[110], In Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dutch Christians and Pennsylvania German Jews have often maintained a special relationship due to their common German language and cultural heritage. The applicant must provide proof of bloodline descent (birth, marriage, death and relationship) for each generation to the first family ancestor. It must be working now, as I could get right to the comment. Lifestyles of Early Pennsylvania German Immigrants - A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy Lifestyles of Early Pennsylvania German Immigrants Part I: Hearth and Home Kris Hocker on 7 Aug 2016 Names, dates, and places, as difficult as they can sometimes be to find, only tell a small fraction of the story of our German immigrant ancestors. Black Dutch (genealogy) Black Dutch is a term with several different meanings in United States dialect and slang. Palatine), and is the origin of the group's name in English, the Pennsylvania "Dutch". The plight of the runaway Palatines was so great that the German Society of Pennsylvania was founded in 1764 to protect Palatine redemptioners. Check with the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, at the link I put above. You probably know there are quite a few Shetlers in Holmes County, OH for example, with roots back to Somerset County PA. The total has certainly expanded with converts, but Id guess it to be less than 200. The issue has plagued the Anabaptist movement since its beginning. Hello I live in California and have met a delightful Amish family with the last name Ek. Maybe not the most common name compared to those above, but common enough. Here is the Dutch last names list. Thanks Mark! Stefanie is an experienced parenting writer and has published works in other publications such as Motherly. The Pennsylvania Dutch today speak English, though some still speak the Pennsylvania Dutch language among themselves. To be honest, the Scripture is not specific as to whether not to eat refers to the Lords Supper, or whether it means any eating. ? Wagler= Wagner Several varied groups of multiracial people have sometimes been referred to as or identified as . Almost all Pennsylvania Dutch soldiers who enlisted were Fancy Dutch. Meritt G. Yorgey, a Pennsylvania Dutchman who grew up during the height of anti-German sentiment, remembers the instructions of his father: "Don't ever call yourself "Dutch" or "Pennsylvania German". They also sometimes leave out the verb in phrases turning "the trash needs to go out" in to "the trash needs out" (German: der Abfall muss raus), in alignment with German grammar. Oh and yes, Jacob Beiler/Boiler/Byler who youve listed up there is my who knows HOW many greats-grandfather lol. Muhlenberg's view of church unity was in direct opposition to Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf's Moravian Church approach, with its goal of uniting various Pennsylvania German religious groups under a less rigid "Congregation of God in the Spirit". [65] Because the provost corps completed many of the same functions as the modern U.S. Military Police Corps, it is considered a predecessor of the current United States Military Police Regiment. Accepting the Dutch moniker, the German immigrants to Pennsylvania are often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch. John B. Stoudt "The German Press in Pennsylvania and the American Revolution". [69][Note 2] These jgers proved essential in the "Indian style" warfare in America. Problems and Potentials of Eighteenth-Century German Social and Emigration History", This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 13:17. [63], Pennsylvania Dutch were recruited for the American Provost corps under Captain Bartholomew von Heer,[64][Note 1] a Prussian who had served in a similar unit in Europe[65] before immigrating to Reading, Pennsylvania prior to the war. Just as the Pennsylvania Dutch are traced to Pennsylvania, the Black Dutch follow a specific migration patter settling in the Upper South. Hmmmm my estranged father in law is from Indiana and we really dont knot much about that side of the family. Variations in names were very common-sometimes members of the same family even spelled their surname in different ways. First Trimester To-Do List: Take Care of Yourself. 