Artist's depiction of the William and Sarah.       » ship model

Print with all margins set to 1.0". Hans Georg Hertzel and our line of descendency: Hans Georg Hertzel v Hans Jacob Hertzel v Johann Philip Hartzell v Adam Hartzell v David Hartzell

Hans Georg Hertzel's grandfather was Heinrich Hirzel ("Hirtzel"), born in 1619 in Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland, the son of Jacob Hirzel (1580-1634). Heinrich and his family emigrated to Germany about 1653. He died in 1663 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate, Germany. Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine River in the southwest of Germany. Reihen is a town in what is now Baden-Württemberg (state) of Germany, about 18 miles due southeast of Heidelberg. The Palatinate is an area of Germany where Swiss Mennonite refugees settled after 1650.

Hans Georg Hertzel's father was Clemens Hirtzel, born in 1659 in Reihen. In 1680, Clemens Hirtzel married Anna Sinter, the midwife of the community. Our ancestor Hans Georg Hertzel was their second son, born in 1686, Reihen, Baden.

When Hans Georg was 7, Heidelberg was attacked and burned. There was endless warfare. When Hans Georg was 16, it was the first of six deaths in his family within the next 12 years. His little sister Maria Margretha died in 1702 at the age of 3. When Hans Georg was 21, his father Clemens died in 1707 at age 48 in Reihen during the "Little Ice Age" in Europe. When Hans Georg was 22, his brother Johann Jacob, the twin of Maria Margretha who died in 1702, died in 1709 at the age of 9.

"During this time, pamplets were distributed across the region describing America in glowing terms. It was an advantage to the English to populate their territories with the hard-working farmers of the region. The first group went up the Rhine to Rotterdam, and then to Dover, and then to Philadelphia in 1708" [⁴]. William Penn himself made several visits to The Palatinate, one as early as 1677, to encourage the people to move to America. (Penn died in 1718.) So, you can say that William Penn played a major role in our ancestral migration.

Hans Georg Hertzel, at age 27, married Anna Margaretha Conrad in 1713, in Reihen, Baden. "They would have seen the pamphlets about America. Warfare, disease, cold, and the growing population limiting the available farmland were all reasons for wanting to leave" [⁴].

In 1714, when Hans Georg was 28, his first son was born, Hans Georg (Jr.). In the same year his brother and two sisters died. Maria Ester, age 26, who had been married 3 years; Hans Jonas, age 20; and Anna Christina, age 17.

By 1715, Hans Georg's surviving siblings and mother were: Mother Anna, born 1690 (died 1738 in Reihen), Hans Heinrich Hirtzel, bap. 1681, Christoph "Stoffel" Hirtzel, bap. 1690, Anna Margretha Hirtzel, bap. 1702, and Hans Ulrich Hirtzel, b. 1705.

In 1716, when Hans Georg was 30, son Hans Jacob Hertzel, our ancestor, was born. In 1719, Anna Margretha was born. In 1722, Johann Dietrich was born. In 1724, Johann Leonard was born.

About 1725, Hans Georg's younger brother Ulrich took a ship to Philadelphia at around age 20. This is an example of the common practice that a young, unmarried son of the family would scout out the land, then return to the homeland to report his findings, possibly take a wife, as did Ulrich, and guide the rest of the family to the new country. Hans Georg was now about 39.

In this around-1725 trip, Ulrick played a major role in our ancestor's move to America. Somehow he made it to Skippack, an already established German settlement northwest of Philadelphia. There was surely a well-marked trail by now. Skippack is in what is now Perkioman Township, Montgomery County, PA. Skippack was an outgrowth of the Germantown settlement near Philadelphia. We don't know how long Ulrich was in this area before his return to Germany. Everyone was German, so everyone spoke German.

In 1727, the Hans Georg Hertzel family made the decision. It was literally a matter of survival, with conditions being so bad in Germany. The trip up the Rhine, with constant tolls, would have sapped their finances. In Rotterdam they boarded the "William and Sarah", William Hill the captain, to a stop in Dover, England, and then on across the Atlantic to Philadelphia. The next three pictures are from [³], on George Philip Ziegler, who was also on the 1727 ship.

From www.genealogystories.net/georg_philip_immigrant.html.

Ship's list, William & Sarah, 1727. Hans Jerg Hertzel is in 2nd column, 2nd name.

The family and their ages were Hans Georg Hertzel, 41, Margretha (Conradt), Hans Georg, 13, Hans Jacob (our ancestor), 11, Anna Margretha, 8, Johann Dieterich, 6, Johann Leonard, 2. On board was younger brother Hans Ulrich & his wife. Also on board was Hans Georg's sister Anna Margretha & her husband Johannes Liepp. There were two other relatives, Dietrich and Hans Ernst Rudi & their families. They may have thought they would see their families again, but apparently never returned. They were on a ship with 400 or so people crowded aboard. Typhoid, Yellow Fever, and other diseases of cramped spaces without enough clean water affected many of the ships. There were rats, lice, and bad food. But, only 4 people died on this trip, below average for the times. For a 1750 account of a ship journey, click here.

