Clymer Weir Cox Genealogy » REV. JACOB HENDRICHS (PA 1702) (GODSHALK) GODSHALL (± 1666-1763)

Persoonlijke gegevens REV. JACOB HENDRICHS (PA 1702) (GODSHALK) GODSHALL 

• Hij is geboren rond 1666 in Goch, Germany (near Kleve, by dutch border SE of Nijmegen).
• Hij is gedoopt op 7 april 1686 in Goch, same day as wife-to-be.
• Geëmigreerd in het jaar 1702, From Goch, Germany (north of Krefeld) to Germantown, Pennsylvania with his father.
• Geëmigreerd in het jaar 1702, Jacob was cousin to Thomis Koenders who arrived in Germantown in 1683 and in whose home the Quakers held their meetings. He also made a major contribution to the new Quaker meetinghouse.
• Genaturaliseerd op 29 augustus 1709, Philadelphia County, listed as Jacob Gaetshalck Vander Heggen and his son was Gaetschalck Vander Heggen.
• Beroep: in Carpenter or "turner".
• Eigendommen:
• Geloof: Mennonite.
• Woonachtig:
• in het jaar 1702: Puchased 50 acres in Germantown, Pennsylvania. His stone house was on 50 acres on the southeast side of Penn Street.5273 GERMANTOWN AVENUE, PHILADELPHIA.
• in het jaar 1702: Puchased 50 acres in Germantown, Pennsylvania. His stone house was on 50 acres on the southeast side of Penn Street.
• (Homestead) in het jaar 1983 in From Lansdale take Rt. 63 to Towamencin Meetinghouse. Jacob Godshall's farm was beyond the cemetery. The home was torn down many years, Angola.
• (Noted for) in Participated in the preparation of an English edition of a Mennonite Catechism.
• Hij is overleden mei 1763 in Kulpsville, Towamencin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
• Hij is begraven in het jaar 1763 in Cemetery of Towamencin Mennonite Meetinghouse although there is no marker.
• Een kind van Gaetschalk (Theunissen) (Thonis) Tunis en Lehntgen (Henrichs) Hendricks
• Deze gegevens zijn voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 15 januari 2022.

Gezin van REV. JACOB HENDRICHS (PA 1702) (GODSHALK) GODSHALL

(1) Hij is getrouwd met AELTIEN SYMONS HERMANS.

Zij zijn getrouwd op 20 februari 1689 te Goch Mennonite Church, Germany.

Kind(eren):

1. GODSHALK HERMANS (PA 1702) (GODSHALK) GODSHALL  1693-1748 
2. JAN HERMANS GODSHALL  1695-1759 
3. MAGDELENA HERMANS GODSHALL  1696-1763 
4. BARBARA HERMANS GODSHALL  > 1695-????
5. ALICE HERMANS GODSHALL  > 1695-????
6. SUSANNA HERMANS GODSHALL  > 1695-????
7. CATHERINE HERMANS GODSHALL  > 1695-????
8. ELIZABETH HERMANS GODSHALL  > 1695-????
9. HERMAN HERMANS (GODSHALK) GODSHALL  1698-1785 
10. ANNA HERMANS GODSHALL  1706-1768 

(2) Hij is getrouwd met Rosanna Unknown.

Zij zijn getrouwd na 1706.

