Hans Herr (bef. 1650 - abt. 1725)

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Biography

The following biography differs from that presented in Theodore W. Herr's Genealogical Record of Rev. Hans Herr and His Direct Lineal Descendants, first published in 1908. It is based on recent research by Hanspeter Jecker ^[1] and others. For more background on the differences, see the Research Notes below.

Birth

Hans Heer, son of Hans Heer and Elsbeth Bürcky, was baptized on 27 January 1650 in the Reformed Church in Blumenstein, Canton of Bern, Switzerland. The witnesses were Peter Wenger[?], Hans Metler[?], and Anna Ruffiner. ^[2]

The Blumenstein church records also include the marriage of Hans' parents in 1643, the baptism of Hans' siblings (Christen in 1644, Barbara in 1647, Madeln in 1653, and Ueli in 1656), and the marriage of Hans' brother Christen "Zher" and Margret Lötscher in 1665.

The Palatinate

The Anabaptists in Switzerland suffered persecution in the 1600s, and many left the country (sometimes involuntarily), moving north into the Palatinate (also called the Pfalz), located on both sides of the Rhine River in what is now Germany. Hans and his wife, Elsbeth Lötscher, were among those who were displaced. They settled in Mannheim in the Palatinate, at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers, “where the Swiss brethren bought a house” (alwaar Zwitzersz broeders een huys gekocht hadden). ^[3] The area had been devastated during the recent Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and life there was hard. Dutch Mennonites sent a delegation to the region to determine what aid was needed. Their report, dated 6 April 1672, detailed requests for help. Among those listed in Mannheim were: ^{[4] [5]}

• Hans Herr, about 20, and Elsbet Lötscher, his wife, age 22, no children. These people can feed themselves from their linen weaving.

Also in Mannheim were Hans' brother, Christian Herr, 30, and three of Elsbeth's sisters: Margaret "Grietgen" Lötscher, 28 (Christian's wife); Anna Lötscher, about 29; and Salome Lötscher, about 20. The names and ages of the four Lötscher women correspond closely with four girls, daughters of the well-known Anabaptists Hans Lötscher and Anna Kammer, who were baptized in the village of Latterbach, near Erlenbach im Simmental. As the crow flies, Latterbach is only 10 km southwest of Blumenstein, where Hans was born, but by road, which skirts the intervening mountains, it's almost twice that far.

Another document from April 1672 was a list of people who had received money from the Dutch Mennonites. Christian Herr "and his brother" (unnamed), of Manneheim, appeared on this list. ^[6]

Note: Some sources place Hans and Christian Herr in Biegelhof, Germany, in 1671, ^{[7] [8]} but that information was based on a misreading of a document, which itself was in error. ^[9]

Anabaptism

Anabaptism, a forerunner of the Mennonites, seems to have entered the Herr family primarily through the women: first through Hans' mother, Elsbeth Bürki, and later through the wives of Hans and his brother Christen, members of the Lötscher family. ^[10]

Pennsylvania

In the spring of 1710, after forty years in the Kraichgau, a group of Mennonites left for America. But when they arrived in Rotterdam, they found they were short of funds, so Mennonites in Amsterdam loaned them money to complete their journey. ^[11] In June, the Swiss Mennonites, by then in London, sent a letter to Amsterdam thanking their brethren for their financial aid. They were aboard the ship Maria Hope and were preparing to sail for Gravesend, on the River Thames, and then to America. The letter was signed by Christian Herr and Hans Herr, as well as Martin Kendig, Jacob Muller, Martin Oberholtzer, and Martin Meili.^{[12] [13]}

The immigrants arrived in Philadelphia in September 1710. The following July they received a patent conveying ownership of 10,000 acres of land in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Whether the Hans Herr of his profile was part of the initial group of settlers in 1710, or whether he arrived in 1717 with a later group, is still being debated, but there is no doubt that his son, John Herr ("the land agent," sometime also called Hans), was in the first contingent. ^[14]

Marriage and Children

While the Herr genealogy records that Hans Herr married Elizabeth Kendig, more recent research indicates that this is incorrect and that his wife was Elsbeth Lötscher. Details are recorded on the relevant profiles.

