St. Paul’s Parish, Stafford, Virginia. According to one record, she married Joseph Crismon of King George County on February 13, 1732. However, five others have a February 1752 date with the husband’s name spelled Crisman, Chrisman, Crismand and Crimmand. As we have no record of Birkles in Virginia before 1772, the best guess is that Elizabeth Purtle might be the daughter of Thomas Purtle who arrived on the Patapscoe in 1731.

Included in the records of the Secretary of the Province, 1694-1705, is a notation on February 25, 1698, of a consignment to William Purkle, merchant, Charles Town. We have no further record of William Purkle in South Carolina

A list of Loyalists -- the colonists who supported the British during the Revolutionary War -- from Virginia includes Robert Purtle. Evidently, he enlisted in August 1780. In the last record, he transferred from Capt. James’ Troop on December 25, 1782.

We have the record of a Revolutionary War widow from Baltimore County, Maryland, filing a pension application. In the application, she maintains that she married Robert Purtle, who served in the Second Maryland Regiment. She further stated that they married in Baltimore County in 1796, but that he died in 1797 in St. Mary County, Maryland.

There was also a Jacob Purtle, whose name was spelled Pirkle, Purkle and Perkle, who served in the Second Maryland Regiment from 1777 to 1780.

There is no census listing for Jacob Pirkle, the oldest son of John Jacob Pirkle (son of Jacob Berkel), who settled in Rockingham County, North Carolina. Where was he in the 1790 U.S. Census? Could he somehow be the unidentified Henry Purtle found in the 1790 U.S. Census for Iredell County, North Carolina?

We hope that in time additional documentation will enable us to match up the common ancestry of these colonial Pirtles.