Notities over REV. JACOB HENDRICHS (PA 1702) (GODSHALK) GODSHALL

Note: N227 The Dordrecht Confession of Faith is a statement of religious beliefs adopted by Dutch Mennonite leaders at a meeting in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, on 21 April 1632. Its 18 articles emphasize belief in salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism, nonviolence (non-resistance), withdrawing from, or shunning those who are excommunicated from the Church,[1] feet washing ("a washing of the saints' feet"),[2] and avoidance of taking oaths. It was an influential part of the Radical Reformation and remains an important religious document to many modern Anabaptist groups such as the Amish. In 1725, Jacob Gottschalk met with sixteen other ministers from southeastern Pennsylvania and adopted the Confession. They also wrote the following endorsement, which Gottschalk was the first to sign: [3] :217 We the hereunder written Servants of the Word of God, and Elders in the Congregation of the People, called Mennonists, in the Province of Pennsylvania, do acknowledge, and herewith make known, that we do own the foregoing Confession, Appendix, and Menno's Excusation, to be according to our Opinion; and also, have took the same to be wholly ours. In Testimony whereof, and that we believe that same to be good, we have here unto Subscribed our Names.
? Memorial stone at Towamencin Mennonite meetinghouse Cemetery:
? IN MEMORY OF BISHOP JACOB GOTTSHALL 1670-1763. BORN IN GOCH,GERMANY, ORDAINED A BISHOP IN THE GERMANTOWN MENNONITE CHURCH IN 1702 AND ALSO SERVED THE SKIPPACK AND TOWAMENCIN CONGREGATIONS. HE PERFORMED THE FIRST BAPTISM AND CONDUCTED THE FIRST COMMUNION SERVICE IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH IN 1708. THE SKIPPACK ALMS AUDITS WERE SIGNED BY HIM FROM 1745-1757. HE OWNED A FARM OF 120 ACRES WHICH INCLUDED THIS CHURCH SITE. UNDOUBTEDLY , HE IS BURIED HERE BUT NO MARKER REMAINS, THEREFORE THIS MARKER IS ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THIS ENERGETIC LEADER.
? Rev. Jacob Gaedtschalck (ca. 1666-1763) & Aeltien (Adelheid) Hermans (ca. 1667-1706)
? He was born ca. 1666 Goch Germany (near Kleve, by Dutch border SE of Nijmegen), son of Gottschalk Thonis; she was born ca. 1667 in Goch. They married 20/2/1689. Here is a picture of their home. He died 5/1763 and she died before 1709. They are probably buried at Towamencin Mennonite cemetery, Montgomery Co. PA.
? He came to America in 1702 with his family. He was elected deacon of the Germantown Mennonite congregation and on 8/10/1702 he became a preacher. He officiated at the first baptism in 1708 and the first communion 1708 held by the Mennonites in America. In 1708 he was listed as Jacob Gaetschalck Vander Heggen and his son of Gaetschalck Vander Heggen, with the family name discontinued after the Dutch custom
? He arranged with the Ephrata cloister in 1745 to have them translate (from Dutch into German) and print Thielman J. van Braght's 1660 Bl˚tige Schau-platz oder Martyrer Spiegel (The Bloody Theatre or Martyr's Mirror ), a history of religious persecutions of Christians opposed to infant baptism and war; the work took 15 men 3 years to finish and in 1749, at 1512 pages, was the largest book published before 1800.
? Jacob was a turner (woodworker) by trade. His stone house was on 50 acres in Germantown on the southeast side of Penn St. In 1714 he purchased land in Towamencin between Kulpsville and the Skippack Creek, next to his son Gaedstschalck Gaedtschalcks, part of which became the present Towamencin Mennonite Church and cemetary.
? His grave is unmarked; however, there is a memorial stone that reads: "In memory of Bishop Jacob Gottshall 1670-1763 Born in Goch Germany, ordained a bishop in the Germantown Mennonite Church in 1702 and also served the Skippack and Towamencin congregations. He performed the first baptism and conducted the first communion service in the American church in 1708. The Skippack alms audits were signed by him from 1745-1757. He owned a farm of 120 acres which included this church site. Undoubtedly, he is buried here but no marker remains, therefore this marker is erected in memory of this energetic leader."
? Jacob Godschalck's Will, Dec. 26, 1760 (Phila. #229, M532)
? Whereas I Jacob Godshalk senr. of Towamensin Township in the County of Philadelphia (formerly while I was able, Turner, having considered my old age and the certainty of my death and being desirious that my worldly estate may peaceably be shared among my heirs after my decease therefore I do hereby this 26th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty make my Last Will and Testament as follows;
? Viz. Imprimis I give and bequeath to my son Herman all that tract of land or plantation wherein I and him now dwell containing one hundred and twenty two acres and one half an acre of land (be it more or less) according to the metes and bounds conveyed to me together with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining to the only use and behoof of him the said my son Herman hisheirs and assigns forever which said my plantation or tract of land he is to pay one hundred and twenty five pounds in manner following that is to say twenty five pounds lawful money unto every aone of my children or their heirs at the expiration of one year and one day after my decease.
? Viz; Unto all the children of my deceased son Godshalk twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares. Unto all the children of my deceased son John twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and unto the children of my deceased daughter Magdalena twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and unto my daughter Ana maryed to Peter Custard twenty five pounds thereof and the residuary twenty five pounds my son Herman reserves for himself as his portion thereof equal with his brothers and sisters. All the residue of my personal estate shall likewise be equally divided into five shares and every one of my above named children is to have one share thereof but whereas three of my said children are deceased their share or one fifth part of my whole estate as aforesaid shall again be equally divided among them according to their number and paid to them if ye are twenty one years of age or upwards within two months after my decease what is left of my personalities but their share of my real estate at the time of the above mentioned payment to be made by my son Herman. But whereas most of my deceased childrens children are yet minors their proportionable share shall be reserved for them by my hereafter named executors until they attain their lawful age but case of death as minors their share shall equally be divided unto such minors brothers and sisters or their heirs of or from their body and I do hereby constitute and appoint my loving son in law Peter Custard sole executor of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby make void and annull all my former Wills and Testaments and declare these presents to be my only will of force after my decease in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written. Jacob Godshalk
