|
DearREADERS,
On this third day of our research trip, I had the distinct pleasure of introducing Audrey, aka copyqueen@aol.com, to two Pennsylvania sites associated with our common ancestor, Conrad Weiser. As we traveled east from York, we headed to the Cloister at Ephrata. It was a religious commune of the 18th Century, which attracted single men and women and allowed a few "householders" (those with families) to join in the pursuit of spiritual orientation to life.
We toured the restored facilities guided by a host dressed in the white shrouds of the now extinct cloister. The people had lived in small rooms, not four paces by six, furnished with a wall mounted bench and a 4X4 block for a head rest. The guide told us that following the one meal of the day in the evening, the members went to bed at nine, were wakened at midnight for two hours of religious services and then slept another three hours before rising to begin the work of the next day. Each participant shared in the laundry, baking, and gardening of simple vegetables for meals. Conrad Weiser was affiliated with this cloister for two years.
We traveled through the countryside to Womelsdorf, the site of Conrad's restored homestead. Here we were able to visit the rebuilt stone home and spring house which Conrad constructed, and where he eventually died. During part of his life he and his wife, Anne Eve Feck/Feg, lived in Reading, but always maintained this farm in the west. I was able to explain about Conrad's departure from Germany, with his father, stepmother and siblings in 1709, and we learned of the great respect he had garnered from the Indians. This was a helpful attribute which the Pennsylvania colony employed to avoid as much conflict and strife as possible preceding and during the French and Indian War.
Conrad Weiser was a Colonel commanding several outposts along the Blue Mountains. His teenage experiences, living with the Indians in NY, provided a natural understanding of the needs of these people. He served the colonies admirably as a negotiator and interpreter.
If you have Conrad Weiser for an ancestor you'll enjoy:
The Weiser Family Association:
Secretary - Pastor Fred Weiser
55 Kohler School Road
New Oxford, PA 17350
There are several books and a family newsletter which may be of interest.
Schoharie Valley NY
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyschoha/aboutsco.html
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyschoha/chap1.html
Weiser Served As Indian Interpreter
By JOHN HOWER
http://www.leba.net/~jhower/Valley/Weiser1.html
Ben Franklin Describes the Indians and Conrad Weiser, Interpreter
http://gemini.tntech.edu/~kre6447/franklin.html
Oldest Church Dates to 1723 InLebanon County
http://www.leba.net/~jhower/Valley/Tulpehocken.html
Register of the Ehprata Cloister
http://www.cob- net.org/text/genclo01.txt
Historical Anals of Lebanon County Pennsylvania
http://www.leba.net/~history2/text/annals.html
Forts Protect the Northern Part of the Valley
http://www.leba.net/~jhower/Valley/Forts2.html
Weiser's Protection Plan Ignored
http://www.leba.net/~jhower/Valley/Forts3.html
Our German Palatine Ancestors
http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~tbrass/GER/GerPg.htm
On to Philly for the Rittenhouse Family Reunion!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE
is a daily genealogy column (KEYWORD: dearmyrtle) published on America Online in the Genealogy Forum. Due to the volume of e-mail, Myrt is unable to respond to each individually. Representative samples are used as a basis for articles from time to time. Contact DearMYRTLE at: dearmyrtle@aol.com or dearmyrtle@ancestry.com
copyright 1998 Ancestry.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved
v 1.0 (my980718)
DearMYRTLE's Main Page | Genealogy Lessons | Columns Main Page
|