In 1727, records first started to be made of immigrants. We don't know who paid their passage on arrival. When the family arrived in Philadelphia Sept. 18, 1727, Benjamin Franklin, 21, had a print shop in Philadelphia. George Washington was 4, and Thomas Jefferson was 16.

www.genealogystories.net/georg_philip_immigrant.html Philadelphia City Hall

On Sept. 21 (3 days after arrival), all 109 family heads and males 16 or over were compelled to swear an oath to the British Crown. In attendance at the courthouse for the ceremony was Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governer James Logan, The Honorable Patrick Gordon, Esq., Richard Hill, Esq., and William Fishbourn, Esq. Here the immigrants made the Oath of Allegiance to King George II. It must have been in the German language.

On the right is the Oath of Allegiance signed by Hans Georg Hertzel, Sept. 21, 1727. He signed it "hans Jerg hertzel". The Hans Georg family probably spent the 1727-28 winter in Skippack. Pioneer diet was potatoes, corn, berries, fish, and game. Then they settled in uncharted territory about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, which became Salford Township, Philadelphia then Montgomery County, PA. This area is north of Skippack Township. In 1731, the area where Hans Georg was living in Salford Township became Franconia Township, from a petition he signed. In 1732, more of the family arrived on the ship "Pink Plaisance". They were Hans Georg's brother Hans Heinrich Hirtzel & family. They settled in the Skippack area by 1736. This now made 3 brothers and 1 sister in Pennsylvania. Remaining in Germany was their mother (died in 1738) and their brother Christoph (died 1734). Also on the ship were cousins Hans Paul Hirtzel and Hans Heinrich Hirtzel with their families.

www.genealogystories.net/georg_philip_immigrant.html

About 1734 Hans Georg sold his land in Franconia Township. In 1735, in partnership with Nicolaus Transue, he was warranted 300 acres, presumably by the William Penn family, 20 miles farther north in what would become Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, PA. There were no roads. The 300 acres, almost one-half square mile of land, was on the East Branch of Saucon Creek, south of the Lehigh River, and east of the future site of the town of Bethlehem. This land is now covered by the slag dump of Bethlehem Steel Company.

Members of the (German) Reformed Church living in the Saucon area were described in 1734 by pastor John Philip Boehm as "the poor sheep at the end of the wilderness" having no settled pastor to minister to them and no money to support one. "It is a somewhat out of the way place", he said. So inaccessible was this corner of what was then Bucks (now Northampton) County that it was visited only at rare intervals by the few pastors from the more settled parts near Philadelphia. In 1747 the congregation in Saucon was meeting at "Hertzel's", the dwelling of Hans Georg Jr.

Below, Hans Georg's 300 acres is on the right, warranted 3 Apr 1735, and surveyed 24 Dec 1737. It was about 3 miles east of the future site of the town of Bethlehem and inside the Walking Purchase of 1737. From the warranted dates of his neighbors, Hans Georg was the first settler. The Road to Irish's Mill (on N. Irish's land) might now be Shimersville Road. Hans Georg's land was surrounded by hilly land on the north, east and south. Click on the map to see how it looks now.

From Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Hannah Roach, 1966, Vol. XXIV, page 155.
See USGS map at www.usgwarchives.org/maps/pa/county/northamp/usgs/lowsauco.jpg.

1737 Surveys at Saucon Creek - The "Upper Part" of Bucks (now Northhampton) County.
Shows present-day Hellerton Road and Applebutter Road which did not exist in 1737.
There are still many old stone houses along Applebutter Road.

In 1735, starting life on their new and remote land, Hans Georg was about 49, his wife Anna Margaretha was about 45. Their oldest son Hans Georg Jr. was about 21, Hans Jacob (our ancestor) was about 19, Johann Dietrich was about 13, and Johann Leonard was about 9 years old. I would expect that Hans Georg and his older sons went up to their new land to build a log cabin before the family move. They must have walked the 20 miles through the woods, probably following Indian traces and a crude map, and sleeping in the woods at night. Pioneers built a log cabin first because it was faster. They tended to replace them with larger stone houses. They made lime mortar by burning limestone in makeshift kilns. At first they used thatched roofs on their stone houses. All cooking and heating was provided by a fireplace.

In June 1742, Lower Saucon Township was laid out, encompassing Hans Georg's land. In 1747, Hans Georg, age 61, sold the southern half of his land to his son-in-law Phillip Schlauch, husband of his daughter Anna Margretha. He had already conveyed the northern half to his original partner, Nicolaus Transue. This implies Hans Georg's house was in the southern half of his land.