? Came to America in abt 1702. Full name was Jacob Henrichs Godtschalk V an Der Heggen. He and his son, Godshalk, were naturalized 29 Sep 170 9. He settled first in Germantown, but in Feb 1713, he and his son, Godsh alk, each acquired 123 acres in Towamencin Twp, in what is now Montgome ry Co, PA.
? Will abstract: GODSHALK, JACOB, SENR. Co. of Philadelphia. Turner. December 26, 176 0. June 3, 1763. M.532. To my son Herman the plantation of 122 1/2 acres; he to pay 125 pounds, th at is twenty-five pounds to every one of my children, within one year a nd one day after my decease. Unto all the children of my deceased son God shalk, twenty-five pounds. Unto all the children of my deceased son Joh n, twenty-five pounds. Unto all the children of my deceased daughter Magd alene, twenty-five pounds. Unto my daughter Anna married to Peter Custar d, twenty-five pounds. And the residue of my personal estate shall likewi se be equally divided into five shares and every one of my above-named chi ldren is to have his share. I appoint my son-in-law Peter Custard sole ex ecutor to this my last will and testament.
? Full will posted on-line at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cwo lfram/wills/jacobgodshalk.htm
? Re: Jakob Gottschalk m Aeltein Hermans Posted by: Ernest J. Boehr Date: May 10, 2001 at 18:24:36 In Reply to: Jakob Gottschalk m Aeltein Hermans by Jane Reed of 347
? Notes on the Gottshalls, Maternal Ancestors of Ernest J. Boehr by Ernest J. Boehr, April, 2001
? There are many variations in the spelling of Gottshall. At the same time, they all vary from the original spellings. Some variations include: Gottschalk, Gottshalk, Gottschalck, Gottchalk and many more. The name is first found in Saxony, (see map at right) where they emerged as a notable family name within the principality of Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen. The earliest of Ernestís maternal ancestors came to America in 1702 and settled in Germantown, PA.. Note: Saxony was a state in east-central Germany. It was abolished as a political unit in 1952 and divided into the districts of Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz
? The Germany the Gottshalls Fled
? The ravages of the Thirty Yearsí War, 1618 to 1648, had left Germany a wilderness. It began as a civil war between Protestants and Roman Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the royal family of Austria, the Hapsburgs, but eventually involved most European nations. The cruel invasion of the Palatinate by the French in 1693, with its consequent pestilence and famine, only added to the desperation. To make matters worse, Ernestís relatives were Mennonites, anabaptists, which both the Protestants and Catholics persecuted bitterly. Note:The Palatinate (small light blue area in SW section of the map) was the name of two little states of the old German Empire in the SW part of what is now Germany. Some Mennonites had left for America after the Thirty Yearsí War and founded Germantown, PA, now a suburb of Philadelphia. The good news of religious freedom for William Penn and his Quaker missionaries in Pennsylvania had been circulating in Holland and Germany as early as 1677 and seemed the answer to the prayers of many persecuted for their religion.
? 1. Gottschalk Comes is the first traceable ancestor of Ernestís grandfather, Rev. William S. Gottshall. He was born about 1510 in M˚nchen-Gladbach, now Munchengladbach, North Westphalia, Germany (see the large deep pink area in the W part of Germany). He died there before 01-17-1587. 2. Thonis Comes was born about 1535 in the same place as his father. He was a farmer. As a representative of the M˚nchen-Gladbach Mennonite congregation, he signed the Concept of Cologne. The Concept of Cologne was compiled at the synod in Cologne (see third place name under Westphalia), May 1, 1591, by the Elder Leenaerdt Clock, and signed by 15 preachers of Holland and of the Lower Rhine, Frisians, and High Germans. It states the Mennonite concept of the Christian faith. (Frisian is the language spoken by the Dutch in the northern province of the Netherlands. Friesland.) 3. Gottschalk Comis was born about 1565 in the same place as his father and grandfather. He was also a farmer like his father. 4. Thones Comes was born about 1596 where his ancestors were born. He was a weaver and cloth merchant. He was driven from M˚nchen-Gladbach because of his Mennonite beliefs and fled to Goch, a district of Cleves, Germany (the city WNW of the name Westphalia). 5. Gottschalk Thonis was born between 1625 and 1630 in Munchengladbach. He married Lehntgen Henrichs in 1654 and died in Goch (Cleves), Germany after 01-25-1709. 6. Jacob Goedschalk (Godís Fool)) was born about 1670 in Cleves, Germany. He came to America in 1702 and settled in Germantown, an old section of Philadelphia, PA. He united with the Mennonite congregation and was soon elected a deacon of the church. Still later he was elected a minister. On May 9, 1708 eleven persons were baptized and added to the church. Two weeks later, May 23, 1708, the communion of the Lord's Supper was administered. Rev. Goedschalk had changed his name to Gottshall and officiated at these services. These two services were the first baptismal and communion services conducted by Mennonites in America. October 21, 1702, Jacob Gottshall purchased fifty acres of land from Isaac Shoemaker. He erected a quaint, low but substantial house on the land and lived there for twelve years until he moved to Towamencin Township. The house fronted on Germantown Avenue. The exact spot is now 5273 Germantown Avenue (see ëGottshall Houseí in map above PA map and picture of it on a following page). Ten years later Rev. Gottshall and his son Gottshall Gottshall each purchased 120 acres of land in Towamencin Township. In 1708 Gottshall joined with four other brethren in a letter to Amsterdam, asking for some catechisms for the children and little testaments for the young, stating that only one Bible was among the membership of the church. In 1728 the Mennonite confession of faith was translated into English and printed by Bradford, in Philadelphia. Gottshall was one of the signers testifying to the correctness of the translation. About 1750 Rev. Gottshall arranged for the translation of the Martyrís Mirror. Rev. Gottshall and Dielman Kolb carefully read and corrected the proofs. He was a literary man and conversant in Dutch, German and English. Rev. Gottshall died at 97 years of age in 1763. He probably was buried in the graveyard adjoining the Towamencin Mennonite Church near Kulpsville (see map above). His wife, Aeltien Hermans, died prior to 1706. 7. Gottshall Gottshall (1693-1784) was the oldest of Jacob Gottshallís five children. He worked with his father in the Germantown Mennonite Church, especially in the translating and publishing of literature for the church. He married Eva Custer and they had fourteen children. 