The Wissler Family Record
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The W i ssl er Fam ily Reco rd BEI NG A BRI E F ACCO UNT O F ' AND REW W ISS LER ’ S 3 BR ANCH O F The W i ssl e r Fam il y I N THE UNITED S TATES OF AMER I CA AND CANADA HENRY V V I SSLER E O R O NT R O C N D L A , A I , A A A ' Th e O l d W i sl Ho m este ad b uil t ab ut 1 0 s er , o 75 . R e f H i side nce o Le v i . W ssl erfi TO R O NT O T H B YA NT PR E E R S S , L I MI T E D 1 904 EL E l or a t r i n a d 1 0 . O o Canada No v . 2 n , , , . 9 3 2 To th e desce n dan ts of A n dre w l V' i ssl er and hi s wife ‘ A n na Magdal en a Gr ojf l il y dear R el ati ves I r es n n, p e ti ng to you oa r F am ily R ecord ther e ar e a fe w obser va ti ons and expl a n ati on s wh i ch shoul d be m ad Th i s i s n ot e . a compl ete R ecor d of the hVi ssl er am il i n th e n t adi ti n f y U i ed S tates a n d C an ada . Tr o ' ’ sa s tha t acob II i ssl er who cam e r om S wi t zer l an d y j , f about 1 2 0 ha d sever al chi l dren but [ ha ve bee n A n 7 , , a bl e to di scover any cf hi s descen da n ts except th ose i n cl uded i n t i s I n th ci a l l i st o i m m i h r ecord. e ofi f r a n ts ubl i shed b th e over n m en t o Pen n s l va ni a g , p y g f y , the fol l o wi ng I/Vi ssl er s are m en ti oned : Ul r i ch W issl er W isl aer i n 1 He i n r i ch IV' i ssl er i n 1 ) 735 , 73 7 , Ha n s I/Vi ssl e r i n 1 8 Geor e I/Vi ssl er i n 73 , g ' Ni chol ans l ssl er ohan n Michel Wi ssl e r an d , j ohan n Cas er Wi ssl er i n 1 2 Ul r i ch l/Vi ssl er i n j p 75 , v n t m r m n l ha e o had e ither th e ti e. o ea s to sea r ch ou t the hi story of the l ssl er F amily beyond what is con tai ned i n thi s R ecor d bu t l ea ve th at to , I shal l be l eased to hear som e other pe rson . p fr om a n m em ber o the I/Vi ssl er F am il whethe r n am ed i n y f y , thi s boo/e o r n ot a nd to assi st i n an wa i n m , y y y uch r s ar c I cor di al i power i n pr osecuti ng s e e h . ly n vi te any and e very m em ber of the fa m ily to sen d m e a r ecor d o a n bi r ths m ar r i a es and deaths or other f y , g i tem s of i nter est which m ay occur i n the fam ily an d l I t m a b t shal l keep a r ecor d of al l such . y e hat at som e f utur e tim e [ m a have ti m e a n d m eans to ub y An l i sh a compl ete history of the IVi ssl e r F am ily i n the n i t d tat a nd hav tr i ed to m ak U e S es Can ada . e e thi s R ecor d as ar as i t oes cor r ect but the re a re , f g , , r babl som e er rors I h o e th at an o ne detecti n p o y . p y g I desi r e to th a n k a ny er ror s wi l l r epor t them to m e . al l those who ha ve assisted m e i n a ny way by se n di ng m e the i nfor mation a nd pi ctur es con ta i ned i n thi s book but es i l l n k c usi n ec a I wi sh to th a o oh n B . , p y j / 5 l V i ssl er who ave m e the r st star t co usi n A ar on g fi , Wi ssl er who h ad c l ct d a co nside r a bl e a B. l moun t . o e e of i nfor m atio n and al l owed m e to copy fr om hi s note booh cousi n Ben am i n l l/i ssl er a a nd cousi n L evi Hess , j Wissl er or the reat assistan ce the so wi l l i n l , f g y g y gave m e . You rs si n cer ely Che wissler Family Record T the time o f the Reformation in the six teenth century a large proportion of the people of Central Europe and particularly of the Valley of the Rhine became Pro A 1 testants. bout the year 537 the a sect Mennonite Church , similar in many respects to the English !uakers and which might be known as the German !uakers , was founded in Southern Germany by Menno Simon . After the Reformation there was a strong reaction towards Roman Catholicism , and o ne for over hundred years , during the seventeenth and early n part of the eighteenth ce turies , Central Europe and the Rhine Valley were the scene of almost continuous warfare and bloodshed . The rival armies marched hither and thither over the land leaving a trail of blood and utter desolation wherever they went , so that the inhabitants were reduced to the most extreme poverty . The Menno nites were persecuted on all hands and deprived of their a Civil and religious liberty . At length , i n the l tter part of the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth centuries , by the great wars of William of Orange and the famous victories of the Duke of Marlborough , England became known to these people as a land of light and liberty . In the seve ntee nth century the Crown of England had granted to William Penn , the great leader of the English !uakers , a l arge tract of land in North America now known as the n co- State of Pe nsylvania , where he and his religionists were permitted to settle and worship God according to the dictates of their o wn consciences . I n the early part of the eighteenth century advertise ments were scattered broad cast througho ut the Rhine Valley , by the agents of William 6 TH E W ISSLE R FAMILY RECO RD . Penn - , inviting the down trodden and persecuted Menno nites and other Protestants to emigrate and settle in Penn bu sylvania , where they could have a ndance of good land and were guaranteed ful l civil and religious liberty . In the year 1 70 8 the stream of emigration began to flow from of the Valley the Rhine towards Pennsylvania , and contin ued in great volume throughout the rest of the eighteenth century . y 1 2 0 Amongst these emigrants , about the ear 7 , Jacob 1 l a M W a n Wissler , Germ n ennonite and his ife , M gdale a , y immediatel after their marriage , set out from Switzerland , to of travelled down the Rhine the port Rotterdam , and there took ship for Philadelphia . Shortly after sailing - f- O . their vessel was overtaken by a man war Jacob Wissler , - was with the other able bodied men on board , impressed into the navy , and the rest of those on the boat were sent ' Phi l ade on to Philadelphia . Wh en Magdalena reached l ph ia she took service with a farmer in the neighboring , of village Germantow n to await the coming of her husband . of As soon as his term service in the navy had expired , of Jacob set out in search his wife , and came to Phila delphia . He had a presentiment that he would meet his wife and set out at once from the landing, along the road d fo r Germantown .