447The year was 1749. Frederick the Great and Empress Maria Theresa were squabbling over the possession of Silesia, not too distant from where Hans Georg Hertel was leaving his homeland to take his family to a new land of opportunity. It is not known from what town they left, but they may have traveled down the Main river to the Rhine and then on to Rotterdam, a journey of four to six weks, being detained frequently by the many custom houses along the way. In Rotterdam the family boarded the ship, Patience, commanded by Captain Hugh Steele.

After stopping at Cowes, England from whence they made the long, difficult, ocean voyage lasting at least seven weeks, they arrived at the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, on 19 September 1749.448 In that year the Philadelphia Academy was founded, later to become the University of Pennsylvania.449

Hans George was born on 10 May 1722 in Schweigern,450 a small town of about 141 familes,451 located in the Grand Duchy of Baden. He was the seventh child of Hans Bastian Hertel and Anna Maria Dieterich, who were married on 12 Jun 1707 at the neighboring town of Bobstadt,450 where Hans Bastian grew up. Hans Bastian’s occupation was listed as gravedigger. Their other children were:452

Thomas-17 Jan 1708; Hans Bastian-16 Mar 1711; Daniel-14 Jul 1713-29 Sep 1736; Anna Catharina-26 Feb 1716; Johannes-13 Mar 1718-8 Aug 1718; Hans Martin-15 Sep 1719; Maria Otilia-12 Jun 1726-20 Mar 1766; Hans Michael-15 Oct 1730

Although the records of Schweigern show that Hans George’s siblings did not stay in Schweigern, as far as we know none of them emigrated to America.

In 1736, at the age of 14 years, Hans George’s confirmation was recorded at the Reformed Church in Schweigern. Where he ventured after then is uncertain, but sometime later at a different location, he married Margaret. Some people have shown her maiden name as Hertz, but I have never been able to find any documentation for that. Hans George and Margaret had a son, Frederick, born on 23 Jan 1747 as recorded in the old family Bible.446 He would have been only 2 1/2 years of age when the family made the long journey to America.

As was required by the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, Hans George Hertel took the oath of allegiance to the King of Great Britain with the other male passengers who arrived that day. The fact that he signed his own name indicates that he had received a basic education, as many who took the oath signed only with a mark. Throughout his life he continued to sign his name with the original spelling in the old German script. In addition to his signature when he arrived in Philadelphia, his signature is recorded on a petition by 450 inhabitants of Frederick County, Maryland on 5 March 1766 to Governor Horatio Sharpe to call the state assembly together for the purpose of issuing bills of credit to pay the public creditors.453 His last recorded signature is on his will, signed only three days before his death.454

Subsequent to his arrival in Philadelphia we have no record of Hans George until 13 Sep 1760 when he purchased 52 acres of land located in Frederick County, Maryland from Michael Leatherman for “sixteen pounds Current Money.”455 On 19 Feb 1761 he obtained a warrant for a land grant of an additional 50 acres of nearby land. The warrant was renewed on 10 Feb 1762 and a patent was granted on 6 May 1766 for this parcel of land called “Hartel’s Lott.”456 On 7 Jun 1770 he was granted a patent on an adjacent 9 1/2 acres caslled “Little Timber.”456 He apparently made extensive additions to these properties as he was said to have owned 350 acres of land at his death.457

The name was shown as Hartley on some of the above transactions, and he is probably the same George Hartley that is listed on a payroll for the French and Indian War in 1767. For that service he received six shillings.458

Hans George had four sons and two daughters that survived until his death. The only clear dates for his children’s births found in his Bible are for the oldest, Frederick, born 23 Jan 1747, and the youngest, Sebastian, born 7 Dec 1761.446 I have never been able to find any documentation for the birth dates of his other children.