8. William Gottshall was the second of the 14 children. His first wife Gertrude Hunsicker bore him six children before she died. He died in 1781. 9. Gottshall Gottshall II (04-08-1753 to 03-15-1824) was the youngest of the six children. He married Elizabeth Ziegler. After the death of his father, he purchased land in Frederick Township, one mile W of Schwenksville, PA, and moved there in 1781. He purchased land from time to time until he owned 400 acres. Most of this land had belonged to the Perkiomen Copper Mine Company, chartered by Act of Assembly in 1772. At his death, he left 246 acres of land to be divided equally between his two sons, Dillman and William. By 1924, the house that he built had been in the family for five generations - 143 years. As of April, 2001, David & Bobby Blackwell live in the Gottshall homestead at 347 Game Farm Rd., Schwenksville, PA 19473. 10 William Ziegler Gottshall (08-25-1784 to 03-25-1875) was the older of the two sons. He married Magdalena Hunsberger. They had thirteen children. William served as a deacon in the Schwenksville Mennonite Church for 43 years. His son Moses became pastor of the church. 11. Moses Hunsberger Gottshall was the sixth of thirteen children. He married Hanna O. Clemens and they had eight children. When Hannah died, he married Mary Shelly. He was chosen by lot to be minister of the Schwenksville Mennonite Church on 12-03-1847 and ordained the same day. He was ordained as a Bishop in 1852 and served the church for 41 years. He preached his last sermon at the Deep Run Mennonite Church, Bucks County, PA, on 10-21-1888 and passed away four days later. Moses Gottshallís education was mostly in German. His sources of inspiration were the Bible and several old volumes of sermons. He never prepared notes but would close his eyes and mumble the message to himself. He was noted far and wide as one of the most naturally eloquent ministers. 12. William Shelley Gottshall (b. 06-23-1865) was the only surviving child of Moses and Mary Shelly. William spent his early days on his fatherís 100 acre farm one mile W of Schwenksville. His early training was in the nearby school and his fatherís home. His father was famous for his sociability and spiritual conversations on Sunday afternoons. William was baptized and received into membership in ìThe Meetinghouse on the Hillî by his father, 11-07-1880, when he was fifteen. The following spring, he took a term at Perkiomen Seminary and began teaching in the fall of 1881. William attended Perkiomen Seminary again in the Spring of 1883 and then taught ëthree termsí of public school. His call to the ministry came in 1885 when he was twenty and his father was seventy. His father told the congregation he needed an assistant so they put up five candidates. The congregation chose William and his older brother Moses, Jr. When the lot was cast, William was chosen and he was ordained the next year on 11-24-1886. Earlier, while William was ministering for his father in the Bowmansville Mennonite Church, Bowmansville, PA, he met Nancy K. von Nieda. They were married on 09-22-1886. William gave himself wholeheartedly to the ministry and soon proved he was endowed with a natural gift of preaching as his famous father. During his ministry in Schwenksville, he built a beautiful home and a new meeting house. His four children were all born in Schwenksville ñ Aaron Elmer on 10-13-1889, Jennie May on 01-24-1892, Flora Alberta on 02-27-1896 and Paul Herbert on 02-12-1898. Rev. Gottshall pastored the Allentown Mennonite Church in Allentown, PA, from 01-01-1906 to October, 1909. On November 9, 1909 he began ministering in three churches in the Bluffton - Pandora, OH, area: Bluffton Mennonite, Ebenezer Mennonite and St. John Mennonite church. He resigned from the Bluffton Church, 03-31-1918, and from the St. John Church on 04-01-1923. One month before he resigned from Ebenezer Mennonite Church, Ernest was born in Bluffton, OH. William ministered next in Freeman, SD, (10-12-1924 to 05-18-1930). It was during this time that P.J. Boehr and his family were going through harrowing experiences in China (see notes on P.J.Boehr). Grandpa Gottshall was pastoring East Swamp Mennonite Church near Quakertown, PA, when we came home from China in 1933. (See Ernest James Boehr) Grandpa served in almost every office of all the Mennonite organizations. His longest tenure was the thirty-six years he served on the General Conference Mennonite Home Mission Board. He was known for his expository preaching and emphasis on the second coming of Christ. Grandpa lived on Juniper St., Quakertown, PA, near ëourí high school until Grandma passed away on 05-27-1939. Then his daughter, Aunt Flora, took him to be with her family in Cleveland, OH, until he passed away on 03-04-1941. Grandpa and Grandma are buried beside his parents, grandparents and daughter, Jennie May Boehr, in the cemetery next to Eden Mennonite Church, Schwenksville, PA. Bibliography: 1. The Genealogy of John William Boehr, David L. Habegger, 03-25-1984; 2.The Genealogical History of the Gottshall Family, Rev. N. B. Grubb, Gottshall Family Association, 1924; 3. A Brief Biography of William S. Gottshall, Published for the 50th Anniversary of Rev. Gottshallís Ordination, East Swamp Mennonite Church, October 21, 1934.
? Bishop Jacob Godshalk's History of the Germantown Mennonites
? Jacob Godshalk (1670-1763) came to Pennsylvania in 1702. In 1708 he became the first Mennonite bishop in America. He later moved to Skippack. Here is Godshalk's account of the Mennonites in America from 1683 to 1708:
? "The beginning of the community of Jesus Christ here at Germantown, who are called Mennonites, took its rise in this way. Some friends out of Holland and Germany came here together. They found it good to have meetings. They were regarded as sheep who had no shepherd since they had no preache "In 1698 more friends came into the land, who were also of our brethren. These, with the first chose by unanimous votes a preacher and some deacons. Thereupon was William Rittenhouse chosen preacher and Jan Nice as a deacon. In 1702 Jacob Godshalk and Hans Nice were chosen preachers. Hans Nice later separated from the community.
? "In 1707 some brethren came to us out of the Palatinate. In 1708 the first- chosen preacher William Rittenhouse died to the great sorrow of the community. Since Jacob Godshalk alone served the community, they considered it necessary to chose three deacons. There were besides three preachers chosen.
? "After this we remained sometime living in good peace. Meanwhile some persons presented themselves to be taken into the community through baptism. The community having consulted together ordered that the request should be complied with. Accordingly this rite was conducted by Jacob Godshalk. Later we celebrated the Lord's Supper as instructed by the Apostles.

