*An overview of the Stutzman descendancy discussed here can be found at the bottom of the page.
Our Stutzman line has been a tricky one to research. Believe it or not, there were no less than 3 different Christian Stutzman's living in Berks Co., PA during the mid-1700s! Sorting them out has been no easy task, especially given the wide variety of incorrect information that currently abounds on the internet. Of course, I can't promise that I haven't made my own errors here. But I have looked over everything currently available to draw my conclusions, and I will try to lay out my own assumptions clearly in the Notes section. The effort has been well worth it, because this is a fascinating story.
Lake Thun area of Canton Bern, Switzerland, near where our Stutzman line is likely from. Due to the isolation created by its mountainous valley landscape, the area is largely rural with dairy farming, fruit, and cheese as some of its main exports. This geography has also led to a people with an independence streak regarding both church and state. During the Reformation, it became an early stronghold for Anabaptists sentiments, and was also the birthplace of Jakob Ammann, founder of the Amish.
Map showing the Canton of Bern within Switzerland. Most followers of Jakob Ammann were from the Lake Thun and Obersimmental-Saanen (Oberland) areas. Ammann was born in Erlenbach, which lies within the Simme Valley of Oberland. To begin with, you might be wondering what it means to be an Amish. Especially a Swiss-German one like in our line. It all goes back, once again, to that fateful posting of the 95-Theses on the church doors by Martin Luther in 1517. His questioning of the Roman Catholic Church's authority kicked off the Protestant Reformation throughout Europe. The resulting reexamination of where the authority of a governing body should come from eventually had revolutionary repercussions throughout the Western World. However, the Reformation's newfound freedom for religious scholars to question doctrine also allowed for many different interpretations to be reached. While people in future Germany and France began to convert to Lutheranism, or Calvinism, in Switzerland it was the Anabaptist movement that primarily took hold instead.
One of the early distinguishing beliefs of the Anabaptist movement was the "believer's baptism" (ie the idea that one should not be baptized until they are able to make a conscious profession of their faith, as opposed to as an infant). Michael Sattler (b.1490) was an early founder of the Anabaptist movement. Sattler was originally a Benedictine Monk, born in the now German city of Staufen (back then considered a part of the Holy Roman Empire). However, he came to believe that the only true moral authority on religious doctrine was that which came through strict interpretation of the Bible itself. In 1525, he chose to leave the Catholic Church, and instead began a mission to teach this scripture-based theology, thus beginning the Anabaptist movement. His followers across Baden-Württemberg (SW Germany) and northern Switzerland, became known as the Swiss Brethren.
Swiss Brethren Believers Baptism, based on Acts 2:41. Interestingly, the Amish tradition for males of a beard without a mustache is a symbol of both their non-violence doctrine and a show of commitment and fidelity to their spouse. In 1527, Sattler is believed to have written the seven articles of the Schleitheim Confession, considered the most representative statement of Anabaptist principles. In addition to a "believer's baptism", another key doctrine in its articles is that of non-resistance to violence, patterned after the words of Christ in which he told his followers to "turn the other cheek" to an attack (Matthew 5:38-40). For this reason, Anabaptists refused to participate in the military defense of the nations which they inhabited. These two Anabaptist doctrines in particular placed them in direct conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, which was the same as the government at that time. Because of this, the Swiss Brethren were severely persecuted, sometimes to the point of death, and often expelled from their homelands. The Anabaptist Hutterites of Moravia/Slovakia, as well as the Mennonites of the Netherlands/Northern Germany, experienced similar forms of oppression.
Mass execution of Anabaptists in Alzey, Kurpflaz, Germany in 1539, during the 30 Years War. Women in the Anabaptist faith were able to take on roles of higher authority than in most other religions at that time, and thus were arrested and punished at a higher rate than occurred within most other religiously persecuted groups in history. Starting in the mid-1600s, large numbers of Anabaptists from persecuted regions began to flee (or be expelled) to more religiously tolerant areas of western Europe, such as the Palatinate region (now in western Germany), the Netherlands, and the Alsace region (now in eastern France). In about 1680, a man from Canton Bern, Switzerland named Jakob Ammann fled to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Alsace with a group of about 60 religious refugee families. Ammann had even stricter views on scriptural doctrine than many of his fellow Swiss Brethren at that time, particularly on the issue of "shunning" those who had committed transgressions (based on 2 Thessalonians 3:14). In 1693, his teachings created a rift within the Anabaptists, with Ammann's side, mainly in Alsace, becoming known as the Amish, while the opposing side, mainly in Switzerland and the Palatinate, being called Mennonites (or Reists).
