Chapter One, " Our Voyage to Pennsylvania, 1738".
The
Thirty
Years War (1618-1648) and the War of the League of Augsburg
(1688-1697) brought large-scale destruction, starvation, and
pestilence to the Palatinate. In 1688, Louis XIV of France sent a
large army into the Reinish Palatinate to enforce a preposterous
claim to that valuable territory of the Holy Roman Empire. The
treaty of Ryswick (1697) granted Strasbourg and all of Alsace to
France. Following this period of war, large numbers of the
resident of the Palatinate decided to seek their destiny in
America.
Among the thousands who immigrated to America was Hans
Jacob
Ziegenfuss and his family. Whatever his reason for leaving the
Palatinate was, we are not certain. We do know that William Penn
circulated many promotional tracts in many languages, describing
the economic and governmental advantages of settling in
Pennsylvania. A person could buy five thousand acres in Pa. for
the low price of 100 pounds. Smaller plots could be rented for a
penny an acre. Those who could not pay their passage and had to
indenture themselves were promised 50 acres when their indenture
was completed. Whatever his reason, Hans Jacob was one who came
to Pennsylvania because of Penn's advertising campaign welcoming
those who sought religious freedom, prospective large
landholders; small farmers; indentured servants; and aspirants to
leadership.
Though the decision to go to America was difficult to make,
the
actual voyage was even more difficult and downright
uncomfortable. Early in May of 1738 Hans Jacob (44) his wife
Amelia (30) and their seven children: Andrew (15), Kathryn (12),
Hans Christopher (10), Hans Jacob Jr. (6), Anna Maria (5), Paul
(4), and Haneriagh (3) set out for Pennsylvania. The Journey to
Pennsylvania was made in 3 steps; First was the journey down the
Rhine to Rotterdam, or some other port. The entire trip to
Philadelphia lasted from the beginning of May until the end of
October, a full half a year, amid such hardships as no one is
able to describe adequately with their misery. On the Rhine,
boats from Heilbronn to Holland had to pass by 26 customs houses,
at all of which the ships are examined, when it suited the
convenience of the custom officials. At each stop, ships with
people were detained so long, that the passengers had to spend
much money. The trip down the Rhine lasted anywhere from four to
six weeks. When the ships arrived in Holland, they were detained
there likewise five to six weeks. Because thing were very
expensive there, the poor people had to spend nearly all they had
during that time.
The second stage of the journey was from Rotterdam to one
of
the English ports. At Rotterdam, the family booked passage on
the "Bilander Thistle" for Philadelphia. The ships Captain was,
George Houston. The Thistle, like many other ships stopped at
Cows, on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. In England
there was another delay of one or two weeks for both customs and
favorable winds. From there, unless there is a good wind, must
sail 8, 9, 10 or even 12 weeks before they reach Philadelphia.
But even with the best wind, the voyage lasts seven weeks.
The third stage of the ocean voyage proper, was marked by
much
suffering and hardship. The passengers being packed densely,
like herrings without proper food and water, were soon subject to
all sorts of diseases, such as dysentery, scurvy, typhoid, and
small pox. When at last the Delaware River was reached and
Philadelphia came into sight, where all their miseries were to
end, another delay occurred. A health officer visited the ship.
If any persons with infectious diseases were discovered on the
ship, it was ordered to remove one mile form the city.
Apparently, the Ziegenfuss Family was most fortunate in its
health and choice of ship. On October 28, 1738 Hans Jacob
Ziegenfuss set foot on American soil and took the Oaths to the
Government.
Among the other fortunate events concerning the Thistle, a
list was made of the passengers' ages. The ages listed above are
as of October 28, 1738. On the unfortunate side, the ships lists were
written by Englishmen who lacked knowledge of German spellings and pronounciatioon.
Even worse, Hans Jacob Ziegenfus never learned to write amd signed
with an "x" next to which the English clerk wrote the sound his ears heard when
asked "name?". Ziegenfus became "Seikefues or Seiefues" (........ Note insert by REP: The wife of
Hans Jacob was reported by WJZ as "Anelies Seikefues age 30". The 30 may be a mis-read
39 since Larry C.
Zickefoose later quoted Penn. Archives Series 2, Vol 17 as stating wife
was Anna Eliza, age 39!! Note if you slur Anna Eliz in sounds like "Anelies" The witten Anelies is sometimes confused for "Amelia"
What is correct is open to question!......)