Memorial stone at Towamencin Mennonite meetinghouse Cemetery:

IN MEMORY OF BISHOP JACOB GOTTSHALL 1670-1763. BORN IN GOCH,GERMANY, ORDAINED A BISHOP IN THE GERMANTOWN MENNONITE CHURCH IN 1702 AND ALSO SERVED THE SKIPPACK AND TOWAMENCIN CONGREGATIONS. HE PERFORMED THE FIRST BAPTISM AND CONDUCTED THE FIRST COMMUNION SERVICE IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH IN 1708. THE SKIPPACK ALMS AUDITS WERE SIGNED BY HIM FROM 1745-1757. HE OWNED A FARM OF 120 ACRES WHICH INCLUDED THIS CHURCH SITE. UNDOUBTEDLY , HE IS BURIED HERE BUT NO MARKER REMAINS, THEREFORE THIS MARKER IS ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THIS ENERGETIC LEADER.

Rev. Jacob Gaedtschalck (ca. 1666-1763) & Aeltien (Adelheid) Hermans (ca. 1667-1706)

He was born ca. 1666 Goch Germany (near Kleve, by Dutch border SE of Nijmegen), son of
Gottschalk Thonis; she was born ca. 1667 in Goch. They married 20/2/1689. Here is a picture of
their home. He died 5/1763 and she died before 1709. They are probably buried at Towamencin
Mennonite cemetery, Montgomery Co. PA.

He came to America in 1702 with his family. He was elected deacon of the Germantown Mennonite
congregation and on 8/10/1702 he became a preacher. He officiated at the first baptism in 1708
and the first communion 1708 held by the Mennonites in America. In 1708 he was listed as Jacob
Gaetschalck Vander Heggen and his son of Gaetschalck Vander Heggen, with the family name
discontinued after the Dutch custom

He arranged with the Ephrata cloister in 1745 to have them translate (from Dutch into German) and
print Thielman J. van Braght's 1660 Blütige Schau-platz oder Martyrer Spiegel(The Bloody
Theatre or Martyr's Mirror ), a history of religious persecutions of Christians opposed to infant
baptism and war; the work took 15 men 3 years to finish and in 1749, at 1512 pages, was the
largest published before 1800.

