THE ilict1tttnnfal 1\nmfon O'ITHX 1688-1888. THE KEYSER FAMILY DESCENDANTS DIRCK l{EYSER OF AMSTERDAM. COMPILED BY CHARLES S. KEYSER.• PHILADELPHIA: 1889, CONTENTS. tACM r. Introductory to the l.eu:nioa,. • • • • . • • • • • • • • .~. • • 1.. 14 •• The Opemng Prayer, bf Bp. N. a Grubb, • • • • • 14-15 3. 1'1le FamilJ Histoiy, bJ Charla$._ IC.eyser, • • • • • 1;-75 4. The Homes, Meedng Housa, and Burial Gzouada, of the Famil7, by_Dr. Peter ~irck Keyser, •••••••••• • .••••• II, •••• 75--81 5• The Mennonites, read by Julia A. Orum, • • • • • • • • • 81-89 6, The Martymom. ofLeonhatcl K.eyaer, read by Julla.·A. Orum, • 89-91 7. The Levering Family, by Hon. Horatio Gates Joms, •• , ••• , •• 9>-94 8. The Panaebecker lJne, by HOD. Samuel W. Pennypacker, u..o., ••• . •. 9H7 9- The GermlDlOWD Emigration, by Prof. Oswald Seide1111kker, • • • 97-100 io. The Ul80ll cf the Reaalon, bf Lun Westerpard, • , • • • • • • , • • * • • , 101-IOZ u. Tbe Mennonites In Holl111cJ. by Adrian YaA Heldeo, • • • , • • , , • • • 102-104 1i. 'l1lo Corre&pODdeace ,nth the Family: • • • • • , , • , • , • • • • • . • • 105--9, 115-117 13. The La8t Hoara of'tbe Reualoo, , • • • • , • • ' , • • • • , • , • • , • • , • 109-115 14, Tbe Genealol, attlut F..U,1 o • o o o o o • ■ • O O O o ■ I a· o a o o a o o Jl,S- ILLUSTRATIONS. '!l'HB Aa11a .or Dia.~ Knsn., . ~ . • • . to face title. THB MDNoNITB MEETJNG HousE, • • • • • • • • - . 13 ·ENTaia IN Dia.ex KEYSJtR.'s Bmu Cfae 1imit1), • 18 FuKa..u. NOTICE Vae dmi/1), -. • , . .. ... 20 Aun 01' AMSTERDAM. , • • 16 • • e a I a, GsllMANTOWN, Aus or • • • • • a II' • • • ■ 15 Auls OI' WILLIAM P&MN, • •. DlllCJt XEYSEB.'s SJGNATUJI.E (fae .1imil1), TR& CoPPD Pun: (fi,e dtnik), • • • • 31 Dl1Clt Xnsn. J1.!s, SIGlfATUllE Vae dlnil,), . 33 Pnn D1aat ICJcygu•a S1GHA'1111Ut Cf•, nmw)~- .- • • . ll l>mat KBYSBP.'1 REslDDClt IN GU.KA.NTOWN, . 76 JOHN KDSB&'s Rl'su>DcB lN GBUIANTOWN, , • , • • ' 78 TD Sornancos ol' THE Ms!Cl'fomTES, •••• , 87 Tm M.ilTYll>OM OP LEoNHAkD KBYSD, 1S27, , . 91) AallS OW TBB NETHER.LANDS, , , ••• . • • • • • 119 PollTLUTI. Tolilu Govertnandea Wyngaert, Rev. Peter Keyser, Elbanan W; Keyser, Nath81l L. Keyser, Peter A. Keyaer, Mary Slingluff', William S. Baker, Dr. J. K. Knorr, C. Marts lte)'fff, Philip W. K.eyaer, DIIDW L. Xeyaer, General B. F. Prentiss, William Kcyw, Julia A. Orum, Dr. P. D, Xeyaer, SilffSter Xeyser, Samael Ke,-r, Miller Bullard, Cbarla s: lteyaer. W.1.P:IJr ......... DlBCJIC ....,. .... Tll&V... ARD?lll> ur B'IIT QIUll':K.LLOGlflCK 'IIN 111:BAl.'lllSOl' .AIIOBJ:IJ' Tll ' ■ GR&'VINBAGZ, (NJ:Dll'R.l..l.MD.) THE BICENTENNIAL REUNION OJ'. THB KEYSER FAMILY OLD MENNONITE MEETING-HOUSE, GER.MAN'l'OWN, PENNSYLVANIA, OCTOBER 101 1888. S the two hundredth. year after the arrival of our ancestor Dirck: Keyser, in Germantown, was nearing, some time in x887, Dr. A Peter Dirck 'Keyser, i11 whose possession mttch of the family genealogy has been preserved, 11tggested to the writer or this paper that some commemoration or the event would interest the family generally, and that it was, in a. senae. a duty to our ancest9r's memory~ A year later, in the aummer of 1888, it WU the subject of further