In 1741, construction began in the new town of Bethlehem, 3 miles west of Hans Georg. But, it was not a regular town. It was to be the religious communal home of the Moravians, here to convert the Indians. In their religion, starting at the age of 18 months, people lived in groups according to their age and sex. In 1742, they built the largest log house in the country. Called the Gemeinhaus (Community Building), it was 94' x 32'. It is now covered with clapboard siding, at 66 W. Church St. The first stone building, the Single Sister's House, was built in 1744. It is still there, at 44 W. Church St. The Single Brethren's house, built in 1748, is at 89 W. Church St. The Moravian Chapel was built in 1751 and was attached to the Gemeinhaus. Bethlehem was the nerve center of the North American Moravian empire, and the industrial center. The nearby Moravian agricultural centers were Nazareth, Nain, Lititz, Emmaus, Lebannon, and Hope. Since outsiders were not welcome in Nazareth, I assume so it was for Bethlehem.

For source of drawing below, see academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/history/dfg/amrv/amrv-1.htm.
See info and 1766 town map at www.nps.gov/history/Nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/59bethlehem/59bethlehem.htm..
For pictures of Old Town, see travel.webshots.com/album/562829273pNanSe?start=0.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1757 (founded in 1741), on the Lehigh River,
3 miles west of Hans Georg Hertzel's land, and how he saw it late in life (click on picture).
Large building left of center is the Brethren's House. To the right is Gemeinhaus, then Sister's House.

In the foreground above is what Hans Georg's place may have looked like. Since Moravians could not have their own land, this farm must be a settler's, probably after 20 years of habitation. The dark brown building with a chimney in the center is the original log cabin, built in the German style. In front of it and to the left must be the stone house that was built later (a fenced area is left of it). Over to the right is the barn. The buildings other than the log cabin all seem to have a thatched roof.

To the east in the Lehigh Valley, the town of Easton was first settled in 1739 and founded in 1752. To the west, Allentown was founded in 1751.

Hans Georg died after 1747 without a will, in Lower Saucon Township. It is doubtful he had a need to learn English. It is unknown when his wife Anna Margaretha died, but she did survive the ship journey. Their graves are probably under the slag dump of Bethlehem Steel.

For an idea of a person's possessions in the middle 1700's, there is an inventory of the estate of Hans Georg's son Hans Georg (Jr.), 1762. 8 cows, 4 heiffers, 2 sucking calves, two bulls & a steer, 4 horses and a mare, 12 sheep, and 8 swine. Hand saw, auger, crosscut saw, drawing knife, 2 axes, 3 plows & irons, iron tooth harrow, grubbing hoes and scythes, 2 beehives, an old plane, swingle tree (swings back and forth behind the horse), dung hooks & dungfork, windmill, wagon with horse gears, and a man's hackney saddle. In the house was a walnut table, 5 beds, dresser, kitchen dresser, some books, lanthorn & tankard, tobacco, wooden stools, looking glass, tea cups, pair of quillers, 2 spinning wheels, iron and earthen pots, kettles, pans, casks & tubs, churn, wool cards and "Bels". (Remember that all cooking was done in a fireplace.) For clothing, there was a jacket, a "body jacket", leather jacket, 3 pair of leather breeches, linsey jacket, and 2 other jackets. (No rifle listed.)

Below are the earliest and main buildings in Bethlehem that the family could see at a distance. Left to right is the Brethren's House, the Gemeinhaus (now with clapboard siding), and the Sister's House, all built 1741-1744, and still in use. Click on a picture to see these and others in larger size.

Hans Georg's son Hans Jacob, our ancestor, married Barbara Ritter about 1743 in Lower Saucon Township. Their son Johann Philip, our first American-born Hartzell ancestor, was born in 1743 in Lower Saucon Township. His birthplace is also under the slag dump.

Hans Jacob moved about 1755 farther north into Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. His land was from present-day central Newburg to the Drylands Churchyard at Hecktown, on the west side of what is now Route 191. Hans Jacob was an innkeeper by 1766 (old photo on left) at what is now The Newburg Inn, 4357 Newburg Rd., Nazareth (built 1750). By 1772 Hans Jacob turned the Inn over to his son Jonas, returned to farming, and died in 1781 in Bethlehem Twp. The Inn was enlarged in 1802 and 1941. Click here for a YouTube video of the Inn.

Surviving petitions in the Sessions files at Doylestown show that Hans Georg Hertzel and his older sons all joined in signing their names to a number of them. Here are our ancestors Hans Georg's and his son Hans Jacob's signatures. Notice they dropped the "Hans".