The only children of Hans Herr who are reasonably well documented are:

• Abraham
• Christian
• John (or Hans), "the land agent"
• Emanuel
• Isaac

There is no proof that Maria Margarethe (Herr) Wäber, Maria (Herr) Brackbill, or Anna (Herr) Bauman were children of Hans Herr. And it's likely that Samuel Herr was actually a grandchild of Hans Herr, rather than a child, and should be merged with Samuel Herr, son of Abraham. ^[15]

Portrait and Physical Description

A description of Hans Herr was published by the Hans Herr Memorial Association in 1895. It was likely based on a portrait painted long after Hans Herr's death.

• In person, he was of medium height, with long gray hair curled under at ends and parted in the middle; had heavy brows, dark hazel eyes, aquiline nose, mouth rather small with heavy lips, his complexion was florid, with full beard covering the face, the whole lighted by a countenance in which sweetness and austerity were gracefully blended.^[16]

1719 Herr House

The Herr House (formerly called the Hans Herr House) was built in 1719 by Hans' son, Christian Herr. It is the oldest Mennonite meeting house in America still standing. It is now a museum, open to the public: 1719 Museum.

Death and Burial

A memorial stone in the Willow Street Mennonite Cemetery in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County reads: ^[17]

• Memorial
• Rev. Hans Herr, one of the pioneer settlers of Lancaster County, born in Switzerland, Sep. 17, 1639, died Oct. 11, 1725.
• Elizabeth Mylin Kendig Herr his wife, born in Switzerland, May 1, 1639, died June 9, 1730.
• Rev. Christian Herr, son of Hans Herr, donater of this plot of ground for burial purposes, born in Switzerland, died 1750.
• Anna his wife.

This stone was likely placed long after his death and may not mark his actual grave. The information on the stone is open to doubt, including his date of death—there is some indication that he was still alive in 1734. ^[18]

Research Notes

The standard genealogical reference for the Herr family in America is Theodore W. Herr’s “Genealogical Record of Rev. Hans Herr and His Lineal Descendants,” published in 1908. ^[19] According to this, the basic facts of Rev. Hans Herr’s life were:

• Born: 17 September 1639, canton of Zurich, Switzerland
• Died: 1725, Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
• Married: 1660, Elizabeth Kendig, born 1644, died 1730
• Elizabeth was the daughter of John Kendig and Jane Mylin
• Children of Hans Herr and Elizabeth Kendig (based on the revised edition of 1994):

1. Abraham Herr, d. by 1725
2. Christian Herr, d. by 1749
3. John Herr, b. 1672 or 1677, d. 1756
4. Emanuel Herr, d. by 1745, m. Maudlin Brackbill
5. Isaac Herr, d. 1747

T. W. Herr's work didn't include sources, and most of the early material was based on hearsay and tradition, ^[20] but it has generally been regarded as reliable. However, recent research by Hanspeter Jecker (President of the Swiss Association for Anabaptist History and co-editor of Mennonitica Helvetica) has cast doubt on this narrative. ^[21]

