OUR EUROPEAN HERITAGE pa(?: - r-1 FER C Lv European History of the Hertzler Family by J. Virgil Miller* The Amish-Mennonite Hertzler family probably The Swiss records of birth for the state church originated in Switzerland, although subsequent are very early. There the name of Rudolf Hurtzeler migrations placed it largely in Germany and was found by Dr. Siegrist of the cantonal archives America. The earliest Mennonite or Anabaptist of Aargau. The following was found in the church Hertzler was Rudolf, shown in the records of register of Uerkheim: Konigsschaffhausen in Baden, Germany in 1694. He was born in 1636 in Hinterweil in Canton Bern, Hans Hurtzell in Hinterweil (Uerkheim) Switzerland. 1531-1542, a well-to-do farmer. It took some searching to find a place by that name since such a village does not exist in the Andres Hurtzell, mentioned in 1566, died before present-day canton. However, Canton Aargau was 1620. once a part of Bern, and investigation by the archivist of the cantonal archives in B ern in 1976 Then Andres Hurtzeler changed the spelling revealed a Hurzeler !amily from Uerkheim in (common to add -er to Germanic family names), present-day Canton Aargau. Near Uerkheim was an baptized at Uerkheim, June 14, 1590. He was even smaller hamelt called Hinterweil. This is an married 1) Anna Hochuli on April 29, 1611 (5 area where a few other families of the Anabaptist children; and m. 2) Marie Hupscher on May 31, 1630. migrations originated, for example, the Guths and Rudolf was a child of the second marriage and was Detweilers. baptized as an infant on May 24, 1635 at Uerkheim. A POSS I BLE F A M IL Y TR EE RUDO LF HURZELER b. HlnterweU, Ge melnde Uerkhclm Switzerland, 1636 . m. 1660 Elsbeth Reininger, b. 1632, an Anabaptist SEVERIN J ACOB RUDOLF HIRZLER HERTZLER HERZLER b. 1665 b. 1672 b.1677 m. 1691 m .1) Els. Relchen }f Katharina Roth m .2) Eva Henninger 'If'\. KonlgsschaCfhausen ?Frlesenhelm, 1717 I !Gronau, 1738-1739 HANS RUDO LP ! JACOB JOHANN HIRZLER HERZLER HERTZLER HERTZLER b. 1693 b. 1697 b. 1703 SteufC,1769 m .l)Anna Ma ria !Stockwlese 1749 to Pa. -Mennonite Pr arr nr Albersweiler m .Catherine mlnbte r m.2)Anna Marla Polotinate Ruegy/Rockl Meyer - Mennonite - Am t.ti-M ennonite Cat harinenthal, mlnb ter near PCorzhelm , Baden •&rn -<lll Anabaptist I CATHARINA 5WITZ£RJ.ANJJ HIRZLER b. 1720 m. Johann Adam Bilchele 1751 to America I •J. Virgil Miller, Box 13, University of Petroleum MICH AEL &. Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, is an English BEEGHLEY b. 1742 professor at the University of Petroleum &. m . Barbara ZUg Minerals. -:"\';I\ , . , 'I July 1983 Mennonite Famtly History I { Hertzler OCCGS· RlElFIEfRIEb~CrE OfNJl y Family , the same person as the 'lbere was a Rudolf Herzler who was a Mennonite nuuvu---wnv \OGlllG ..v-nOnlgsschaffhausen. Rudolf was living in 1'148 at Stockwleserhof in the southern married on Feb. 6, 1660 to Elsbeth Reininger (b. Palatinate in Germany, along with Abraham Rees, 1832). The parish record shows Rudolf's birth at renters for the past twelve years. 'Ibis farm was Hinderweyl, Canton Bern as 1636. The parish record also called Vogelstockerhof, and was long the home also lists nine children Including Johannes (b. of a Mennonlte Joder family. 1661), Franciscus (1663), Severin (1665), Jakob At Rothenhof near Albersweller, not far away was (16'12), and Rudolf (b. at Laufen near Basel ln the Christian Rocld family. This surname was 16'1'1). 