1990 and 1992 Duffin

 

"The First Map of Germantown, A Neglected Source," by James M Duffin, Germantown Crier, Vol 44, No 2, Fall 1992

"Editor's Note: James Duffin's careful analysis of a much-published manuscript of early Germantown history presents insights into how the early settlers built and controlled their fledgling community. His detailed study allows us a rare view of life in Germantown in the late 17th century. It also clearly shows us the methods by which an historian plays detective. Mr. Duffin combines clues provided in one document with those found in other sources to come up with his conclusions about early Germantown land development and self-governance."

"[The following was written on the back of the map:] Situation of Germantown in Pennsylvania 6 English miles from Philadelphia.

"The long street through the middle of the place is 60 and the cross streets 40 feet the lots, however, 14 rods wide. The inhabitants are ... On the east side, ... 8 and 9 Gerhart Heinrix ...

"On the west side ... 16. Hanns Peter Umbstet, 17 1/2. Peter Schumacher ... "

An Aaron Wunderlich is also shown on the west side, number 20 1/2, with a footnote saying, "Wunderlich, whose name does not appear in any other Germantown records, must have rented this land because he does not appear in the title to the property. He did, however, come over in the same ship as Hendricks, Schumacher, Umstett, Schäffer, and Buchholz ("A Partial List," PMHB 338)."

"Translation of the Writing on the Front of the Map. [lot holders on the West side of the street]

Hans P:r Vmbstat 1 ) x here

) Crefelt purchasers
x hereditary lease holders

COMMENTS

I included the Wunderlick information because it says that he came on the same ship as Hans Peter. In order, after Hans Peter, and moving south, comes Peter Schumacher, then Jacob Tellner, then Wunderlich (lot 20 1/2).

Above are only the parts of this article (and map information) that apply to Hans Peter, and only in English. The article itself includes much more information and lists the owners of all the lots as well as a transcript of the original German.

Since Governor Pennypacker had the original of this map, it's likely that the inclusion of the symbol for Crefelt (Krefeld) purchasers in Hans Peter's listing was another reason Pennypacker thought Hans Peter was from Krefeld. One logical explanation may be that the seller, Dirck Sipman (Sypman), was of Krefeld. Hendricks and Schumacher's listings also show the Crefelt symbol.

There are only the two categories of purchasers, Francfort and Crefelt. The map was created for the Frankfurt Company, and they presumably wanted their purchasers designated as such, so it is also possible that all others were simply lumped in as Crefelt purchasers. The properties were either purchased free and clear, or, as in the case of Hendrichs, Schumacher, and Umstatt, as hereditary lease holders.

Page 17 of this article, showing later owners of the Germantown lots, including Hans Peter's, is mentioned in 1964 Seaman.

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Krefeld Immigrants and Their Descendants, Vol 12, 1995, page 57:

"DUFFIN, James M, THE FIRST MAP OF GERMANTOWN: A NEGLECTED SOURCE, Germantown Crier, Vol 44, #2, 1992, p8. ' … The third and most important clue to the date of the map is the reference to Johannes Cassel being a recent arrival. On 31 March, 1686, Cassel and his son Arnold signed a contract in Frankfurt am Main to settle land in PA for the Frankfurt Co. It was almost a year later that he and his family arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Jeffries. The exact date is uncertain; but it must have occurred between Dec 1686 and Feb 1687. Duffin's sources are Grund and Lager Buch, p253 and his investigation of the map, land records and 'A Partial List,' PMHB 8:329; published from the original at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection. He said: On 8 May 1685 Gerhardt Hendricks, Hans Peter Umstadt, and Peter Schumacher petitioned the Palatine government at Hockheim for permission to leave Kriegsheim. (Paul Michel, "Taufer, Mennoniten und Quaker in Kriegsheim bei Worms," Der Wormsgau 7, 1965, 47). Three months later all three men were in Rotterdam signing contracts with Dirck Sipman for land in Germantown, and arrived in Philadelphia in Oct. Johannes Cassel and Sarah Schumacher probably had more business matters to settle which delayed their departure until around Sept 1696.'"

Quoted directly from the Duffin article:

(Page 7, footnote 25): "On 8 May 1685 Gerhardt Hendricks, Hans Peter Umstadt and Peter Schuhmacher petitioned the Palatine government at Hochheim for permission to leave Kriegsheim (Paul Michel, 'Täufer, Mennoniten und Quäker in Kriegsheim bei Worms,' Der Wormsgau, 7 [1965]:47). Three months later all three men were in Rotterdam signing contracts with Dirck Sipman for land in Germantown (GntL 39: 40; 43: 65; 85) and arrived in Philadelphia in October ('A Partial List, ' PMHB 8: 338).

Page 10: "Since several of the new immigrants in the 1680's were not Quaker, the Germantown Meeting could no longer serve as the official governing body. (44)"

[GntL is "Germantown Landowners 1683-1714," by James M Duffin, also in Germantown Crier, available from Historical Society of PA] (see below)

[PMHB is Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography]

(44) "Many of the later arrivals do not appear in the records of the Abington Monthly Meeting, of which Germantown was since 1687 a part. Several of these families ... continued to attend the Reformed Church (concluded from my study of the church records of Neshaminy and Bensalem Reformed Church and the Sankt Petri Recored, Mühlheim an der Ruhr)."

COMMENTS

Another statement, obviously well-researched, that tells us Hans Peter did not HAVE to be a Quaker just because he lived in Germantown.

This article may be ordered from the The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. It contains much more information about the writing and the names on the map.