The family resided near Leitersburg, and in 1768 he served as constable of the Upper Antietam Hundred.457 On 23 Mar 1776 the Council of Safety at Annapolis issued a request for housekeepers to send blankets and rugs to be used for the revolutionary forces who were unable to obtain sufficient blankets for the regular army. George Hartle is recorded as providing a blanket valued at 18 shillings.459

Later that year he died - 13 Sep 1776.446 He was buried “at Antietam church, near Trovinger’s mill on the farm of Daniel Doub.457 “During the year 1904, the stone that once marked the grave of George Hartle was dug from an old stone fence on the farm now owned by Joshua Hoover, at the end of the Antietam Creek.”460 It was later in the yard of his great grandson, John H. Hartle, and now rests in the cemetery behind the St. James’ Reformed Church in Leitersburg.

In his will none of the children nor his wife’s names are given, but he appointed his two eldest sons to be executors of his estate. In the settlement of the estate Frederick and Martin are listed as executors with Frederick’s name first, probably she he was the eldest, although in the listing of the children’s names in the body of the document, Martin appears first, followed by “Frederick, Michael, Bastian, Eave and Peggy.” His estate was listed as 422 pounds, 13 shillings, 6 1/2 pence, one third of which went to his widow, the balance to be divided among the children.461 From the Calendar of Wills462:

“HARTLE, GEORGE, Frederick Co. 10 Sept. 1776; 20 Oct. 1776

To wife (unnamed) L10 and 1/3 part of real and personal estate and possession of dwelling house during life.

To four sons: (unnamed) all my lands to be divided between them they to pay to my daughters (unnamed) the sume of L64.20.

Personal estate to be divided among all my children. Two eldest sons (unnamed) to act as Exs.

Wit: Daniel Hughes; Christopher Burkett; Vandel Sedes. 41. 193”

I do not believe this included the land, which according to the provisions of his will was to be equally divided among his four sons. The inventory of appraisal of his personal estate consisted of the following:

“Eight horses, 11 cattle, 11 hogs, 14 sheep, 1 iron harrow, 1 mill for cleaning grain, 1 old wagon, 1 grindstone, 2 mattocks, 1 sprouting hoe, 1 garden hoe, 2 weeding hoes, 1 broad-ax, 1 spade, 2 shovels, 1 brass scythe, 2 axes, 4 forks, 1 branding iron, “plow irons”; 1 weaver’s loom and stays, 1 iron stove, 1 clock, “pewter basins, dishes and plates,” pewter spoons, 1 brass ladle, 1 iron kettle, “iron spoons, ladles, and water buckets,” 1 large Bible, “books of different sorts.””457

“Names of foreigners who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania: Hans Geo. Hertel”

270News From the Past About Hans Georg Hertel

Last spring when my wife and I returned from the annual meeting of the national Genealogical Society in Richmond, Virginia, a letter was waiting for me from Friedrich R. wolmershauser, a professional genealogist in Germany. Mr. wolmershauser had found the record of emigration tax for Hans Georg Hertel, the immigrant ancestor of our Hartle line.

I responded immediately, complying with his request, and soon learned that Hans Georg had left from the village of Eberstadt near the city of Buchen in the margraviate of Baden. I then ordered a microfilm of the Eberstadt church records from the LDS Family History Center.

The pastor’s record in old German script was clear, but it appeared to differ from most marriage records, and my command of the German language was insufficient to translate it without more professional help. The record was indeed different than most, and I was somewhat surprised with the translation as follows:

“1746 ... Hans Georg Hartel and Anna Margaretha Gramlich, because they have already produced a child in disgrace, they have finally gotten a license from the county to get married, which took place 13 July following a Wednesday prayer session. The ceremony did not take place here, but in Adelsheim, because both are working there.”463

Subsequently I obtained records from Adelsheim, but was unable to find any additional information regarding the marriage, or of the birth of the first child. Most probably it was Martin, but we cannot be sure without finding the record of baptism.

The church records from Eberstadt did include the baptism of the next child who was Frederick, christened Johann Friderich on 7 August 1747, with date of birth given by the pastor as 26 July. This contrasts with the date, 23 June 1747, written in the Bible of Hans Georg, probably in his handwriting.