Jacob was a turner (woodworker) by trade. His stone house was on 50 acres in Germantown on the
southeast side of Penn St. In 1714 he purchased land in Towamencin between Kulpsville and the
Skippack Creek, next to his son Gaedstschalck Gaedtschalcks, part of which became the present
Towamencin Mennonite Church and cemetary.

His grave is unmarked; however, there is a memorial stone that reads:
"In memory of Bishop Jacob Gottshall 1670-1763 Born in Goch Germany, ordained a bishop in the
Germantown Mennonite Church in 1702 and also served the Skippack and Towamencin
congregations. He performed the first baptism and conducted the first communion service in the
American church in 1708. The Skippack alms audits were signed by him from 1745-1757. He
owned a farm of 120 acres which included this church site. Undoubtedly, he is buried here but no
marker remains, therefore this marker is erected in memory of this energetic leader."

Jacob Godschalck's Will, Dec. 26, 1760 (Phila. #229, M532)

Whereas I Jacob Godshalk senr. of Towamensin Township in the County of Philadelphia (formerly
while I was able, Turner, having considered my old age and the certainty of my death and being
desirious that my worldly estate may peaceably be shared among my heirs after my decease
therefore I do hereby this 26th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and sixty make my Last Will and Testament as follows;

Viz. Imprimis I give and bequeath to my son Herman all that tract of land or plantation wherein I and
him now dwell containing one hundred and twenty two acres and one half an acre of land (be it more
or less) according to the metes and bounds conveyed to me together with all and singular the
appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining to the only use and behoof of him the
said my son Herman hisheirs and assigns forever which said my plantation or tract of land he is to
pay one hundred and twenty five pounds in manner following that is to say twenty five pounds lawful
money unto every aone of my children or their heirs at the expiration of one year and one day after
my decease.

Viz; Unto all the children of my deceased son Godshalk twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares.
Unto all the children of my deceased son John twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and unto
the children of my deceased daughter Magdalena twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and
unto my daughter Ana maryed to Peter Custard twenty five pounds thereof and the residuary twenty
five pounds my son Herman reserves for himself as his portion thereof equal with his brothers and
sisters. All the residue of my personal estate shall likewise be equally divided into five shares and
every one of my above named children is to have one share thereof but whereas three of my said
children are deceased their share or one fifth part of my whole estate as aforesaid shall again be
equally divided among them according to their number and paid to them if ye are twenty one years
of age or upwards within two months after my decease what is left of my personalities but their
share of my real estate at the time of the above mentioned payment to be made by my son Herman.
But whereas most of my deceased childrens children are yet minors their proportionable share shall
be reserved for them by my hereafter named executors until they attain their lawful age but case of
death as minors their share shall equally be divided unto such minors brothers and sisters or their
heirs of or from their body and I do hereby constitute and appoint my loving son in law Peter Custard
sole executor of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby make void and annull all my former
Wills and Testaments and declare these presents to be my only will of force after my decease in
Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
Jacob Godshalk

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Re: Jakob Gottschalk m Aeltein Hermans
Posted by: Ernest J. Boehr Date: May 10, 2001 at 18:24:36
In Reply to: Jakob Gottschalk m Aeltein Hermans by Jane Reed of 347

Notes on the Gottshalls, Maternal Ancestors of Ernest J. Boehr
by Ernest J. Boehr, April, 2001

There are many variations in the spelling of Gottshall. At the same time, they all vary from the original spellings. Some variations include: Gottschalk, Gottshalk, Gottschalck, Gottchalk and many more. The name is first found in Saxony, (see map at right) where they emerged as a notable family name within the principality of Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen. The earliest of Ernest‘s maternal ancestors came to America in 1702 and settled in Germantown, PA..
Note: Saxony was a state in east-central Germany. It was abolished as a political unit in 1952 and divided into the districts of Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz

The Germany the Gottshalls Fled

The ravages of the Thirty Years‘ War, 1618 to 1648, had left Germany a wilderness. It began as a civil war between Protestants and Roman Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the royal family of Austria, the Hapsburgs, but eventually involved most European nations. The cruel invasion of the Palatinate by the French in 1693, with its consequent pestilence and famine, only added to the desperation. To make matters worse, Ernest‘s relatives were Mennonites, anabaptists, which both the Protestants and Catholics persecuted bitterly.
Note:The Palatinate (small light blue area in SW section of the map) was the name of two little states of the old German Empire in the SW part of what is now Germany.
Some Mennonites had left for America after the Thirty Years‘ War and founded Germantown, PA, now a suburb of Philadelphia. The good news of religious freedom for William Penn and his Quaker missionaries in Pennsylvania had been circulating in Holland and Germany as early as 1677 and seemed the answer to the prayers of many persecuted for their religion.