It was the mention of this article in Krefeld Immigrants that led me to Michel's article, and from that to the source information that enabled me to find Hans Peter's original passport request and the other Kriegsheim documents. I am extremely grateful to both Iris Carter Jones of KI and to James Duffin. I'm not sure why Iris decided to print the exact section of the article that she did, since it was only a footnote, but I'm sure glad she did!!!

*************************************

In "Germantown Landowners, 1684-1714: Installment IV," Germantown Crier, Vol 42, #3, 1990, page 65, James Duffin presents a history of the transactions for Hans Peter's Germantown Lot Thirteen:

"LOT THIRTEEN
Town lot contains: 19 1/2 A.; length 230p.; width 14p. 4ft. by street, 14p. 8ft. by township line.
Side lot contains: 30 1/2 A.; length 454p., width 13p. 14ft. by Division Street, 13p. 1 ft. by township line.
Note: The Zimmerman-Lehman drafts present this property as one lot; however, it was originally composed of two parcels which were consolidated into one lot during Hans Peter Umstatt's tenure.

"PARCEL A: (24)
6 December 1685. Transaction No. 1
Deed of Sale: William Streeper, Tunes Kunders, and Lenert Arets, all of Gtn., yeomen, to Hanns Peter Umstett, for 25 A., of which 10 were later laid out in the inhabited part, and 15 in the side lots. Acknowledged in open Court of Record held at Germantown on 18 October 1692. Recited in Transaction No. 5."

"(24) It is uncertain in whose right this title derives. Another deed having the same date as this one appears in Parcel C of Lot No. 8 towards Schuylkill (Installment I). Both deeds have a number of grantors who possessed early titles in Germantown. In addition to this the deeds are both for 25 acres and the grantees are both from Kriegsheim in Germany."

NOTE: Per this article, page 65, Lot No. 8 Parcel C is the sale of 25 acres in Germantown to Gerhard Hendricks.

"Parcel B: Dirck Sÿpman
16 August 1685. [Rotterdam]. (25) Transaction No. 2
Deed Poll: Dirck Sipman, of Crefeld, merchant, to Hans Peter Umstett, for 200 A. in Pa. Subject to a ground rent of (2 rix dollars). Recited in Transaction No. 5."

"(25) This and the other details in brackets are taken from the Peter Schumacher deeds of Lot No. 14 towards Schuylkill. Hans Peter Umstatt, Garret Hendricks, and Peter Schumacher were all from Kriegsheim, having traveled together and purchased land together. [For a modern source on the German origins of these three families see: Paul Michel, 'Täufer, Mennoniten und Quäker in Kriegsheim bei Worms'] ['Baptists, Mennonites and Quakers in Kriesheim near Worms'], Sonderdruck aus 'der Wormsgau,' 7(1965/660:47]"

NOTE: Michel's information is shown in various places elsewhere on this site.

"17 December 1689. Transaction No. 3
Deed of Confirmation: Herman Isaac Opden Graeff, lawful attorney and agent of Dirck Sypman, merchant of Crefeld, Co. of Meurs, to Hanns Peter Umstett, for 200 A. in Pa, viz, 25 A. in Germantown (this parcel), 25 A. in Krisheim (Lot No 10 in Krisheim), and 150 A. in Pa. 26). Subject to a ground rent. Acknowledged in open Court of Record held at Germantown on 18 October 1692. Recited in Transaction No. 5."

"(26) The 150 acres, supposed to be somewhere in Pennsylvania, never materialized. Umstatt sold his right to this 150 acres to Matthias Van Bebber, who had bought the Sÿpman's rights, on 17 December 1706 (recited in H17, 169). Van Bebber later acquired a Patent for the land in 'Bebber's Township' present-day Montgomery County using the Sÿpman title."

"17 December 1706. Transaction No. 4
Release: Mathias Van Bebber, of Maryland, gentleman, successor to Dirk Sÿpman's lands, to Hanns Peter Umstett, of Gtn., husbandman, releasing the yearly ground rent on 50 A., the 25 A. in Germantown and the 25 A. in Krisheim 'In tenure and possession of Henry Sellen.' Witnesses: Isaac Shumaker, Henry Pannebecker, Francis Daniel Pastorius. Proved on 18 December 1761. Recorded on 24 August 1762 in Deed Book H., No. 17, pp. 169-70.

"14 October 1710. Transaction No. 5
Deed of Sale: Hanns Peter Umstett, of Gtn., husbandman, to George Adam Hogermoed, of Gtn., weaver, for 50 A. (Parcels A and B). Consideration: £25 silver Pa. money. Witnesses: Francis Daniel Pastorius, James Delaplaine. Proved on 18 December 1761. Recorded on 27 August in Deed Book H., No. 17, pp. 173-76. "

 

ADDITIONAL MENTION OF HANS PETER IN THIS ARTICLE (which appeared in several installments in the Germantown Crier):

Vol 42, #4, 1990, page 85 - 15d 10m 1685 Lot Fourteen, Parcel B, transaction #2, Hanns Peter Umstätt is shown as a witness to the sale of 25 acres to Peter Schumacker by Abraham Isaacks op den Graeff.

On the same page, in footnote 31: "This 150 acres, like that of Hans Peter Umstatt, was never laid out." He is referring to a part of Peter Shoemaker's land transferred in a Deed of Gift from Peter, Sr to Peter, Jr 27d 6m 1694.

COMMENTS

This article may be ordered from the The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. It contains a history of all the early Germantown land transactions by lot number.

 

See Germantown Map 1688

See also 1965 Fry

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2 August 2002