Dr. Roger Minert, the expert in German script who translated the church records for me, said that the difference in dates is common for German immigrants of that time. We have no means of knowing which is the correct date of birth. I prefer the date recorded in the Bible by Frederick’s parents.

Later this summer I received a copy of the emigration tax record including a translation by Mr. Wolmershauser as follows:
Endorsement:
“Calculation of the emigration tax for the exported property of Georg Hertel, formerly a subject at Eberstadt, heading for the New World, written on 5 May 1749.”
Text:
“Calculation of the emigration tax of Jerg Hertel at Eberstadt
His property consists of a sold house valued - 121 florins
In addition, from his deceased mother-in-law - 3 florins
The bed, linen, and old trunk, and the cloths were valued all together, because it consists of a few bad pieces only - 20 florins
Total - 144 florins
This yields the following amount of emigration tax 14 fl. 24 Kreuzer
Calculated at Eberstadt on 3 May 1749
Official - Ruoff
Jerg Hertel indicated the following debts:
36 fl. to Sebastian Hertel at Adelsheim.
17 fl. to Philipp Ernst Gramlich at Sindolsheim.
Total - 53 fl.
After subtracting these debts, the exported property is 91 fl.
This yields as emigration tax 9 fl. 6 Kr.
108 fl. are subject to emigration tax which makes 10 fl. 48 Kreuzer.”464

This record raises additional questions which I have not yet been able to resolve. Sebastian Hertel would have likely been Hans Sebastian, the father of Hans Georg. Did the family of Hans Georg move to Adelsheim after the date of Hans Georg’s confirmation in Schweigern? I could find no entries for any Hertel in the microfilmed church records from Adelsheim. Philipp Ernst Gramlich was undoubtedly a relative of Anna margaretha - brother uncle?

Also included with the emigration tax record was a list of ten persons who were emigrating to the New World and subject to the 10% emigration tax including “Jorg Hertel.” This list was not entirely translated, but includes the name of Adam Gramlich. Among the passengers on the ship, Patience, to arrive with Hans Georg Hertel at the port of Philadelphia on 19 September 1`749 was Hans Adam Gramlich.448

One of the sponsors for the christening of Johann Friderich Hertel was “Adam, legitimate unmarried son of local citizen Adam Gramlich.”463 Very likely Hans Adam Gramlich, who arrived with the Hertel family was this Adam and closely related, possibly a brother, to Anna Margaretha. If so, the elder Adam would have been her father.

Other passengers on the Patience whose names are included in the emigration list from Eberstadt are Adam Hettinger and Heinrich Hafner. About six of those included on that list are not names as such, but listed as “the burgermeister’s [mayor’s] son”, “Peter Ernst’s son” (may have been passenger Adam Ernst) and “Hans Ruffner’s daughter.” I am still working on a more complete translation. It is hoped that additional records from the area will include more information such as the baptism of Georg and Margaretha’s first child.

With the location of this marriage record the previously supposed main name of Margaret Hertz is disproven. I have never been able to find any information to support the maiden name of Hertz, and even the German professor, with whose help I found the birth place of Hans Georg, doubted the likelihood of Hertz being correct.

In the records of the late Mrs. Paul J. Westhaeffer of Arlington, Virginia, is the carbon copy of a letter written in 1863 in which she states that the name, Hertz, came from DAR papers prepared by Azalea Badgely Green. In the letter she wrote “Close to the bottom of the card, she wrote that Conrad’s [Nicodemus] wife was “dau. of George & Margaret (Hert-) Hartle; the name in parentheses was tipped & crowded at the end of line, and looked like Hertz. I have eliminated this from my records.”

Served the Revolutionary War - Public Service from Maryland; listed in DAR Patriot Index

Birth: Germany 10 May 1722; Rank: Public Service; State of Service: Maryland; Death: 13 Sep 1776; Spouse: Margaret65