1. Gottschalk Comes is the first traceable ancestor of Ernest‘s grandfather, Rev. William S. Gottshall. He was born about 1510 in München-Gladbach, now Mönchengladbach, North Westphalia, Germany (see the large deep pink area in the W part of Germany). He died there before 01-17-1587.
2. Thonis Comes was born about 1535 in the same place as his father. He was a farmer. As a representative of the München-Gladbach Mennonite congregation, he signed the Concept of Cologne.
The Concept of Cologne was compiled at the synod in Cologne (see third place name under Westphalia), May 1, 1591, by the Elder Leenaerdt Clock, and signed by 15 preachers of Holland and of the Lower Rhine, Frisians, and High Germans. It states the Mennonite concept of the Christian faith. (Frisian is the language spoken by the Dutch in the northern province of the Netherlands. Friesland.)
3. Gottschalk Comis was born about 1565 in the same place as his father and grandfather. He was also a farmer like his father.
4. Thones Comes was born about 1596 where his ancestors were born. He was a weaver and cloth merchant. He was driven from München-Gladbach because of his Mennonite beliefs and fled to Goch, a district of Cleves, Germany (the city WNW of the name Westphalia).
5. Gottschalk Thonis was born between 1625 and 1630 in München-Gladbach. He married Lehntgen Henrichs in 1654 and died in Goch (Cleves), Germany after 01-25-1709.
6. Jacob Goedschalk (God‘s Fool)) was born about 1670 in Cleves, Germany. He came to America in 1702 and settled in Germantown, an old section of Philadelphia, PA. He united with the Mennonite congregation and was soon elected a deacon of the church. Still later he was elected a minister.
On May 9, 1708 eleven persons were baptized and added to the church. Two weeks later, May 23, 1708, the communion of the Lord's Supper was administered. Rev. Goedschalk had changed his name to Gottshall and officiated at these services. These two services were the first baptismal and communion services conducted by Mennonites in America.
October 21, 1702, Jacob Gottshall purchased fifty acres of land from Isaac Shoemaker. He erected a quaint, low but substantial house on the land and lived there for twelve years until he moved to Towamencin Township. The house fronted on Germantown Avenue. The exact spot is now 5273 Germantown Avenue (see ”Gottshall House‘ in map above PA map and picture of it on a following page).
Ten years later Rev. Gottshall and his son Gottshall Gottshall each purchased 120 acres of land in Towamencin Township.
In 1708 Gottshall joined with four other brethren in a letter to Amsterdam, asking for some catechisms for the children and little testaments for the young, stating that only one Bible was among the membership of the church.
In 1728 the Mennonite confession of faith was translated into English and printed by Bradford, in Philadelphia. Gottshall was one of the signers testifying to the correctness of the translation.
About 1750 Rev. Gottshall arranged for the translation of the Martyr‘s Mirror. Rev. Gottshall and Dielman Kolb carefully read and corrected the proofs. He was a literary man and conversant in Dutch, German and English.
Rev. Gottshall died at 97 years of age in 1763. He probably was buried in the graveyard adjoining the Towamencin Mennonite Church near Kulpsville (see map above). His wife, Aeltien Hermans, died prior to 1706.
7. Gottshall Gottshall (1693-1784) was the oldest of Jacob Gottshall‘s five children. He worked with his father in the Germantown Mennonite Church, especially in the translating and publishing of literature for the church. He married Eva Custer and they had fourteen children.
8. William Gottshall was the second of the 14 children. His first wife Gertrude Hunsicker bore him six children before she died. He died in 1781.
9. Gottshall Gottshall II (04-08-1753 to 03-15-1824) was the youngest of the six children. He married Elizabeth Ziegler. After the death of his father, he purchased land in Frederick Township, one mile W of Schwenksville, PA, and moved there in 1781. He purchased land from time to time until he owned 400 acres. Most of this land had belonged to the Perkiomen Copper Mine Company, chartered by Act of Assembly in 1772. At his death, he left 246 acres of land to be divided equally between his two sons, Dillman and William. By 1924, the house that he built had been in the family for five generations - 143 years. As of April, 2001, David & Bobby Blackwell live in the Gottshall homestead at 347 Game Farm Rd., Schwenksville, PA 19473.
10 William Ziegler Gottshall (08-25-1784 to 03-25-1875) was the older of the two sons. He married Magdalena Hunsberger. They had thirteen children. William served as a deacon in the Schwenksville Mennonite Church for 43 years. His son Moses became pastor of the church.
11. Moses Hunsberger Gottshall was the sixth of thirteen children. He married Hanna O. Clemens and they had eight children. When Hannah died, he married Mary Shelly. He was chosen by lot to be minister of the Schwenksville Mennonite Church on 12-03-1847 and ordained the same day. He was ordained as a Bishop in 1852 and served the church for 41 years. He preached his last sermon at the Deep Run Mennonite Church, Bucks County, PA, on 10-21-1888 and passed away four days later.
Moses Gottshall‘s education was mostly in German. His sources of inspiration were the Bible and several old volumes of sermons. He never prepared notes but would close his eyes and mumble the message to himself. He was noted far and wide as one of the most naturally eloquent ministers.
12. William Shelley Gottshall (b. 06-23-1865) was the only surviving child of Moses and Mary Shelly. William spent his early days on his father‘s 100 acre farm one mile W of Schwenksville. His early training was in the nearby school and his father‘s home. His father was famous for his sociability and spiritual conversations on Sunday afternoons. William was baptized and received into membership in —The Meetinghouse on the Hill“ by his father, 11-07-1880, when he was fifteen. The following spring, he took a term at Perkiomen Seminary and began teaching in the fall of 1881.
William attended Perkiomen Seminary again in the Spring of 1883 and then taught ”three terms‘ of public school. His call to the ministry came in 1885 when he was twenty and his father was seventy. His father told the congregation he needed an assistant so they put up five candidates. The congregation chose William and his older brother Moses, Jr. When the lot was cast, William was chosen and he was ordained the next year on 11-24-1886.
Earlier, while William was ministering for his father in the Bowmansville Mennonite Church, Bowmansville, PA, he met Nancy K. von Nieda. They were married on 09-22-1886. William gave himself wholeheartedly to the ministry and soon proved he was endowed with a natural gift of preaching as his famous father. During his ministry in Schwenksville, he built a beautiful home and a new meeting house. His four children were all born in Schwenksville œ Aaron Elmer on 10-13-1889, Jennie May on 01-24-1892, Flora Alberta on 02-27-1896 and Paul Herbert on 02-12-1898.
Rev. Gottshall pastored the Allentown Mennonite Church in Allentown, PA, from 01-01-1906 to October, 1909. On November 9, 1909 he began ministering in three churches in the Bluffton - Pandora, OH, area: Bluffton Mennonite, Ebenezer Mennonite and St. John Mennonite church. He resigned from the Bluffton Church, 03-31-1918, and from the St. John Church on 04-01-1923. One month before he resigned from Ebenezer Mennonite Church, Ernest was born in Bluffton, OH.
William ministered next in Freeman, SD, (10-12-1924 to 05-18-1930). It was during this time that P.J. Boehr and his family were going through harrowing experiences in China (see notes on P.J.Boehr).
Grandpa Gottshall was pastoring East Swamp Mennonite Church near Quakertown, PA, when we came home from China in 1933. (See Ernest James Boehr)
Grandpa served in almost every office of all the Mennonite organizations. His longest tenure was the thirty-six years he served on the General Conference Mennonite Home Mission Board. He was known for his expository preaching and emphasis on the second coming of Christ.
Grandpa lived on Juniper St., Quakertown, PA, near ”our‘ high school until Grandma passed away on 05-27-1939. Then his daughter, Aunt Flora, took him to be with her family in Cleveland, OH, until he passed away on 03-04-1941. Grandpa and Grandma are buried beside his parents, grandparents and daughter, Jennie May Boehr, in the cemetery next to Eden Mennonite Church, Schwenksville, PA.
Bibliography: 1. The Genealogy of John William Boehr, David L. Habegger, 03-25-1984; 2.The Genealogical History of the Gottshall Family, Rev. N. B. Grubb, Gottshall Family Association, 1924;
3. A Brief Biography of William S. Gottshall, Published for the 50th Anniversary of Rev. Gottshall‘s Ordination, East Swamp Mennonite Church, October 21, 1934.

