Anmerkung |
father Hans George Hartzell Jr. drowned
One month after their first child was born, Hans George Jr. obtained a warrant, 20 Dec 1737, for 200 acres surveyed the following December adjoining his father's plantation to the northwest.
During the Supreme Court session of 25-27 Sep 1740, George and his relatives and friends, because they were foreigners and minors when they immigrated, journeyed to Philadelphia and each made his Declaration of Allegiance. They, having "inhabited and resided the space of seven years and upwards in his Majesty's Colonies in America, and not having been absent out of the said Colonies for a longer space than two months, at any one time, during the said seven years", and having produced a certificate showing they had "taken the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in some Protestant or Reformed Congregation in this Province", swore to and signed the prescribed oaths and desclarations entitling them to the benefits of natural born subjects of Great Britain. It was not just in Puritan New England that religious qualifications were prerequisites to civil rights. Here, in the colony founded by William Penn some sixty years before to provide a haven of religious tolerance, membership in a Protestant church was a requirement for full citizenship.
In this record his name appears as "George Hartsell, of Bucks County", the earliest example of the use of an "a" instead of the "e" of Hertzel. In March of 1743, the record shows that Hans George and his brother Johann Leonhard did not appear in court, whereupon their bonds were forfeited. No record as to why they were to appear in court has been found.
During the early years of their married life, there was little opportunity for Hans Georg and Catharine to record the births of their children, as they depended on occasional visiting ministers for baptisms. John, in 1741, and Anna Maria margaretha, in 1743, had their baptisms entered, but Roach does not specify where those records can be found. In 1756, some five years after their youngest child was born, John Egidius Hecker opened books for the Reformed congregation in Lower Saucon, and the names of all of their children were entered in the registers. On 1 Jan 1761 George, as a member of the congregation's consistory, signed the church accounts.
A year later, Hans George and George Heckman were both drowned at Easton, probably as they attempted to cross the Lehigh River. Both men were buried by the Rev. Hecker three days later. George's will, written in German 21 Feb 1757, was proved at Easton 3 Feb 1762. In it, he declared that Catharina was to have full power over all of his estate, so long as she did not marry. His children who were left with their mother he directed "shall be obedient and secure her in Every helpful Thing", but if she remarried, they were to be taken from her "if they are fit to Learn a Trade". His entire estate, including bonds and bills due, amounted to £493, according to the inventory 15 Feb 1762. A vendue held 28 Apr 1762, probably to raise cash to pay off debts, brought in almost £25 from his relatives and neighbors.
The family continued to live on the farm until all of the children were married. Then, 1 Feb 1769, his son-in-law Jacob Gross purchased the plantation for £401, paying to the other heirs their equal shares. A final vendue of the personal estate brought in another £161 two months later, and the final accounting rendered 10 Aug 1769 came to a total estate of £638, a mark of the success Hans George, Jr., attained during his life.
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Verwandtschafts-Ereignisse
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