We are lacking any details about the events that followed
1738. We may for all purposes assume that Hans Jacob, his wife
and probably Andrew all served as indentured servants for about 7
years to pay for their passage. What we do know is that the
family came to settle in what is now Springfield (Nackomixon)
Township in Montgomery County. There Andrew bought from Henry
Stover 51 acres. Purchase of land and a grist mill for 550
pounds. The records of Pa. Land Office, Pa. Archive, Series 3,
Vol. 24 show that on Oct. 28th, 1746 Andrew took out a warrant
for 100 acres in Bucks County. He was naturalized on September
23, 1767. The tract of land owned by him in Springfield was
located along the Durham Township line along the public road from
Durham to Springtown and Henry Houpt's land. Both he and Houpt
had gristmill on the Durham Creek. The Springfield Tax List of
1779 gives the name Andrew Ziegenfuss, Andrew Jr. and George,
assessed as single men. On August 2, 1775 Andrew became a
private in the Springfield Township Militia under the command of
Captain Anthony Lark,. In April 1782 he also enlisted in the
Fourth Battalion of the Northampton County Militia.
By all accounts, Andrew had become well to do for his
time.
The Montgomery County Courthouse had on file his last will and
testament, a portion of which reads:
"I will and bequeath to my wife, choice of the lower room
in
the house, a patch for a garden, firewood cut and hauled to the
door, bed and bedding, a table, 4 chairs, 2 pots, and sundry
other small articles that she may want to keep house with; three
bushels of wheat, 7 bushels of rye, two bushels of buckwheat,
three bushels of Indian corn; one barrel of cider 100 lbs of
pork, 50 lbs of beef and a privilege of apples for the house use
where there is fruit. The above is the yearly allowance as long
as she lives ....
"She can dispose of the above at her death. The sum of
250
pounds shall be invested for her, she is to receive the interest
during her natural life. The 250 pounds are to be divided
equally among her children after her death. The following are
names of the children: Andrew, Elizabeth, George, Jacob,
Margaret, Peter, Michael, Barbary, Caty, and Mary. Executors:
Jacob, Peter & Michael, Dated Springfield Township, Bucks Co.
Feb. 16th, 1796."
The only other member of the original family about whom
anything is known is Hans Christopher or "Stoffel" as he was
generally called. He also settled in Nochamixom Township, Bucks
County. The Land Office has record that he took out a warrant
for 258 acres of land in 1774. The Nockamixom ta list of 1779
gives Stoffel an assessment for 140 acres. In the same year,
George Segafoose is also assessed as a married man and Peter and
Jacob as single men in Stoffel's house. The three men are
doubtless Stoffel's sons.
In 1775 Stoffel was jailed for creating a public
disturbance.
His offense was not for treason. In the disturbance he broke a
Captain Jamison's gun, but refused to pay for damages and was
jailed until the damages, fines and costs were paid. Bucks
County Courthouse in Doylestown records that Christopher Sigefus
purchased land from George Desh in Nockamixon Township May 5,
1758. Another recorded land transaction on Nov. 1, 1801. On
Sept. 10, 1802 he sold a tract of land to Paul H. Mallet, Provost
in Hunterdon County, New Jersey for 309 lbs, 9 shillings, 4 pence
silver. Sept. 13, 1802, Christopher sold a tract of 20 acres to
Jacob Ziegenfus Jr. for a consideration of 20 pounds lawful
money. The land was bounded by property owned by Henry
Ziegenfus. In 1803 his name is again mentioned in a land
transaction with Henry Roof.
Before closing this particular chapter, three other members
of
the family deserve separate mention. The first is a Johann Jacob
Ziegenfus who arrived at the port of Philadelphia, Sept. 16, 1751
on the ship "Brothers". His signature is his own and his name is
spelled correctly in comparison to the founding family. The
second is a nameless Ziegenfuss who enlisted in the U. S. Army
Sept. 20, 1783, age 22, height 5ft. 3in., complexion dark, born
in Gothern, Germany, trade- potter. The third figure is Mathias
Ziegenfus, whose exact relationship to the founding family is
uncertain. His name appears in the 1790 census as married with 5
sons and 4 daughters and residing in Bucks County. His name also
appears on the Bedminster Tax Lists for 1785 and 1786, assessed
for 100 acres of land, 2 horses and two cows. I have preferred
to think of him as probably the first Ziegenfus born in America,
although there is no proof. All that is certain is that his
origins are related to some part of the founding family.
The task of preparing a history of the family is larger
than
available time. In 1972, the second chapter will deal with
migration of the family into the developing nation. Proper
Credits belong to Strassburger-Hinke, 'Pennsylvania German
Pioneers', the work of former historian Lloyd Ziegenfus, Gordon
Ziegenfus, and the records of Bucks County and the Pennsylvania
Archives.
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