Clymer Weir Cox Genealogy » JOHANN CONRAD UBELEN (NY) WEISER (1696-1760)

Personal data JOHANN CONRAD UBELEN (NY) WEISER 

• He was born on November 2, 1696 in Germany.
• He died on July 13, 1760 in Womelsdorf, Berks County, PA, he was 63 years old.
• A child of JOHANN CONRAD (NY 1710) WEISER and ANN MAGDELENA (UBELEN) UBELI
• This information was last updated on August 30, 2023.

Household of JOHANN CONRAD UBELEN (NY) WEISER

He is married to ANNA EVA FAEG.

They got married on November 22, 1720 at Father's house in Schoharie, New York, he was 24 years old.

Child(ren):

1. Peter Feck Weiser   
2. Anna Maria Feck Weiser  1727-???? 
3. Philip Feck Weiser  1722-???? 
4. Frederick Feck Weiser  1728-1773 

Notes about JOHANN CONRAD UBELEN (NY) WEISER

Johann Conrad Weiser Jr.
Birth: 2 Nov 1696 Herrenberg, Landkreis Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Death: 13 Jul 1760 (aged 63) Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial: Conrad Weiser Homestead and Memorial Park, Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Memorial #: 30161742
Bio:
Perhaps the most fitting accolade bestowed on Conrad Weiser was by an Iroquois, who, speaking to white men upon the death of Weiser in 1760, lamented, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness...as since his death we cannot so well understand one another."

Who was this man who had such far-reaching influence on relations between Pennsylvania and the Iroquois Confederacy; who had access to provincial governors and sachems alike; who interpreted and negotiated treaties; who was commissioned an officer during the War for Empire; but who also sat as a country judge, served as lay minister, and prospered as a farmer, tanner, and storekeeper?

Conrad Weiser was born November 2, 1696, in the German principality of Württemberg. By 1709, his father, Johann Conrad Weiser, had decided to heed Queen Anne's invitation to inhabitants of the Rhine Valley to migrate to England and to the British colonies in America.

The Weiser family settled on the New York frontier and in the winter and spring of 1712-1713, young Conrad resided with neighboring Mohawks to learn the language of the Iroquois and serve as a go-between for the German community.

During his years in New York, Weiser acquired a keen knowledge of the language, customs and statesmanship of the Iroquois Confederacy (or Six Nations), consisting of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscaroras.

By 1723, Germans from the Mohawk Valley had begun the overland trek 400 miles, following the Susquehanna river to settle the Tulpehocken Valley in what is now Berks and Lebanon Counties, Pennsylvania. In 1729, Weiser brought his German-born wife, Anna Eve, and their children to the Tulpehocken region, settling on 200 acres near the present town of Womelsdorf.

Over the next 31 years Weiser became a major land-holder, farmer, tanner and businessman. He and Anna Eve raised 14 children (seven of whom lived to adulthood).
By the early 1730's, Weiser had become known in government circles in Philadelphia for his knowledge of the Iroquois. Provincial Secretary James Logan hired him to guide the new Pennsylvania Indian policy recognizing Iroquois dominance over the indigenous Lenni Lenape and guaranteeing a stable and safe frontier.

Over the next two decades Weiser was constantly directing and implementing this policy through treaty negotiations, land purchases, and journeys to the Iroquois homeland. He worked closely with Shikellamy, who had been appointed by the Confederacy to embody Iroquois authority over the Lenni Lenape.

It was through Weiser and Shikellamy that the Pennsylvania frontier remained stable and peaceful until mid-century.

By 1755, however, growing competition between Britain and France had ignited a full-blown "War for Empire." Diplomacy was put aside as the Six Nations divided over which side to join.

Meanwhile, the French established an alliance with the Lenni Lenape and other Native American peoples and launched raids against the eastern Pennsylvania settlements along the Blue Mountain line.