Sources

1. ↑ Jecker, Hanspeter, The Swiss Origins of Pioneer Settler Hans Herr in Pennsylvania: Myths, Legends, and New Insights. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Volume 42, Number 3 (July 2019), pages 70-81.
2. ↑ Blumenstein, canton of Bern, Switzerland, church book 2: Baptisms, 1600-1704 (K Blumenstein 2: Taufrodel (1600-1704), Eherodel (1600-1704), Totenrodel (1726-1753)), page 103
3. ↑ Lowry, James W., et al., Documents of Brotherly Love: Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Anabaptists, Volume I, 1635-1709. (2007) p. 455.
4. ↑ Stadsarchief Amsterdam, Toegangsnummer (Access number): 565.A “Archief van de Doopsgezinde Gemeenten” (Archives of the Mennonite Congregations), Inventarisnummer (Inventory number): 1196: “Specificatie van uitgaven ten behoeve der Zwitserche broeders …” (Specification of Expenses for the Swiss Brothers, Fled to the Palatinate, …) , image 8 of 19.
5. ↑ Lowry, James W., et al., Documents of Brotherly Love: Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Anabaptists, Volume I, 1635-1709. (2007) p. 455.
6. ↑ Lowry, James W., et al., Documents of Brotherly Love: Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Anabaptists, Volume I, 1635-1709. (2007) p. 507.
7. ↑ Mennonite Family History, volume 1, number 1 (January 1982), page 17. Palatinate Mennonites, by Lois Ann Mast.
8. ↑ Friesen, Steve, A Modest Mennonite Home, (1990), page 21.
9. ↑ Anne Augspurger Schmidt-Lange, Corrected Mennonite Entries in Friedrich Zumbach’s 1947 Manuscript, “Schweizer Zuwanderung in den Kraichgau nach dem 30-jährigen Krieg (Swiss Immigration into the Kraichgau after the Thirty Years’ War)” Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, January 2019, page 8.
10. ↑ Jecker, Hanspeter, The Swiss Origins of Pioneer Settler Hans Herr in Pennsylvania: Myths, Legends, and New Insights. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Volume 42, Number 3 (July 2019), page 81.
11. ↑ Friesen, Steve, A Modest Mennonite Home, (1990), page 27.
12. ↑ Lowry, James W., et al., Documents of Brotherly Love, Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Anabaptists, Volume II, 1710-1711.
13. ↑ Programme Souvenir: Bi-Centennial Commemoration of the First Settlement in Lancaster County 1710 (1910).
14. ↑ Friesen, Steve, A Modest Mennonite Home, (1990), pages 111-112.
15. ↑ Herr, Theodore W. Genealogical Record of Reverend Hans Herr and His Direct Lineal Descendants Third Edition (1994), Supplemental Data on pages 789-790.
16. ↑ Ellis and Evans, based on the portrait by Leon Von Ossko
17. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #6812531 for Rev. Hans Herr.
18. ↑ Friesen, Steve, A Modest Mennonite Home, (1990), page 111.
19. ↑ Genealogical Record of Reverend Hans Herr and His Direct Lineal Descendants, by Theodore W. Herr, 1908, page 1.
20. ↑ Rupp, I. Daniel, History of Lancaster County, 1844, pages 80-81.
21. ↑ Jecker, Hanspeter, The Swiss Origins of Pioneer Settler Hans Herr in Pennsylvania: Myths, Legends, and New Insights. Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Volume 42, Number 3 (July 2019), page 81.

See also:

• Best, Jane Evan, "Martin Kendig's Swiss Relatives," Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Vol. XV, No. 1 2-18, January, 1992

• Brackbill, Martin H., "New Light on Hans Herr and Martin Kendig," L.C.H.S. Pub., Vol.XXXIX. Available at LancasterHistory at https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/media/library/docs/edit_vol39pp72_102.pdf.

• Brumbaugh, Dr. G. M. and Faust, A. B., "Swiss Emigrants in 18th Century to American Colonies," 2 vols., 1920 & 1925.

• Casanova, Arturo Y., "A Carpenter Family of Lancaster," Lebanon, PA: A.Y. Casanova, ©1910; Reprinted from The Pennsylvania-German, Vol XI, No 2, Feb 1910; FHL film #1015845

• Ellis, Franklin and Samuel Evans, "History of Lancaster County," Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1883

• Eshleman, H. Frank, "Historic Background and Annals of the Swiss and German Pioneer Settlers of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and of Their Remote Ancestors, from the Middle of the Dark Ages, Down to the Time of the Revolutionary War," Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1917.

• Friesen, Steve, "A Modest Mennonite Home: The Story of the 1719 Hans Herr House, an Early Colonial Landmark," Good Books, Intercourse, PA, 1990, ISBN 0-934672-90-3

• Harris, Alexander, "A Biographical History of Lancaster County : Being a history of early settlers and eminent men of the county; as also much other unpublished historical information, chiefly of a local character," Lancaster, PA: Elias Barr & Co., ©1872; FHL film #928247

• Herr, Theodore W., Genealogical Record of Reverend Hans Herr and His Direct Lineal Descendants.