Then, in 1712, King Louis XIV issued an edict expelling the Anabaptist from Alsace, France as well. Most Amish were forced to flee to nearby territories, where they began searching, once again, for a safe place to call home. Their prayers were answered by William Penn's desire to create a British colony based on the ideal of religious tolerance. Starting in 1736 (Note 0), small groups of Alsace Amish began undertaking the treacherous sea voyage to America, in order to seek religious freedom. Most settled in upper Berks County (then Lancaster Co.), PA, spreading outward from the Northkill Creek and the Schuylkill River into what is today Upper Bern, Penn, and Tilden Twps. One of these Alsace refugees was Maudlin Stutzman, a widow with at least two children, Johann "Hans" and Christian Stutzman (Note 1). In 1738, Maudlin Stutzman warranted 50 acres of land in Upper Bern, Berks Co., PA near Wolf Creek. Then, in 1747, her now adult son Hans settled on adjacent land, while her son Christian resurveyed and expanded the original homestead. (See Note 2) (Ref 2).
Northkill Creek, near the former Hochstetler farm, about a mile west of Shartlesville, PA
Approximate location of Maudlin Stutman's (and later Christian Stutzman and Barbara Hostetler's) homestead. The original land of Maudlin Stutzman lied between Wolf Creek Rd and Valley Rd., on the north side of Pheasant Drive. Hans Stutzman purchased adjacent land to the east of Wolf Creek, while Christian later expanded his land holding to the west of Wolf Creek, both north and south of Feick Dr. The Jacob Hostetler farm was located off Olde 22, between Northkill and Wolf Creek roads.
Anabaptists had started coming to PA as early as 1683, initially settling in Germantown, now a northern suburb of Philadelphia. However, wanting to stay true to their beliefs, the Amish tried to set themselves apart from other Anabaptists by settling separately in more remote areas. They lived a very simple way of life in which they avoided new fashions and technologies, and kept themselves removed from politics and government affairs. This was seen as the way to humble themselves before God and remain outside the “sinful nature” of the wider world (Ref 3). The settlement of the Northkill Amish Community, officially established in 1740, is often cited as the first known Amish settlement of the New World. However, there was also an early Amish settlement founded in Oley Twp., Berks Co., PA in 1714, which included the Yoder family among its first inhabitants.
William Penn's 1681 advertisement (in German) encouraging religious refugees to come to Pennsylvania in order to seek their religious freedom.
Maudlin's son Christian Stutzman, (born by 1725 in Alsace, France), married Barbara Hochstetler, the daughter of Jacob Hochstetler (b.1712) in 1752 (Ref 4). Barbara's family had a similar background to Christian's own. The Hochstetler line was originally from Schwarzenburg, Bern, Switzerland, but was forced to flee to Echery, Haut-Rhin, Alsace in the late 1600s. Jacob was born there in 1712, where he later married Anna Burki (Note 3). In 1738, at the age 26, he and his wife left for Pennsylvania with their two young children, John and Barbara (b.1732). They initially warranted for 58 acres of land in Oct. 1739, and would eventually increase their holdings to 310 acres by 1755. Their son-in-law, Christian Stutzman, lived just to the south with their daughter Barbara's growing family.
Land warranted to the Stutzmans (blue) and the Hochstetlers (green). A larger version of this document can be viewed here.
The Northkill settlement was located at the westernmost frontier of Pennsylvania at that time. At its peak, it contained about 200 Amish families. It was situated at the southern base of the
Blue Mountains, to the north of which was Delaware (
Lenape) Indian territory, while farther west were the
Shawnee tribes. Both the Lenape and the Amish were generally peaceful peoples, and for the first 18 years of the settlement’s existence, they lived without major conflicts despite frequent encounters (Ref 5). Then the
French and Indian War (ie The Seven Years' War) began in 1754.