2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Muddy Creek Library is not too far from there and they have a huge database of the Old Order Mennonites. The River Brethren are a branch off the Mennonites, and had many Mennonites and Amish join them in their early days. Certain Amish surnames occur with great frequency. Stoltzfus The most common Pennsylvania Amish surname. German Jews and German Christians held "quite ecumenical philosophies" about interfaith marriage and there are recorded instances of marriages between Jews and Christians within the German community. Also occasionally seen spelled as Stoltzfoos. [47], In colonial Pennsylvania, Palatines lived between Iroquois settlements and the two peoples "communicated, drank, worked, worshipped and traded together, negotiated over land use and borders, and conducted their diplomacy separate from the colonial governments". Dutch people, on the other hand, get 'chicken skin' ( kippenvel ). [39], During the War of the Grand Alliance (168897), French troops pillaged the Rhenish Palatinate, forcing many Palatines to flee. After Napoleon entered the picture, last names were mainly based on occupation or location. These files are now on 21 reels of microfilm in the State Library Genealogy Reading Room [929.20973 Surname Files] Surnames on each roll can be located by following the reel hyperlinks below. They are on the east edge of Lancaster, PA. JHU Press, 2006, p.2. Its probably a cache issue, possibly due to settings on this end. [36], The Plain Dutch are descendants of refugees who left religious persecution in the Netherlands and the Electoral Palatinate. William Berczy, a German entrepreneur and artist, had settled in upstate New York and in May 1794, he was able to obtain sixty-four acres in Markham Township, near the current city of Toronto. Can you confirm where this one came from? They also maintained their Germanic architecture when they founded new towns in Pennsylvania. For information about southern Iowa Amish contact: Iowa Mennonite Museum and Archives 5798 CR 77 Mennonite and Amish Immigrants to Pennsylvania It is a relatively common name, but it would be interesting indeed if this were that same person and moreso if the family DID have Amish roots. Bontrager other forms of this last name include Bontreger, Borntrager, Borntreger. Bronner, Simon J. and Joshua R. Brown, eds. Stop by Yoders Meat and Cheese Shoppe if you have time or have never been there. Variants of this name include Van Oosterhout [nb] and Van Osterhout. [77] These men were both hunted by the British for being deserters and by many of the colonists as a foreign enemy. [65] Six of the provosts had even been Hessian prisoners of war prior to their recruitment. Troyer and Yoder on paternal side and Miller and Schrock on maternal side. http://www.hostetler.jacobhochstetler.com/, The Sixth Nationwide Gathering of the descendants of all branches and spellings of the 1738 Swiss German Immigrant Jacob Hochstetler will be held on July 19 and 20, 2013, in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. I am wondering if Rasler is an Amish surname. Aaldenberg It is given to people who came from 'Aaldenberg,' a place of uncertain location. Pennsylvania Dutch English retains some German grammar and literally translated vocabulary, some phrases include "outen or out'n the lights" (German: die Lichter loeschen) meaning "turn off the lights", "it's gonna make wet" (German: es wird nass) meaning "its going to rain", and "its all" (German: es ist alle) meaning "its all gone". They descend from Germans who settled Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, primarily from the Palatinate, but also other German-speaking areas, such as Baden-Wrttemberg, Hesse, Saxony, and Rhineland in Germany as well as the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France's Alsace-Lorraine region. Some-Ad8685 7 mo. I have a Neff family book. [78] British soldiers were offered fifty to eight hundred acres, depending on rank. - . Immigrants to British America first founded the borough of Germantown in northwest Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, in 1683. Everyone is from the old or new order so have the same few last names. Go to Membership. These suffixes make the name translate to "son of Dirk" or "daughter of Dirk" in Dutch. [1] Dutch history [ edit] Bowman=Baumann , . Aden B. Raber, Rabers Almanac (2013). The Anabaptist surname in my family is Garver/Garber/Gerber, which offers no problem for an Amish connection. Fischer (Alsatian, German origin) meaning "fisher". Nicholas Stoltzfus (1719-1774) is believed to be the common ancestor of all those with this name among Amish and Mennonites today. Wondering if theres some Amish ancestry? Vidya I dont know the background of those surnames, have never heard of them connected with the Amish. I must finish now; that's all from your son for the time being. Gyssler= Gisler The war began in 1688 as Louis XIV laid claim to the electorate of the Palatinate. Okay, I think its a problem