Pennsylvania responded by forming provincial militia and building a line of outposts. In 1756, Weiser received a commission of Lieutenant Colonel with command of the 1st Battalion, Pennsylvania Regimen responsible for manning the line between the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. He held this post until 1758. In that same year an expedition to western Pennsylvania by General John Forbes resulted in the eviction of the French and an end to the fighting in eastern Pennsylvania.

Throughout his life, Weiser was active in local affairs. He served as a magistrate for Lancaster County, helped found and lay out the town of Reading in 1748, helped to establish Berks County in 1752, and was its President Judge until his death.

Though a Lutheran, Weiser joined the monastic community of Ephrata Cloister between 1735 and 1741. He lived intermittently as a celibate brother, withdrawing from family and political life until becoming disenchanted with the Cloister's leader Conrad Beissel.

Weiser, returning to the Lutheran Church, in which he had served as a lay minister, became a founder of Trinity Church in Reading. His daughter Maria married Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, "patriarch" of the Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania.

At this death on July 13, 1760, Weiser owned several thousand acres, in addition to his farm, tannery and the store in Reading.

Movements to honor Weiser's considerable accomplishments culminated in the establishment of the Conrad Weiser Memorial Park by the Conrad Weiser Memorial Park Association in 1928. The nationally known Olmsted Brothers landscape firm designed the park.

Owned now by the Commonwealth, the Conrad Weiser Homestead is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which preserves the restored Weiser structures, graveyard and landscaped park, in addition to interpreting Weiser's life.

Biography courtesy www.berksweb.com

Inscription: Dieses ist die Ruhe Stätte des Ehren Geachten Conrad Weiser . Der selbige gebohren 1696 d 2 November in astaet im Amt Herrenberg in wittenberger Lande. Und gestorben 1760 d 13 julius . Ist alt worden 64 Jahr 3 m 3 w 6 t. [This is the resting place of the esteemed Honorable Conrad Weiser. The same was born in 1696 the 2 November on an estate in the district/area of Herrenberg in the Duchy of Wittenberg (Württemberg). He died in 1760, 13 July. Has attained the age of 64 years 3 months 3 weeks 6 days] note the stone does NOT use his baptismal/vorname name of Johann, only is Rufname, his secular, commonly used actual first name of Conrad
Family Members
Parents
John Conrad Weiser 1668-1746
Anna Magdalena Uebele Weiser 1668-1709
Spouse
Anna Eve Feck Weiser 1700-1781
Siblings
George Frederick Weiser 1697-1784
Christopher Frederick Weisser 1699-1768
Anna Barbara Weiser Pickard 1700-1748
Children
Philip Weiser 1722-1761
Anna Madlina Weiser 1725-1742
Anna Maria Weiser Muhlenberg 1727-1802
Frederick Weiser 1728-1773
Christopher Weiser 1731-1731
Jacob Weiser 1731-1731
Elizabeth Weiser 1732-1736
Samuel Weiser 1735-1796
Benjamin Weiser 1736-1736
Jabez Weiser 1740-1740
Hanna Weiser 1742-1742
Created by: Drew Techner (46902961)
Added: 28 Sep 2008
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30161742/johann-conrad-weiser
Citation: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30161742/johann-conrad-weiser: accessed 30 August 2023), memorial page for Johann Conrad Weiser Jr. (2 Nov 1696œ13 Jul 1760), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30161742, citing Conrad Weiser Homestead and Memorial Park, Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Drew Techner (contributor 46902961).

History of ConradWeiser

Conrad Weiser was born in Astaat, Germany, in 1696. His family migrated to America in 1710, settling in New York State. It was in this vicinity where Conrad initially gained contact with the Iroquois Nations. At the age of 15, he voluntarily decided to live amidst the Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois. Conrad not only attained significant knowledge of the language but also the customs and traditions of the Mohawk tribe, which proved invaluable later in his career. For example, Weiser was one of the few Indian/Colonial interpreters who comprehended the overwhelming importance of the use of Wampum in conducting matters of diplomacy with the Iroquois.