• Landis, Ira D., "A Landmark Moves Every Two Hundred Fifty Years," Mennonite Research Journal, Vol. 1:9, April, 1960

• LaPlante, Patricia A. (Simon), website The Cameron and Paige Report, Publication: Everett, WA: Compiled 2001-2006; <http://wc.rootsweb.com/~laplante> Date: 7 Apr 2006

• LeFevre, George Newton and LeFevre, Franklin D., "The Pennsylvania LeFevres," Strasburg, PA: LeFevre Cemetery and Historical Association, ©1952, 1970, 1979, Edition 1998; 929.273 L521Lf 1979 FHL book. https://web.archive.org/web/20180313113635/http://www.pennsylvanialefevres.org/

• Martin, C. H., "The Emigration of Hans Herr," Lancaster County Historical Society Pub., Vol.XXIX (1925), number 7, pages 77-82.

• Mifflin, Lloyd, "The Pioneer of Peace: The Mennonite Farmer, 1710-1910," Lancaster County Historical Society Pub., Vol.XIV.

• Moses, Betty M. (Grandstaff), Research: Grindstaff-Meeker-Tritt-Stapp, Publication: Tulsa, OK: B.M. Moses, ~2002 Files

• Ober., Rev. H. K., "Plain People of Lancaster County, Pa.," Klein's History, pp.360-383.

• Rupp, I. Daniel, "A collection of upwards of thirty thousand names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and other immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727-1776 : with a statement of the names of ships, whence they sailed, and the date of their arrival at Philadelphia, chronologically arranged, together with the necessary historical and other notes, also, an appendix containing lists of more than one thousand German and French names in New York prior to 1712," Philadelphia, PA: Leary, Stuart Co, ©1876; 974.8 W2ra 1985 FHL book

• Smith, C. Henry, "Mennonite Immigration to Pennsylvania in the 18th Century," Norristown, Pa. 1929. Pub. by Penna. German Soc. Vol.XXXV.

• Weaver, Martin G., "Mennonites of Lancaster Conference," Scottdale, Pa., Mennonite Pub. Co., 1931.

• Weaver, Martin G., "Weaverland," New Holland, New Holland Clarion, 1933.

• Wenger, Samuel S., "The Wenger Book," Pennsylvania German Heritage History Inc.

• Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical and genealogical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early settlers, Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., ©1903; FHL film #0908995

• "Two Hundredth Anniversary of First Permanent White Settlement in Lancaster County", Lancaster County Historical Society Pub., Vol.XIV.

• "Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s," Gale Research, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010

• "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900," Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004

• Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013: Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6812531/hans-herr: accessed 21 November 2023), memorial page for Rev. Hans Herr (17 Sep 1639–11 Oct 1725), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6812531, citing Willow Street Mennonite Church Cemetery, Willow Street, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by AenneLa (contributor 48548982).

• Wikipedia article: Hans Herr (Note: As of May 2024, this article had multiple issues and was based on outdated research.)

Acknowledgments

• WikiTree profile Herr-146 created through the import of Most 2011_7b.ged on Oct 17, 2011 by Mike Saufley.

• WikiTree profile Herr-99 created through the import of Abraham Herr.ged on Aug 18, 2011 by Cody Coggins.

• WikiTree profile Herr-244 created through the import of Reichard Martin Family Tree.ged on Apr 2, 2012 by Ryan Myers.

• WikiTree profile Herr-250 created through the import of JOSEPH~1.GED on Jul 14, 2012 by Joseph Stalnaker.

• WikiTree profile Herr-116 created through the import of Ellen Kropp_s Family Tree.ged on Sep 7, 2011 by Ellen Kropp.

• Thanks to Charles Seamon for starting this profile.

• Thank you to Sandy Minder for creating WikiTree profile Herr-302 through the import of Delong gedcom.ged on Apr 27, 2013.