with the caching plugin Im using. Margarets fathers name was Thomas, and her mothers name was Tilliah (Tillie). Thank you, http://www.gameo.org/index.php?title=Mast_%28Mest,_Maust,_Moist%29_family. [30], An early group, mainly from the Roxborough-Germantown area of Pennsylvania, emigrated to then colonial Nova Scotia in 1766 and founded the Township of Monckton, site of present-day Moncton, New Brunswick. A number of individuals bore the name Koenig or Knig in Europe. Other settlers followed mostly from Pennsylvania typically by Conestoga wagons. Clyde Leroy Hoover (1886-1972) 11. Does the Davis name have any Anabaptist history? This function makes the site run and load faster but its obviously not good for users wanting to engage the comments. Yoders sounds delicious! Many of the early German settlers of America (e.g. Berczy arrived with approximately one hundred and ninety German families from Pennsylvania and settled here. Ill keep my eyes open for any Riegseckersin Shipshewana when Im there next week(this is like a treasure hunt!). Among the Southern Maryland plain communities, Swarey was also a common name. The American Riegsecker name comes from the Swiss family name of Rgsegger, per Dr Delbert Gratz, in his book, Was Isch Dini Nahme? Great additions! Among immigrants from the 1600s and 1700s, those known as the Pennsylvania Dutch included Mennonites, Swiss Brethren (also called Mennonites by the locals) and Amish but also Anabaptist-Pietists such as German Baptist Brethren and those who belonged to German Lutheran or German Reformed Church congregations. Before 1811, the Dutch weren't required to have last names or family names. Another way of spelling it was Oesch, though I dont think any Amish bear that version of the name today. Do me a favor and if you notice anything similar happening when posting comments in the near future, let me know here or drop an email to . Its been like this for a few days now. Many of the Pennsylvania Dutch soldiers who fought in the Civil War were recruited and trained at Camp Curtin, Pennsylvania. Due to shared German heritage and abundance of land, many Hessian soldiers stayed and settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country after the war's end. . [32], The vast majority of Pennsylvania Dutch have Palatine ancestry. There were a number of Anabaptists of this name in different parts of Switzerland. Miller is most common in the Midwest; a few Millers may be found in Lancaster County, however. Do me a favor, try to clear your browser cache, then do the same action again. They don't allow their children to speak Pennsylvania Dutch or to read it, and are embarrassed that they have Dutch blood. Indeed, New Englanders were the rivals of the Pennsylvania Dutch.[81]. and Switzerland, they settled primarily in the southeastern section of Pennsylvania, where they practiced any of several slightly different forms of Anabaptist faith . My step-grandfather was a Troyer born and raised in Middlebury, IN. I had someone tell me one time that she knew a Amish family with that name, Kanagy= Gngi Many are on the list but at least 3 or 4 are pretty uncommon here. Yoder A Swiss-origin name apparently derived from the name Theodore. [100][101], In Canada, an 1851 census shows many Black people and Mennonites lived near each other in a number of places and exchanged labor; the Dutch would also hire Black laborers. We are converts to the Beachy church. Palatine runaways were often recaptured, as they only spoke German and were surrounded by English speakers. Settlement started in 1800 by Joseph Schoerg and Samuel Betzner, Jr. (brothers-in-law), Mennonites, from Franklin County, Pennsylvania. 4. Esh= schi I know it is a common name which I read hereI am Pennsylvania Dutch and German..I would love to know how to look up my name. Sources: An example is if a child's father is named "Dirk" then the baby's last name would be "Dirksen" if they are a boy or "Dirkdochter" if they are a girl. Short & sweet. Christian Swarey was born 1789 in Germany and died 1864 in Pennslyvania. Ive also noticed that there are Lambrights and Albrechts among the Amish. Thanks Pennsylvania Volunteers, Pennsylvania Dutch companies sometimes mixed with English companies. 