The French openly encouraged Native American tribes to attack the English settlers. In exchange, they promised the return of land to them that had been taken by the encroaching British. Many other PA settlements set up "vigilante groups" at this time, who set about trying to "rid themselves" of the "Indian menace" (Ref 6). In contrast, the Northkill Amish maintained their pacifist beliefs, and were thus accused of "not being realistic" about the dangers the colonists faced. In Nov 1755, Indians began to attack south of the Blue Mountains for the first time (Ref 4, p.23). On Nov 2, 1756, an attack finally came directly to the Northkill Amish community, when a daughter of Andrew Wolbeck was captured and taken away to an unknown fate.
Over the next year and a half, at least 7 other attacks occurred on this close-knit community, including several murders, one of which involved the Miller family only 3 miles away from our Stutzman-Hochstetlers (Ref 4, p.24). Then, on Sept 19-20, 1757, tragedy struck for our family line as well, at the home of Barbara (Hochstetler) Stutzman's parents. [Note, most of the account to follow is taken from
Ref 4., p.24-34. Other sources show some variation in the exact timing and details of events.] That night, after a social evening of paring and slicing apples with the neighbors, Jacob Hochstetler's son, Jacob, Jr. was awakened by a noise in the yard. When he opened the front door to assess the situation, he was shot in the leg by a group of about 8-10 Indians standing in the yard near the bake oven. Jacob Jr. managed to close and lock the door before the Indian's could enter, while the rest of the family raced to their feet. Jacob's sons, Joseph and Christian (aged 13 and 11 at the time), grabbed hunting rifles and prepared to fight. But their father admonished them that it was never God's Will to take another's life, even to save one's own. After a few unfettered minutes of consultation, the small group of Shawnee Native American's decided to set fire to the house instead, trapping the family inside.
The family of 6 huddled in the cellar, trying to withstand the fire by sprinkling cider on the burning embers that fell down below. Meanwhile, their eldest son John, already married and living on an adjacent farm with his wife, Catherine Hertzler, heard the commotion and came out to investigate. Quickly assessing the situation, he ran home to hide his wife and young child, concealing them in some nearby brush. He then ran back to his parent's home and hid himself as he watched the rest of the night's events unfold in horror, wondering what he could possibly do to save them. Initially, the family almost escaped. Despite the heat and smoke, they came out from their hiding through a cellar window only much later, after they believed the Shawnee had finally left. Unfortunately, they misjudged, as one man (Tom Lyons) still lingered behind, gathering apples from the prior day's bounty. When he saw them appear, he quickly called the rest of the group back to his side.
It was said that the mother, Anna, was "of ample means" and had difficulty getting herself out of the window, which slowed the family's escape. Their son Joseph managed to run quickly up into the hills, where he hid himself behind a large log. But the rest of the family was soon surrounded. The oldest son, Jacob Jr, who had been previously shot, was of no use to the Indians given his injury. He was tomahawked and scalped, as was the youngest daughter (considered a warrior's death). The mother was stabbed instead, and then scalped, supposedly for some previous slight involving the refusal to give food to passing tribesmen (Ref 4, p.25). Jacob Hochstetler Sr. and his son Christian, as well as his son Joseph, who was soon found hiding by the log, were taken prisoner. The oldest two married Hochstetler children, John and Barbara (our ancestor), were left behind to grieve their family's destruction.
Map (use link to enlarge) showing the western route Jocob Hochstetler and his two sons were forced to march for 17 days after being taken into captivity. Also depicted is the escape route Jacob used when fleeing back home to the Northkill community.
The captives were taken west into Ohio territory and separated from one another. Christian Hochstetler was the youngest of the abducted family members, about 11 at the time. He was said to have had striking blue eyes that enamored the Shawnee. An elder Indian adopted him as a son and Christian became very attached to him. After the old man's death, Christian was allowed to choose an Indian brother, and became very close with him also. His brother, Joseph, who was about 13 at the time of his capture, was similarly treated. He was taken to the Native American town of Tulhillas, where he was also adopted and became close enough to a few of the Shawnee that he considered them as his brothers. It was only Jacob Sr. Hochstetler who was continually watched by the Shawnee with suspicion. As well they should have given that he never lost his desire to return home. Unfortunately, the Indians had taken them so far from their homeland that Jacob saw nothing familiar around him to help orient his way back. Additionally, they changed camps frequently with the seasons. His luck changed about three years into his captivity when he happened upon a group of older men explaining the local geography to a group of Shawnee boys by drawing in the ashes with a stick. Jacob pretended not to know what they were discussing, but he heard the names of various rivers and mountain ranges spoken as they were pointed to on the crude map.
