Jacob Mathias Schowalter
The earliest known ancestor of the Showalter line is Hans Schonwalder, first found in the Strengelbach area in the Canton of Bern, now Aargau, Switzerland near Zofingen, half way between Luzern and Basel. According to Heinrich Fehr, a "schonwalder" is a man who lives in a protected forest, that is, a forest which is not cut for wood or timber but is protected so as to act as a barrier to catch and hold the snow in case of an avalanche.
|
Jacob Mathias Schowalder, the immigrant and founder of the Showalter family in America was born about 1694 in Schafbusch,a Mennonite commune near Wissembourg, Alsace, France. Jacob married about 1720 Maria (surname unknown) who was born in 1705 and died in 1778 in Pennsylvania.The Schowalder family had been expelled from Zofingen, Switzerland, about 1671 and removed to the Wissembourg area of Alsace-Lorraine, France. Upward of 2,400 Mennonites, mostly from Switzerland, were believed to have removed to Alsace at that time due to persecution by the Swiss government.[i]
|
The Schowalders settled on a large farm called Schafbusch two miles east of Wissembourg in Alsace. They were tenant farmers of the Catholic land owners who knew from experience that these Mennonites industriously performed their labors and promptly paid their tithes. Other Mennonite families on the Schafbusch farm included Muellers, Borkholders, Webers, Schmitts, Hirshlers and Kraemers. [i]
Jacob Mathias and his family immigrated to America aboard the ship "Brotherhood" arriving Philadelphia November 3, 1750. [ii] He and his sons, Jacob, Peter, Johannes, Joseph and Christian over sixteen years of age, were recorded by Captain John Thompson's clerk. [iii] The Captains were not required to record the names of the wife, daughters or male children under the age of sixteen. In addition, males over 16 were required to sign two oaths: an oath of allegiance to the British Crown and an oath of abjuration which was an oath to to abjure, or renounce, any previous connection to the Pope. [iv]
The "brotherhood" had sailed out of Rotterdam with a stopover in Cowes, England before taking the trans-Atlantic journey to Philadelphia. To reach Rotterdam, the family had traveled about seventy miles southward from Schafbusch to Strasbourg where they had taken passage on a boat down the Rhine to Rotterdam. More details on the river and ocean voyage is given in the page entitled "Journey from Alsace to Philadelphia"
The "brotherhood" had sailed out of Rotterdam with a stopover in Cowes, England before taking the trans-Atlantic journey to Philadelphia. To reach Rotterdam, the family had traveled about seventy miles southward from Schafbusch to Strasbourg where they had taken passage on a boat down the Rhine to Rotterdam. More details on the river and ocean voyage is given in the page entitled "Journey from Alsace to Philadelphia"
Jacob Mathias Showalter and his family settled in Whitehall Township, Bucks County, (later Northamption County, then Lehigh County in 1812) Pennsylvania. Jacob Mathias Schowalter died 28 March 1773. His will of 7 March 1767, Northampton Co., Whitehall Township is given below:
I, Jacob Showalter of Whitehall Township in the County of Northampton in the Province of Pennsylvania having by the blessing of the Almighty God considerably advanced to Old Age and feeling the Infirmities whereof that at the time being of sound understanding of Memory I do in the first place recommend my Soul to the Hands of my True Redeemer Jesus Christ and my body to the Earth untill Resurrection agreeable to the Lords Will and for preventing all contests and disputes which might arise after my decease I have made and published this my Last Will and Testament in manner following. First, I have delivered unto my son Valentine Showalter my plantation or a tract of one hundred acres of land situate in the township and county aforesaid that is to say for the consideration of four hundred pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania and the said money shall be paid to my children in manner following, Valentine Showalter shall of the afores'd four hundred pounds have sixteen pounds beforehand and then my children shall have each an equal part thereof. But in consideration that I have given to my son Valentine sixteen pounds before hand, he shall pay twenty pounds every year commincing to pay the Eldest who is now living and so continuing to the youngest untill each shall have received his part of the afores'd four hundred pounds and he shall give his brothers and sisters notes and bonds for their inheritance. Further I do ordain that my Eldest Son Peter Showalter or his heirs shall have one shilling sterling for his double share of inheritance and over and above the said one shilling he shall not under any pretence whatever have more than an equal part with my other children. And moreover, I Will that the Heirs of my Eldest Son shall in the last place receive their Inheritance. But whatever I have yet in my hands shall remain till after the Mother's death and then it shall be divided like moveable goods among my heirs. And I do further Will and Ordain that if my daughter Ann Trisler should marry again then so much of her hereditary portion as she has yet to receive shall be divided among her children in equal parts tho my daughter may have it in use untill the children come to Age. Further I do constitute and ordain my son Joseph Showalter Overseer. Now I hope that this my Last Will shall be inviolately kept so that if possible none may be wronged. In witness whereof I have in the presence of subscribing witness set my hand and seal hereunto the 7th day of March 1767. (Witnesses: George Graff & Jacob Ber). Signed: Jacob Showalter. |
[i] Rev. Paul Schowalter, 1979, Genealogical Book of the Showalter Family, in A Showalter Lineage from Switzerland in 1566 to Alsaace, France, to Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany to Ohio, U. S. A.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bart/Showalter.htm
[ii] A letter written by Jochen Schowalter said: "Jakob Schowalter, the ancestor of the American Showalters, came to America in 1750 with the 'Brotherhood,' to Lancaster County. His brother Hans, born about 1700 in Schafbusch near Weibenburg [Wissembourg] in Alsace, lived at Geibberg since 1730 and certainly also Jakob."
The writer of the letter stated that these findings were among the papers of his late father. The letter was dated "11. 12. 1995" and addressed to Harold Huber, librarian at the Menno Simons Historical Library, Eastern Mennonite University, in Harrisonburg, VA.; from Jochen Schowalter, Am Stahlberg 7, 67808 Bennhausen, Germany. The letter is in a file-box called Showalter correspondence in the open stacks. in rootsweb, Contact: Chris Hankins, ludlowbay@live.com
[iii] Pennsylvania German Pioneers Passenger Lists, Palatine German Immigration Ships to Philadelphia 1740-1752, Ancestry.com
[iv] Ralph Beaver, 1934, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, ed. William John Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Pennsylvania German Society, Norristown, Pennsylvania, 771 p.