150 Dutch Family Names With Their Meanings 1. [22][23], American Palatines continued to use their language as a way of distinguishing themselves from later (post-1830) waves of German-speaking immigrants to the United States. Some other common Amish names in Lancaster County are King, Fisher, Esh, Lapp, Zook, Schmucker, and Beiler. [115] Historically, Pennsylvania Dutch Christians and Pennsylvania German Jews often had overlapping bonds in German-American business and community life. This allowed for several variations of one name. Fisher most Lancaster Amish can trace their descent back to Christian Fisher who very likely arrived in 1749 aboard the Phoenix, along with numerous other Amish passengers. I know several Amish Miller women who marry Millers. Just as Fancy Dutch or their descendants no longer speak the Pennsylvania Dutch language with any regularity (or at all, in many cases), they are not necessarily religious anymore, meaning that calling them "Church Dutch" is no longer particularly apt, although even among those that no longer regularly attend any church, many remain cultural Christians. Sarah, however, was over 14 years-old, so she was born between 19 October 1808 and 19 October 1815. We were positioned behind a big hill, so most of the shells were shot pretty much over our heads. Newspapers can be an invaluable source of historical information to put our ancestors lives in context. Check to be notified of comments on this post, The 5 Best Things About Living With The Amish, The Beeville,Texas Amish Community (23 Photos). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Here are ten of the most common: 1. What Is Your Name?. I lived on Harwick Road, down the block from my frien Robin Miller as a child. [104] Peter Reesor and brother-in-law Abraham Stouffer were higher profile settlers in Markham and Stouffville. I think the problem is that its not updating the page with the new comment. Huh, and an uncle (via marriage) by the last name of Dreyer wonder if related to who you mentioned above; all I really know about him, family-wise, was that his background was mostly German, and he was a wonderful guy who left before his time (heart attack in his early 50s). Some of these include shoo-fly pie, funnel cake, pepper cabbage, filling and jello salads such as strawberry pretzel salad. Kline youll see in Holmes County, Ohio and likely elsewhere. They ran many newspapers, and out of six newspapers in Pennsylvania, three were in German, two were in English and one was in both languages. Yay! the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker, The genealogy and family research site of Kris Hocker. I use expressions such as redd up the table which is an amish term. [31] Some Pennsylvania Dutch live in the historically Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking areas of Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Nearly half of the Amish in the Adams County settlement bear this name (as of 2007, 529 of 1163 Adams County Amish families were Schwartz households). But Seible is not a prominent name among the old order Mennonites. [45][46], Historically, a significant number of Black and Indian people have identified with Pennsylvania Dutch culture, with many of the Pennsylvania Dutch diaspora being Melungeons calling themselves Black Dutch. 27. [91], Palatine Dutch in the 27th Infantry Division broke through the Hindenburg Line in 1917. Hughes Oliphant Old: The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 6: The Modern Age. . Mark L. Louden: Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language. The first mixed English and German paper, the Pennsylvania Gazette of 1751, described itself as an "English and Dutch gazette," in reference to the High Dutch language spoken in Pennsylvania. Thank you! They were joined by eight Low Dutch families from Hamburg-Altona in 1700 and five High Dutch families from the Rhenish Palatinate in 1707. We always joke that there are only 10the last names here in Holmes county! Margaret was born in Somerset Co. PA. Roop is my family name. Wondered if we were neighborhood friends at one time. ? [41], In 1723, some thirty-three Palatine families, dissatisfied under Governor Hunter's rule, migrated from Schoharie, New York, along the Susquehanna River to Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where other Palatines had settled. Get in touch! We had 250,000 men in the field. But they can also provide direct content, such as BDMbirth, death, and marriagedates, about our ancestors, too. [116], A number of Pennsylvanian German Jews migrated to the Shenandoah Valley, traveling along the same route of migration as other Pennsylvania Dutch people.