Jacob shared what he had learned with another captive man named John Specht, and they made their escape together that night, finding an enclosed area some ways from the village to sleep. Unfortunately, a lone Indian from another camp had had a similar idea and came upon them by accident. They made a pretense of being on a hunting mission, saying that they needed to gather wood for a bigger fire and find some game for dinner, while actually planning to meet again further up the nearby brook. Specht, however, never reappeared at the new site, and Jacob feared he had been killed by the suspicious Indian. From that point on, he fled by night only, concealing himself during the day. He often waded through streams and avoided paths to prevent being tracked. Eventually, the river grew large enough that he was able to make a log raft. Tired and starving, at one point he came to a sharp turn in the river that caused him to fear he was headed in the wrong direction. He went to shore in despair and fell asleep, during which time his dead wife appeared to him in a dream and told him to continue, for he was on the right path. When he awoke, he did just that, never hesitating again.
By the time his raft reached Fort Augusta in PA, he was too weak to stand, and his rescue came just in time. He was taken to Fort Harris for debriefing, where one of the women at the fort nursed him back to health, and before long he was able to continue on his journey home. Once reunited with his remaining family, Jacob began seeking a way to bring his 2 sons home as well. Though the war still continued, at times prisoner exchanges were negotiated, although the Native Americans often claimed that most of the captives did not want to return. On Aug 13, 1762, a friend helped Jacob to write a petition to the Govenor directly, asking him to intercede on behalf of his sons. Finally, on Oct 17, 1764, as the war was coming to an end, an agreement to return the remaining 103 White prisoners was accepted by the Shawnee. A number were returned in Nov of 1764, just before the winter set in. The remainder rejoined their prior communities in the Spring of 1765. It is unknown when, exactly, Joseph and Christian were reunited with their birth family. What is known is that after having made a family for themselves among the Shawnee, they both struggled with the decision of whether or not to return. Joseph is said to have continued to visit with his Native American brothers for many years after. Christian is said to have "dramatically" converted to the
Dunkard faith, who practiced baptism by immersion, and soon became a preacher in Somerset Co. Both he and Joseph eventually married and settled down within their White communities, but were also said to have retained "unusual" habits that never fully left them.
Grave marker at the end of the drive where the old Jacob Hochstetler homestead was located
Barbara (Hochstetler) Stutzman must have been overjoyed to have her remaining family members returned. On the day of the massacre in 1757, Barbara was about 25 years old, and she and her husband Christian had 3 young children, with one more on the way. Living a half mile away, they probably did not hear the initial commotion, though they likely saw the smoke when they awoke. Their child
Christian Stutzman, Jr. (our direct ancestor) was born just three and half months after the attack in Jan. 1758. While Jacob Hochstetler and his two sons were gone, Christian Stutzman Sr. is said to have helped Jacob Hochstetler's oldest son John to manage his father's large farm. By the time her younger brothers were returned, he and Barbara had added 3 more children, and in 1770 they completed their family of 11.
After the attacks, a number of the original Amish families began to move away from the Northkill community, though the settlement continued to grow until the 1780s. In 1760, one group resettled near
Churchtown in Lancaster Co., PA in what is now the oldest Amish community still in existence. Then, in 1772, after land west of the Allegheny mountains was opened for settlement, another group set out for
Somerset Co., PA, near Johnstown, which is now the second oldest Amish community (Brothersvalley). Many of Christian Sr. and Barbara (Hochstetler) Stutzman's children chose to resettle in the Somerset community upon reaching adulthood. As the oldest son, however, Christian Jr. Stutzman chose to stay in Berks Co., where he inherited his father's land after his death in 1770. His first wife, Esther Steiner, died shortly after they were married, perhaps in childbirth. By 1786, he had remarried to Susanna Miller/Müller and started a family of what would become 11 children (Note 4). His third born child,
Abraham Stutzman (b. 1787), was our direct ancestor.
