:fl BRIEF H~TORY OF JACOB \XTISMER AND A COMPLETE GBNEfILOGIGfIL F:r1.MJLY REGISTER WITH BIOGRAPHIES OF HIS DESCE."'lDANTS FROM THE EARLIES'!' AVAILABLE RECORDS TO THE PRESE~"T TIME. WITH POftTfff\lTS f\ND OTHER ILLUSTftf\TIONS, BY BEV- .A__ J" _ F.RETZ, OF MILTON, N. J. With an introduction by ELI WISMER, of Plumstead,~'.Pa. 1993. MENNONITE PUBLISHING CO., ELKHART, IND. Entered, according to net or Congress, In the y.,..r li,18, By A. J. FRETZ, MILTON, !ii. J., In the Office of the Librarian o!Congresa at Washington. ~. .... P6PlCATlOD. We Peqic~te this Book- To the ffiemory of our Worthy Ahcesfors, J~col:> Wismer ~"q D~""Y• his wife. t I I PREFACE. A number of the ·Wismer connection in Bucks Co., Pa., Canada, and elsewhere, desiring a history of the Wismer family compiled for publication in book form, requested us to undertake the work, and as a mark of favor and kindness towards those friends, we kindly consented. As is usually the case, in the compiling of family genealogies, tt 'l work is not as complete as it should be, owing to the failure of some of the connections to respond to . our communications to furnish us with their family records, and other information they pos- sessed. · We feel indebted to xw,ny of the friends for their kindness in furnishing information for this genealogy. Prominent among those who have interested them­ selves in the work, and given us valuable aid, by fur­ nishing us much information are: Eli Wismer. Plum­ stead, Pa.; Aaron Wismer, Jordan Sta., One.; Reu­ ben W. Kratz, Pomona, Kans; H. W. Gross, Doyles­ town, Pa.; Samuel Nash, Doylestown, Pa.; Till­ man W. Moyer, Campden, Ont., and others. .Milton, .N. J., 189J. Tm:Aumo:a. INTRODUCTION. Deeds of great men live long after them. Monu­ ments rear their lofty heads to perpetuate their mem­ ory or commemorate some remarkable events iri which they moved as leading factors. Historical vol­ umes hand down to future generations the details df their achievements as monarchs before whom natioris trembled and vanished; as warriors whose word of command spread death ana desolation through the world; as statesmen whoso political abilities pro­ claimed liberty to millions of tho human race, and as religious reformers who suffered persecution and mnrtyrdom that the light of Gospel doctrine mi~ht shine over the whole earth and dispel the darkness of superstition,-the idle fancies, rigor or excessive ex­ actness in religious opinions and practices. · In introducing this volume tirthe descendants of our pioneer American ancestor, we do not claim for him any famous deeds as a man of renown, but a no­ ble courage and a virtuous and exemplary character, embodied in a person, who never rose above a hum­ ble position in life, which. if stro_ngly forme~l in t_he pe<'ple of a nation, docs more towards promoting its µrosperity and welfare than the courage an1l charac­ ter of many men of fame. - VIII - Any one somewhat acquainted with the early history of our country well knows, that tho principal motive that letl many people from different parts of Europe to come to America, was to escape from tho various religious persecutions which they had to en­ dure in their native countries. That our ancestor, Jacob Wismer, who settled in Bucks Co., Pa., about one hundred and seventy years ago, was one of those who abandoned the land of their births, and faced the dangers and hardships which confronted the early settlers in the New World, we have reason to believe; not from a positive knowledge of facts prior to his arrival in America, but from subsequent events in connection with the organization of the Mennonite Congregation at Deep Run, of which he was one of the leading originators. It is not only a pious but an instructive task, to collect and preserve the memorial of our ancestor who, in making himself a home in the wilderness, also complied with the Divine command to the ances­ tor of the human f:unily, and laid the foundation of a family, in number, of thousands, whose members are now spread far and wide over the United States and Canada. People who fail to appreciate and cherish the virtues and e~mplary deeds of their ancestors, however humble their position or insignificant their acts, are not likely to transmit anything worthy of remembrance or imitation to their descendants. Let us pavse and reflect. Let us draw a compar­ ison of the period of our ancestor in the " father­ land," and the land of his adoption. Persecutions and intolerance in the Old World. Savages and for­ ests in the New. -IX- How the beurts of our fathers must have beat with mingled joy and sadness when they bade adieu to their