[118]. I dont doubt its rare among the Amishits not too common around here, either. Copyright 2023 by Kris Hocker | Powered by WordPress, Genealogy: A New Perspective from A Discovery of Witches, Using Online Land Office Records at the PA Archives, Some Thoughts on the Parentage of Jefferson Force (1833-1910), How to Use the Online Land Records at the PA State Archives, York County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Records, 1749-1840, Making a Deed Map from Old Metes and Bounds, Online Pennsylvania Deeds at FamilySearch, All Blue-Eyed People Share Common Ancestor. They have genealogical information on most of the Mennonite families. The Pennsylvania Dutch came to refer to themselves as Deitsche, and called immigrants of German-speaking countries and territories in Europe Deitschlenner, (literally "Dutchlanders", compare German: Deutschlnder), which translates to "European Germans", whom they saw as a distinct group. Thats funny Stephanie, I guess that keeps you in line. When we travel in the world, we can above all see the farmers, how that class of people lives. [61], Frederick Muhlenberg (17501801), a Lutheran pastor, became a major patriot and politician, rising to be elected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.[62]. Raber=Rber Due to this historical bond there are several mixed-faith cemeteries in Lehigh County, including Allentown's Fairview Cemetery, where German-Americans of both the Jewish and Protestant faiths are buried. 3. Scotch= Schoch, these familynames occur in all the Swiss Places the Amish did leave, Sible= Schuble from Beuron in Baden Wrttemberg Germany. [40], This group of Mennonites was organized by Francis Daniel Pastorius, an agent for a land purchasing company based in Frankfurt am Main. Address your letter to the same place as before, Washington, D.C. Company C. 149th Regt. King- Along with Fisher and Beiler the most common Lancaster name following Stoltzfus. They are also culturally related to the New York Dutch. Also occasionally seen spelled as Stoltzfoos. My parents are both deceased but sure would like to know how or why I feel that connection. According to the 2010 United States Census, it ranks as the 13,330th most common name out of 160,975 last names, occurring 2288 times in the sampled data. I dont know the family well enough to feel comfortable asking about the name but Im simply curious if Ek is short for something or simply a last name in itself. Other places the surname is or has been found include Pennsylvania counties Mifflin, Juniata, Lancaster and Lebanon. The database contains over 1 million names online, mostly of Pennsylania Dutch extraction from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Pennsylvania Dutch culture is still prevalent in some parts of Pennsylvania today. Some were Brethren, Reformed, Lutheran, Mennonite, Amish, Catholic or of other faiths or a very few of no faith at all. Dickinson, "Poor Palatines and the Parties", p. 472. 40 . If your great grandmother was shunned, that means at one time she would have been a member of the church, and then sinned (according to the churchs opinion) and did not show evidence of repentance. The U.S. Congress authorized the offer of land of up to fifty acres (roughly twenty hectares) to individual Hessian soldiers who switched sides. Wagler youll find commonly in the Daviess County, Indiana settlement, and in some other places including Ontario. Their farms in Eastern Pennsylvania are the model of the world. The highest class of people that can be served in such a community, probably of the whole American Union, is a resident in Germantown. Stoltzfus - The most common Pennsylvania Amish surname. He is not Amish but I am sure he has Amish roots. Just a little more yet- I sent $40 home by train to Myerstown, and I really wonder whether you received it or not. [14], Waves of colonial Palatines from the Rhenish Palatinate initially settled in the Carolinas, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Pochmann, Henry A. and Arthur R. Schult. Its meaning varies and such differences are contingent upon time and place. It is a distinctly separate city. We are the only people with our last name in the whole county so we mind our Ps and Qs because everyone knows who we are lol! To add on to Marcuss comment, it was apparently originally spelled Schware, and one source I have says that it is believed that Christians grandson, also named Christian (b. Thank you. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company. The extensive Steeves clan descends from this group. The Yankees send their children to German schools to speak the good old language, but our own people want to be ashamed of being Dutch. even tho not Amish. It began 8 miles below Fredericksburg and extended to within 5 miles of Falmouth. . In England and Germany, this is known as goose flesh (goose bumps and gnsehaut ). Discover your DNA story and unlock the secrets of your ancestry and genealogy with our DNA kits for ancestry and the world's most comprehensive DNA database.