After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the west began to open up further. In 1791, several Amish families in Lancaster Co. decided to purchase farmland in the Big Valley (
Kishacoquillas Valley) of Mifflin Co., PA. The land there was very fertile, and it became a prosperous community. By 1800, the settlement had grown to about 50 Amish households. Though getting on in their years, in about 1812, Christian Jr. and Susanna (Miller) Stutzman decided to join with the
Big Valley Amish group, accompanied by most of the families of their adult children as well (Ref. 7, p.48; Ref 4, p.612). Between 1810-1820, a number of other Northkill Amish community members made a similar journey. Christian Jr. and Susanna purchased 150 acres of land in Derry Township, which they later sold to their son Abraham in about 1817 (Ref 13, Gen 2 &
endnotes, Ref 14, p.420).
Farms of the Big Valley in Mifflin Co., PA by Delmas Lehman (2017)
One of the earliest Berks Co. settlers to relocate to the Big Valley was the family of Joseph Yoder and Elizabeth (Jutzi). Joseph and Elizabeth had 9 children, and three of them were joined in marriage with the children of Christian Jr. and Susanna (Miller) Stutzman. Our ancestor, Abraham Stutzman, married Catherine Yoder in about 1815. Christian Jr. passed on 12 Sept 1825 (Note 5), leaving his sons Daniel and Abraham to administer his estate (Ref 8,
Gen 2, fn 4). Shortly after his death, his son Michael moved his family to Green Twp., Wayne Co., OH, where his brother Daniel was helping to found a new Amish community which would eventually become the
Oak Grove Amish Mennonite Church (Ref 10). However, starting in 1834, some Amish families broke away from this new community under the guidance of David Zook, to move southward into Fairfield Co., Ohio, and our Stutzman line seems to have been involved with this relocation (Ref 11). By 1850, the families of all but Christian and Susanna Stutzman's oldest daughter, Elizabeth Schmucker, had resettled in one of these two Ohio communities. Other related Amish Stutzman lines settled in
Tuscarawas, Holmes Co., OH, which is still the largest Old Order Amish Community of the USA.
Abraham and Catherine (Yoder) Stutzman moved to North Berne, Fairfield Co., OH (2 miles south of Colfax) by 1840. They had five children who lived to adulthood, though their daughter Elizabeth Plank died in childbirth at the age of only 21. Their oldest,
Emanuel Stutzman (b.1816) was our direct ancestor. The Fairfield community thrived for a few decades, but cheap, fertile land out west continued to lure both old and new Anabaptist immigrants to westward locations. At the same time the Civil War was raging, the Stutzman's left this slowly withering community and made their way to the growing
Lagrange-Elkhart Old Order Amish Settlement of Indiana (Ref 13). This community was founded in 1841 and still thrives today.
Indiana Amish/Mennonite Settlements as of 1950s. Isaac Schmucker (b.1810), a grandson of Christian and Susanna (Miller) Stutzman, became the first Amish Bishop of northern Indiana.
Abraham and Catherine (Yoder) Stutzman died within a few years of moving to Indiana and are buried in the
Maple Grove Cemetery of Topeka, LaGrange Co., IN. In his 1867 Will, Abraham directed his property to be sold and the proceeds divided equally among his children, but he made sure to also include his grandson Amos Plank, the only child of his daughter Elizabeth who had died in childbirth. Our ancestor, Emmanuel Stutzman, had married Catherine Berkey back in 1839, and by 1867 had a family of 7 children (one having died as an infant). They settled in Eden Twp, LaGrange Co., IN. Their 4th child,
Magdalena Stutzman (b.1846) was our direct ancestor.
Only three of Emmanuel and Catherine (Berkey) Stutzman's children stayed in the LaGrange-Elkhart Amish Settlement area.
By the 1880s, most Native Americans had been confined to reservations, and the investment in railroad infrastructure following the Civil War had connected the nation like never before. The modernization of the industrial age caused tensions within Amish communities, particularly among the Old Order Amish who were more conservative. By 1878,
most Amish communities had chosen to join with more progressive Mennonite communities (who are more accepting of new technologies), thus becoming Amish Mennonites, (many later dropped the Amish from the name altogether). It is noticeable that between 1870-1880, while these shifts within the Amish community were occurring, three of the families of Emmanuel and Catherine’s grown children chose to relocate. The family of their daughter Lizzie Plank moved on to Davis Co., IA, where a more progressive Mennonite community was forming. Their daughter Catherine Hartzler's family moved to a nearby Amish community in Starke Co., IN that tried to preserve more of the Old Order traditions. Meanwhile, their daughter Anna Crosby's family left for Rhea Co., TN, where no known Amish community existed. Their youngest, Ephriam, initially went back to the diverse Mennonite area encompassed by the Big Valley of PA, but eventually retired to CA. Even for the three children who remained, (Rebecca Greenwalt, Magdalena Kent, and Abraham Stutzman), the Amish-Mennonite Community of Elkhart-LaGrange fractured and evolved as well.