conversation from time to time, Dr. Keyser desiring that a atone should be erected to mark the place of our ancestor's ministry and burial. A committee wu formed, consisting of Dr. Peter Dirck Keyser and Charles S. Keyser of Philadelphia, and Romaine Keyser of Gennantown, by whom the follow• ing circular was addressed to the members of the family whose places of residence could be ascertained: 6 THE -KEYSER FAMILY. WHD William Penn visited Holland and Gennany, promulgating bis doctrines of f'ree religious thought in antagonism to the forms of established churches, he invited all to join­ him in his iettlement in the new countr;1. Accepting his ideas, Francis Daniel Pastorius o( Frankfort, Germany, organized a company for taking up land 'and forming the settlement o( Germantown, now part of this city. The Mennonites of Holl&!1(1 and the lower Rhine o( Germany joined with him, and among those who came here was Dirck. Keyser of Amster­ dam.. He was a manufacturer of and dealer in all kinds of silk goods, and a man of promi­ nence, but, desiring to worship God in all freedom, he came over· with his son,. Pieter Dirck Kcyacr, in 1688. There are many descendants of the family throughout this country and Mexico. In com~emoration of the arrival here of Dirck Keyser, a bicentennial reunion of his descendants will be held in Gennantown (Twenty--Second Ward), Philadelphia,-in the old Mennonite church, on or near the oriiUlal ground of. said Dirck Keyser, on the 10th day of October next, at 10 A. K., being, according to the present mode of chronological reckoninr, the two hundredth anniversary of the day on which he came to the place. It will be a social family gathering on ~e ground where our common ancestor is buried, and where he built his domicile in the wilderness of the New World. Sketches of the family history will be read, the old family Bible and such other relics u can be obtained will be exhibited. A cordial invitation is extended to all descendants of the family to be. preaent and bring with them anything they may have in their possession that will thro1r any light on the history of the family or indicate its progress •.. Can you be present on the oceaaion, with any of your Immediate connexions of the family l An early answer will greatly oblige the undersigned. CHAU.II S. KEYSD, A1l'l'Ollffll'IIT-LMI', No. 514 Walnut Street. Pimm. Dmca Knna, M. D.,. No. s:8Jtl Arch Street. RoKA1n Knu:a. eor. Mala u4 RlttenbOUM Streets {OIWWITOWW), PHIi.A. THE REUNION. 7 It was determined, as the invitation indicates, that' the commemoration shpuld be of an historic character. The day selected for the anniversary was the roth of October, 1888; the place was the old Mennonite meeting­ house in Germantown in whose :first structure, on the same site, our ances-­ tor had passed his Jife in the ministry, ,and in whose ground he was buried. It was determined to confine participation in the ceremonies to the mem­ bers of the family, embracing both ·-male atid female lines, and this was not deviated from, except in that th'e.fullowing gentlemen were invited in their representative characters:.: Ed-win ·.H., Bitler, the mayor of the city of