native land and set sail for the New World. Behind them the homes of their births and rulers in­ tolerant and oppressive. Before them the vast ocean and a land of liberty of conscience. What a contrast they must have felt after having been established in their new homes on American soil; no more bound down by the whims and caprices of tyrannical kings and rulers. These wore the preliminaries that our family encountered. Few of us have tasted hardships like unto bis. All of'us may enjoy the gifts, the ben­ efits and the advantages which promote our temporal prosperity and welfare, or seenre our immortal felic­ ity. Surely such blessings should awaken the grat~­ tude of all who partake thereof. Representatives· of the family fill many impor­ tant and prominent positions in the walk of life. They may be found, not only among the tillers of the soil and mechanics, but also among teachers of our public schools, and ministers of the Gospel; among the medical and legal professions, among editors and publishers of religious and secular papers, and among professors of advanced institutions of learning. Turning over the leaves of this volume may be a melancholy task to some of us. Therr- are names in it that revive no remembrance of those that bore them: and there are others which bring before us ve1y distinctly the forms and faces with which we were once familiar. Many of the names have long ago been chiseled on the grave-stones of their own­ ers, to remind us of friends whose book of life wa~ closed long ago. There are also names that belong to those who are still living and some of whom are Yery -X- dear to us. It is rather a humiliating reflection that this thing of rags and sheepskin will outlast many _generations of us. In the course of time its leaves will become discolored with age, and all will decay. But of the human volume it is only tho binding that decays. The contents are immortal, and if found worthy will re-appear with rare embellishments where the mildew of time can never mar them. ELI WISMER. Pl1emsteadville, Pa., Jan. 1893. LIST OF E.ULANATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS. In the preparation of this work it will be observed that nil descendants are recorded in the regular order of birth, from the oldest to the youngest, each generation being marked consecutively from first to last. The Roman numer­ als placed before each name indicates the generation to which they belong, as:- I. Jacob Wismer (First generation). II. Jacob Wismer (Second generation). Ill. Rev. Abraham Wismer (Third generation). IV. Barbara Wismer (Fourth generation). Beginning with the first (I) 11.Ilcestor, Jacob Wismer, all his children are named in the order of birth as near as possible. Then follows his oldest son, Jacob Wismer (II. Generation), 11.Ild his children (III. Generation) next. Rev. Abraham, being the oldest, is followed down to the last of his descendants; then the second in order of birth o!' them. Generation, and so on until the end of the entire bmnchjof' Jacob Wismer of the II. Generation is reached. Then the second child of Jacob Wismer of the I. Generation, viz.: Elizabeth (Wismer) Angeny (II. Generation), is carried down In 1!1'e manner to the last of her descendants, aud so on throughout the entire connt!Ction. · Wliere marriages occur between ·members -of the con­ nection, the hushll.Ild carries the record. In all such cases a numbered reference is pl.a.ced after name and marriage of the wife, as, for example: (See Index of References No. l)~ In the Index of References will be found No. 1. Catharine Gross, Page -. On the page given, in the body of the book, the family records will be found. In the General Index will be found the names of all the descendants of eighteen years and over, also the pages on which their family records a.re given In the body of the book. To find family records see Index of Branches, where names of all that had issue of the first, second, third and fourth generations a.re given. Abbreviations: Mrd. signifies Married; bn. born; Dec'd. Deceased; S. Single; Montg. Co. Montgomery Co.; Twp. Township; ch. church; Menn. Mennonite; Ev. Ass'n. Evan­ gelical Association; Presby. Presbyterian; Luth. Lutheran; Ger. Ba.p. German Baptist; Ger. Ref. Germau Reformed; l\Ieth. Ep. Methodist Episcopal; Cong. Congregationalist. THE WISMER FAMILY HISTORY. I. Jacob Wismer, ancestor of the numerous fam­ ily of that name in Bucks and Montgomery Com.ties Pa., and other portions of the United States and Can­ ada, was born in Germany about 1684, and died in Bedminster Township, Bucks Co., Pa., Feb. 4-, 1787 in his one hnn<lred and third year.