The current Amish population map closely mirrors the migration path taken by our Amish Stutzman ancestors. It is said that at one time, Amish communities were plentiful enough to create a migration trail network of settlements that reached all the way from PA to IN. Most of those settlements have gone extinct by today.
Rebecca Greenwalt and Catherine Hartzler are found in Mennonite records, and most likely remained in the faith. Anna Crosby and Ephriam most likely did not. Our ancestor, Magdalena "Martha" Stutzman, married Robert
Kent in 1870. Robert father, Orvin Kent, had described himself as a
Swedenborgian, but his son Robert was a Methodist, and that seems to be the faith they followed. Martha was blessed with only 2 children, the first of whom died in early infancy, and perhaps that affected her faith as well. Their surviving son, Bernis Kent, shows no indications of having ever been affiliated with the Amish faith. Most likely we still have Amish Mennonite relatives out there somewhere though, and this Stutzman line has clearly been deeply involved in the Anabaptist movement for over 200 years!
Stutzman Descendancy
Research Notes
0) In 1732, the colony of PA secured a release from the Delaware Indians on the land that would later become Berks Co., thus allowing it to be opened for White settlement. In 1736, the immigration of the families of Melchoir Detweiler and Hans Sieber were sponsored by Amish church leaders from Alsace. They were to determine whether or not this new land was a suitable resettlement area for their Amish refugee community. They purchased land in future Upper Bern Twp., settling along both the Northkill and Irish Creeks. A favorable report soon followed, and the following year a ship called the Charming Nancy brought another 21 Amish families to the area. Additional ships soon followed, with another large group arriving in 1742, and smaller groups in between. (Duane Kauffman, Mifflin County Amish and Mennonite Story, 1791-1991, pp. 19-20.)
1) Maudlin Stutzman is assumed to be a widow due to having purchased the land in her own name. Also, her name has not been found on any ship manifest from that time (Ref 15, Ref 13), which usually only recorded the names of male passengers at the age of 16 or older. It is furthermore assumed that her children were minors at the time of voyage, due both to them not appearing on any ship records, and to not having purchased any land of their own until 1747. (The minimum age for purchasing land was 21 at the time, so they must have been born by at least 1726. But to be less than age 16 in 1736, they must have been born after 1720 as well. Thus, Christian and Hans were probably about 10-15 years of age during the voyage.) It is possible that Maudlin had more children as well. We only know of her 2 sons because of land records, and so daughters or children who died before adulthood would be much harder to track. It is also possible that her husband died as late as on the ship journey itself, which at that time took about 2-3 months under horrible conditions. What is known is that many children did not survive early ocean crossings, particularly infants. Nor did the sick or elderly.
2) There was a Christian Stutzman and Magdalena (Steck) banished from Bern, Switzerland in 1711 according to "Gingerich, Hugh F., and Kreider, Rachel W., Amish and Amish Mennonite genealogies. Gordonville, Pennsylvania: Pequea Publishers (1986), p.848". In the past it has been suggested that Magdalena was Maudlin were the same person, and thus Christian Stutzman was her husband, who must have died before 1738. However, newer research has shown this not to be the case. Not only are they too old, having been born in 1677 and 1674 respectively, but evidence shows them to have resettled and remained in the Netherlands instead.
In 1747, the same year Hans Studzman warranted land on an adjacent plot to Mandlin Stuedsman (assumed to be Maudlin Stutzman), her son, Christian Stutzman, resurveyed and expanded the original land holding. When Maudlin died in 1760, this land was passed to him (Ref 7, p.65), suggesting that Christian was the oldest son (though it also appears Hans may have died by this time). Also of note, there are land records in the same area for two other Berks Co. Christian Stutzmans, as well as a couple unrelated Jacob Stutzmans. These land records were initially conflated by Harvey Hochstetler to be the same people, but that has since been disproven (Ref 13).