Bishop Jacob Godshalk's History of the Germantown Mennonites

Jacob Godshalk (1670-1763) came to Pennsylvania in 1702. In 1708 he became the first Mennonite bishop in America. He later moved to Skippack. Here is Godshalk's account of the Mennonites in America from 1683 to 1708:

"The beginning of the community of Jesus Christ here at Germantown, who are called Mennonites, took its rise in this way. Some friends out of Holland and Germany came here together. They found it good to have meetings. They were regarded as sheep who had no shepherd since they had no preache
"In 1698 more friends came into the land, who were also of our brethren. These, with the first chose by unanimous votes a preacher and some deacons. Thereupon was William Rittenhouse chosen preacher and Jan Nice as a deacon. In 1702 Jacob Godshalk and Hans Nice were chosen preachers. Hans Nice later separated from the community.

"In 1707 some brethren came to us out of the Palatinate. In 1708 the first- chosen preacher William Rittenhouse died to the great sorrow of the community. Since Jacob Godshalk alone served the community, they considered it necessary to chose three deacons. There were besides three preachers chosen.

"After this we remained sometime living in good peace. Meanwhile some persons presented themselves to be taken into the community through baptism. The community having consulted together ordered that the request should be complied with. Accordingly this rite was conducted by Jacob Godshalk. Later we celebrated the Lord's Supper as instructed by the Apostles

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