Weiser moved to the Tulpehocken area in Pennsylvania in 1729, erecting a house on a farmstead that would eventually contain 890 acres of land. Weiser‘s knowledge of the Iroquois was immediately employed, as an Oneida Iroquois, Shikellamy, enlisted Weiser‘s abilities as a diplomat to negotiate a series of land ownership treaties between the Pennsylvania colonists and the Indians. Weiser was able to maintain fairly stable relations between the Pennsylvania government and the Iroquois Nation during the 1730s and 1740s.

Weiser‘s success in mediating Indian/Colonial politics established a tremendous ethos of credibility in the eyes of the Pennsylvania Government. Weiser was appointed Lancaster County Magistrate in 1741, thrusting him into his first —official“ role in colonial government. He continued to negotiate territorial matters with the Indians in this position. Then, in 1748, Weiser was named one of the commissioners of the town of Reading, in which he bought a plot of land and built a second house.

Weiser made several journeys to New York and central Pennsylvania to attend to matters of Iroquois diplomacy. However, by 1752, Weiser had grown rather exhausted in negotiating with the Indians and decided to attend to local affairs. Weiser desired to establish a separate county from Lancaster in which the town of Reading would be located. His wish was granted, as the county of Berks was created in 1752. Additionally, Weiser was appointed the county‘s first justice of the peace.

The American segment of the Seven Years War erupted in 1754. An incident in 1755, known as the —Penn‘s Creek Massacre,“ left several colonials dead and many others missing in the wake of Indian attacks in northern Pennsylvania. In response to this uprising, Weiser was placed in charge of a local militia in the Tulpehocken region. Then, in 1756, Weiser was appointed Lt. Colonel of the First Pennsylvania Regiment. Until 1758, he spent most of his time riding between Forts Northkill, Lebanon, and Henry in Berks County as well as other forts under his charge.

Weiser conducted his final substantial contribution to Indian/Colonial diplomacy in 1758, negotiating the Treaty of Easton, which concluded the vast majority of Indian insurrection in the eastern third of Pennsylvania. He retired to his house in Reading after completion of this treaty and expired in 1760. Conrad Weiser‘s body currently resides in a family burial plot to the west of what was believed to have been his house in the Tulpehocken area.

Conrad Weiser‘s historical contributions to Pennsylvania simply cannot be overlooked. Weiser was predominantly responsible for negotiating every major treaty between the colonial settlers in Pennsylvania and the Iroquois Nations from 1731 until 1758. In addition to serving as one of the most knowledgeable and successful liaisons between the Indian and the colonist, Weiser was chiefly responsible for the settlement of the town of Reading and the establishment of Berks County. Finally, in 1755, Weiser organized a local militia to quell Indian uprisings during the American phase of the Seven Years War and was appointed Lt. Colonel of the First Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment a year later. Exempting some Berks County locals and various individuals with genealogical ties to this man, few are conscious about the relevance, let alone the existence, of Conrad Weiser.

Information

•History of Conrad Weiser

•Conrad Weiser Timeline

•Exhibit Guide
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Welcome to Conrad Weiser Homestead

Welcome to PA History 2 G0, a series of videos produced by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These short videos serve to introduce you, the virtual visitor, to Pennsylvania's state-owned historic sites and museums as we explore the varied stories that make up the commonwealth's rich history.

At Conrad Weiser Homestead, discover the Colonial diplomat who kept peace with the Iroquois Confederacy. Through these videos, explore the homestead'scollections, grounds and buildings.

On the very day, November 25, 1742, that a Moravian Church was dedicated in Philadelphia, a young Lutheran clergyman arrived in Philadelphia who was destined to alter the entire church situation. He was Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, later to become the son-in-law of Weiser and eventually to become the leader of all Colonial Lutherans. After Muhlenberg's marriage to Conrad Weiser's daughter, Anna Maria Weiser, on April 22, 1745, Weiser's ties to Lutheranism strengthened and his affiliation with the Moravians weakened.

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Timeline JOHANN CONRAD UBELEN (NY) WEISER

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