3) Many people in the past have cited Anna Lorenz (a notable family) as Jacob Hochstetler’s wife based purely on speculation put forth in Ref 4, but there has been no evidence to support this (see section titled “Mrs. Jacob Hochstetler”). Immigration records do show her first name as Anna. More recent evidence suggests her maiden name may have been Burki, though this has not yet been firmly established. Given the repeated presence of the Bürki/Berkey surname in our own Stutzman/Hochstetler lines, as well as the Berkey's that were living close to the Hochstetler's in Northkill, I find this to be a likely possibility. At the very least, it seems more likely than the prior Lorenz assumption, though neither option is yet based on primary sources.
4) Regarding Christian Jr.’s 3 wives - Harvey Hochstetler identified his wife as Elizabeth Steiner (Ref.4, p.612), whereas Paul Hostetler identified her as Susanna Miller (Ref. 7, p.48). The record for his marriage to Elizabeth Steiner can be found in Ref 8. The evidence for his marriage to Susannah Miller can be found in Ref 9. In this source, a discussion of Christian Stutzman Jr.'s appointment to administer the estate of David Bearinger is presented, in which he is described as the deceased's brother-in-law. This relationship comes through the deceased's widow, Elizabeth Mueller/Miller, who was the sister of Susanna Mueller/Miller. Based on the 1786 date of this case, I have assigned our ancestor Abraham (b.1787) to be the son of Susanna Miller rather than Elizabeth Steiner. As for the third wife, Mary Beiler, I have found no direct proof of this, but it has been reported in enough places that I have kept it for now. The Beilers were a closely associated family within the early Amish settlements.
5) This date is often misstated as 3 Jan 1834, but this is actually the date for another Christian Stutzman who lived in Somerset Co. rather than Mifflin Co.
References
1) Baughman, J. Ross. "Apart from the world: an account of the origins and destinies of various Swiss Mennonites...", Edenburg, VA : Shenandoah History Publishers, 1997. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/148167-apart-from-the-world-an-account-of-the-origins-and-destinies-of-various-swiss-mennonites-who-fled-from-their-homelands-in-remote-parts-of-the-cantons-zurich-aargau-and-bern-as-well-as-alsace-the-kurpflaz-sic-and-later-along-the-edges-of?offset= : 2024.
2) PA State Archives, Warrantee Township Maps. r017-Map2602-Berks-UpperBernTwpWeb.pdf (state.pa.us) : 2024. (Warrants 83, 101, 102, and 111).
3) Explore PA History, Northkill Amish Historical Marker. explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-52 : 2024.
4) Hostetler, Harvey. "Descendants of Barbara Hochstedler and Christian Stutzman". Scottdale, Pa.: Mennonite Pub. House, 1938. Descendants of Barbara Hochstedler and Christian Stutzman : Hostetler, Harvey, 1857-1939 : 2024.
5) "Northkill Amish : The Hochstetler Story." Sheaf House Publishers : 2015. The Hochstetler Story (northkill.com) : 2024.
6) Miller, J. Virgil. "From an Indian Perspective": Descendents of Jacob Hochstetler. Indian Issues & Interactions | hochstetler (jhfa.net) : 2024.
7) Hostetler, Paul V. "Bishop Jacob Hertzler and his Family". Hamden, CT : Privately-published, 1976. Bishop Jacob Hertzler and his family (familysearch.org) : 2024.
8) Stutzman, Charles J. "Genealogy Report: Descendants of Christian Stutzman". Geneology.com, 2003. Charles-J-Stutzman - User Trees - Genealogy.com : 2024.
9) Hostetler, James. TNG 14 Database. Swiss Anabaptist Genealogical Association, 2023. SAGA Home (saga-omii.org) : 2024.
10) Umble, John S. "Wayne County Amish (Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 22 Feb 2024. Wayne County Amish (Ohio, USA) - GAMEO : 2024.
11) Umble, John S. "Fairfield County (Ohio, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 22 Feb 2024.
Fairfield County (Ohio, USA) - GAMEO : 2024.
12) Wenger, John C. and Russell R. Krabill. "Indiana (USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Web. 22 Feb 2024.
Indiana (USA) - GAMEO : 2024.
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