'lbe other children were born at spelled Rockl, Rogy, Roggl. Jt Jacob Hertzler, the Konigsschaffhausen. Immigrant of 1'149, was married to C&therine Ruegy Were these the ancestors of the Mennonite as his second wife, could he not at least have been Hertzlers? The connection is tenuous, although a relative of Rudolf Herzler of StockwleserhofY there is some reason for thinking they were. Two The Hertzlers who live in Germany today largely sons of Severin Hlrzler of Konlgsschaffhausen, who come from the com munlty of Bppstein, where they was married to Katharina Roth, were Johannes (b. located around 1 '120. Most of them were Mennonite 1693) and Rudolf (b. 169'1). Severin was a tailor rather than Amish. Christian Rocld was Amish. who lived and died in Baden, but his son Hans was a Another Palatinate minister, Johannes Hertzler, farmer at Catharlnenthal in the district of was at Stauff west of Bppsteln in 1'145. There was Pforzheim,.further north in Baden, belonging to the an Amish minister Christian Joder at Rlpperterhof same jurisdiction of Baden-Durlach. near Ramsen not far away. Possibly the Immigrant What is significant Is that Hans was called a Jacob Hertzler grew up as a Mennonite and became Wledertiufer or Anabaptist. His fellow-Anabaptist acquainted with the Amish, especially it Rudolf, was Jacob Kurz at Karlshausen, and they signed a his relative, lived with them or was one himself. petition together about a burying ground, recorded The Rudolf Berzler who lived at Stockwlese could In the Generallandesarchiv at Karlsruhe. be Rudolf, the brother of Hans (b. 169'1), or the Hans Hlrzler's daughter, C&tharina (b. 1720), Rudolf born at Laufen, Switzerland, brother of married Johann Adam Bilchele of Butlngen, district Severin (b. 1877). Pforzheim. He was an immigrant to Pennsylvania in Since these people moved around a lot, Rudolf · 1'151. His son, Michael (b. 1'142) later married could have gone to the Palatinate and Bans to Barbara Zukln/Zug, daughter of Christ•an Zug, an northern Baden. The Hertzlers who settled at Amish-Mennonite immigrant of 1'142. Friesenheim, Gronau, and Bppstein (in the same Thus there were connections with Anabaptists or area) might also be descended from the same family, Mennonites from Switzerland. The ones who stayed since It Is the only Hertzler family with both in Ktsnlgsschaffhausen joined the State Church. But Anabaptist and Swiss connections. The Eppstein just as in Switzerland, those who moved on often Hertzler records do not go before 1 '120. It will were the dissenters or Anabaptists. remain for later researchers to establish these connections. Noteworthy Periodical Articles Andersen, Ann W.F ., "Samuel McMullen, A Scotch-Irµ;h Luthy, David. "The Amish in Lewis County, New York," Dunkard," Winter 1982-3 Newsletter, Fellowship of May 1983 Family Life, pp.21-25. (Family Life, Route Brethren Genealogists, pp.60-'13. (FBG, 518 Miller 4, Aylmer, ONT N5H 2R3) Drive, Blgin, IL 60120) Rengier, John B., "William Penn and the Mennonite: Bowman, Robert c., "New Information on the Eichenberg The Dream and the Reality," Baster 1982 Joa.rnal of (Ikenberry) and Bowman Famllles," Spring 1983 the Lancaster County Historical Society , pp.50-56. Newsletter, Fellowship of Brethren Genealogfats, (LCHS, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA 1'1803) pp.4-5. (FBG, 518 Mlller Drive, Elgin, IL 60120) Slabauch (Slabaugh), John M. "Michael Lauver of Bstes, Stephen R., "The Hessian Amish in Dllnois," Juniata County, Pennsylvania," April 1983 Historical Dec. and March 1983 Mennonite Heritage. (lllinols Center Echoes, pp.2-3. A large family genealogy chart Menn. Hist. and Gen. Soc., P. o. Box 819, Metamora, on the Lauver family is also available for purchase IL 61548) from Noah Zimmerman, Director of the Historical Center. (Mennonite Historical Center, Star Route, Hostetter, Richard L. "Descendants of Im migrant Jacob Richfield, PA 1 '1036) Hostetter," April 1983 Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage·, pp.15-23. (PMH, 2215 Mlllstream Road, Smith, Clifford Neal, "Pfalzdorf am Niederrhein as a Lancaster, PA 1'1602) Possible Staging Area for Eighteenth Century German Emigration to America," Winter 1982-83 Genealogical Luthy, David, "The Amish at Long Green, Maryland," Journal, pp. 143-147. (Utah Genealogical Assoc., P.O. April 1983 Family Life, pp.23-2'1. (Family Lffe, Route Box 1144, salt Lake City, UT 84110) 4, Aylmer, ONT N5H 2R3) July 1983 Mennonite Family History 91 .