Philadelphia; J. R. Plantin, · the consul-general of the Netherlands to the United States; Lars Westergaard, consul of the Netherlands in Phil­ adelphia; Professor Oswald Seidenstic~er of the University of Pennsyl­ vania; and the Rev. Nathaniel B. Grubb, the bishop of the. (present) First Mennonite Church in Philadelphia. An invitation was also sent to Dr. G. De Hoop Sheffer of the Mennonite college at Amsterdam, to Daniel K. Cassel and Abraham H. Cassel, in recognition of their services in the preservation of Mennonite literature, and to Adrian Van Helden; a gen­ tleman of Holland ·now residing in our city, to whom the committee is under many obligations. · · After consultation with those wh0i were to take part in the ceremonies, a programme was arranged, of.which the following is a copy: BICENTENNIAL REUNION of the 1688 Descendants of Dirck Keyser 1888 int.he Mennonite Meeting-House, Germantown, October 10th, 1888. 8 THE KEYSER FAMILY. Programme. IO A. M. GIDEON KEYSER, the oldest male member of the family, will preside. PRAYER, by Bishop N. B. GRUBB of the Fint Mennonite Church of Philadelphia. HYMN, Te Deum Laudamus. THE FAMILY IN AMSTERDAM AND -GERKANTOWN, by CHARLES S. KEYSER. THE Ho.MES, MEETING-HOUSES AND B:ullIA:r.-GllOUNDS OP THE FAMILY, by Dr. PETER DIKCK KEYSER, THE MENNONITES, AND THE MAB.TYllDOX OF LEONHARD KEYSD, read by JULIA A. Oauu:, a descendant of Dirck Keyser. HYMN, Jubilate Deo, Psalm C. THE LEVE:RINO LINE 01' THE FAMil.Y, by HORATIO, GATBS JONES, a descendant of Rosier Levering. 1'Jm PANNEBAK&Ell Ll~E OP THE FAMILY, by SAMUEL W •. PENNYPACKEK. LLD.1 .a descendant of Henry Pannebecker, the tint emigrant. I.Emms FROM ABSENT Muu:as OF THE FAHILY, rcad°by RoMAINE KEYSER. HYMN, Old Hundred. A dinner was provided for on the occasion. For this purpose Dr. Peter Dirck :i{eyscr tendered the use of his summer residence, then ·vacant, in Germantown;"' a notice, in the following form, was sent to the members of the family: The Bicentennial Reunion O,TQ 1688 llescmbaatts of ■ lict ltt1sn, 1sss AT GERMANTOWN, WBDNBSDAY, 0cToB£& 10, 1888. To THE F.AlltLY : As there are no bOl'ela in Germutown, 1 dinner will be sewed in the aftmnoon at the summer residence r4 Dr. P. o~ Keyser (Tulpehocken Sta~ Pennsylvania Railroad). who ha& placed it, for the day, at the di1posal of the committee. • The expenditures a tho oeculon, be:,ond the sum which remained after the .payment for the dinner• ..,. provided by William Keyser or e.ltimore, Dr, Peter Direk Kefser, Charles s. Keyser, Romaine X..,. and George G. Piede of Pblladelphia. THE REUNION. 9 The members of any family wishing dinner must enclose one dollar for each person on or before the 5th of October to either of the undersigned, when the ticket and programme will be forthwith mailed to them. All tickets must be ordered by that day. CHARLES S. KEYSEJ.\, 5114 Walnut Street, Philada. ROMA.INK KEYSER, Germa11town, Philada. SlplnMw 19, rl88, THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY partiQipating in the reunion were John Heisler Adams and Mrs. John Heisler Adams, Edgewater Park, New Jersey; T. A. Alexander, Mrs. Kate C. Keyser Alexander, Baltimore, Maryland; George J.