Hans Ulrich Neff, Jr.

Interesting and detailed bio on Find a Grave.[ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=99413766] IGI Hans Ulrich Naef Birth: 25 JUN 1709 Zell, Zurich, Switzerland Parents: Hans Ulrich Naef and Eisabeth Stadelmann Batch Number 7019707 sheet 8 source call 0538471

Pennsylvania Foreign Oaths of Allegiance Name: Hans Ulrich Naff, Ship: SHIP JAMAICA GALLEY. ROBERT HARRISON Captain: LIST OF FOREIGNERS IMPORTED IN THE SHIP JAMAICA GALLEY. ROBERT HARRISON Place: ROTTERDAM Date: FEB. 7, 1739 IMMIGRANTS INTO PENNSYLVANIA: Volume 1

From The History of the Counties of Lehigh & Carbon, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, By Alfred Mathews & Austin N. Hungerford Published in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1884 Transcribed from the original in 2005 by Shirley Kuntz CHAPTER XXIV. Heidelberg Township By Samuel J. Kistler, Esq. Pages 268 to 285 No. 20, Ulrich Nafe, May 30, 1746.................................................... 147 acres No. 33, Ulrich Nefe, Nov. 6, 1751..................................................... 103 No. 208, Ulrich Nefe, Aug. 5, 1765................................................... 19 No. 2156, Ulrich Nefe, Nob. 29, 1766............................................... 75

History of Heidelberg Church. (Written in German by Rev. William A. Helffrich, and translated by James L. Schaadt, Esq.) – The township of Heidelberg, Lehigh Co., Pa., has had up to this time but one church, and this has always been known as the Heidelberg church, and the congregation as the Heidelberg congregation. The church, like most of those in eastern Pennsylvania, were German immigrants of the Reformed and Lutheran faiths settled at the same time and the same place, was a Union Church; that is, the Reformed and the Lutherans held all the church property - such as the building, the church lands, the cemetery, etc. - in common, and had their divine services alternately in the same church building, either congregation entirely free, however, to engage in worship according to its own faith and teachings unmolested by the other, with admission to the members of the other faith as well as its own. The necessities of primitive times collected these divided members of one faith under one and the same roof. The church stands about one mile east of Saegersville, nearly in the centre of the township. The first small springs of the Heidelberg Creek, which flows into the Jordan at Gideon Schmidt's, at the iron bridge, take their rise upon the church lands. The church, school-house, graveyard, and the lands of the congregation lie all together in one small valley, hemmed in by the surrounding low hills.

The first settlement by the congregation was made in the year 1735. The number of the first immigrants was small, consisting of isolated families who had come from Switzerland and Westphalia. Their names have been preserved, and show that they were from one neighborhood, but the name of the place is, unfortunately, forgotten. The names of the first arrivals were Jacob Peter, Casper Peter, and Wilhelm Peter, three brothers, but whether their father accompanied them cannot be ascertained. Later came Johannes Hunsicker, Jacob Mayer, David Gisi, Conrad Wirtz (now written Wert), Friederich Nisele, Ulrich Neff, Heinrich Hoffman, Peter Miller, Heinrich Roeder, Georg Grum, and Jörg Schmalz

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/northampton/wills/eyerabst0... WILL ABSTRACTS OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA; 1752-1802.

Compiled by John Eyerman, 1897 506 NEFF, Ulrich       Heidelberg

     23-12-1773 - ?????? wife  Elizabeth son   Conrad aand others ex    wife Elizabeth and son Conrad wit   Bernhard NEFF and Henry REINHART∼NEFF, Hans Ulrich Husband of  Unknown Christina nee OTT Son of Hans Ulrich Sr. and Elizabeth Stadelmann Neff

B. 1709 in Zell, Canton Zürich, Switzerland Christened: 25 June 1709 in the Reformed Church, Zell, Canton Zürich, Switzerland

D. 1778 in Heidelberg, Northampton (now Lehigh) Co. PA at 69y

Burial – 1778 in Heidelberg Union Church Cemetery, Heidelberg, Lehigh Co. PA

Ship's Passenger List 1739 for Jamaica Galley, Captain Robert Harrison The ship lists him as Hans Ulrich Nef

In 1726 Hans Ulrich was a miller in the service of his Uncle Jakob Neff in Switzerland. By 1738 he was able to plan his move to Pennsylvania from Switzerland. The twenty-nine year-old must have found a bargain fare for his journey aboard the Jamaica Galley commanded by Robert Harrison. He left in the winter from Rotterdam, by the way of Cowes. (This would later cause confusion. Some of his descendants thought because he left from Rotterdam that he was of Dutch descent. He was Swiss.) This was an unpopular time of year to cross the Atlantic. Very few persons were brave enough to risk such a cold and rough voyage.

Excerpts from "Mittelberger's Journey to PA in 1750" "This journey lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October, fully half a year." "During the voyage there is on board these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouthrot, and the like, all of which comes from old and sharply salted food and meat" "The water which is served out on the ships is often very black, thick and full of worms, so that one cannot drink it without loathing, even with the greatest thirst..." "Many sigh and cry: 'Oh, that I were home again [even] if I had to lie in my pigsty!' " "The lice abound so frightfully, especially on sick people, that they can be scraped off the body..." "... children from 1 to 7 years rarely survive the voyage... no less than 32 children in our ship (died and were) thrown into the sea."

Ulrich arrived in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, a Colony subject to the Crown of England on February 7, 1739. It appears he signed this document with his own hand. Many entries were marked by an X. He signed Hans Ulrich Naff.

"We Subscribers, Natives and late Inhabitants of the Palatinate upon the Rhine and Places Adjacent, having transported Ourselves and Families into this Province of Pennsylvania, a Colony subject to the Crown of Great Britain, in Hopes and Expectation of finding a Retreat and Peaceable Settlement therein, Do Solemnly Promise and Engage, that We will be faithful and bear true Allegiance to his present MAJESTY, KING GEORGE THE SECOND and his Successors, Kings of Great Britain, and will be faithful to the Proprietor of this Province; And that we will demean ourselves peaceably to all His said Majesty's Subjects, and strictly observe and conform to the Laws of England and of this Province, to the utmost of our Power and best of our understanding."

Many of Ulrich's friends in Switzerland were with him on the voyage and settled in the Heidelberg District, which is northwest of the present city of Allentown, Pennsylvania. These friends, along with Ulrich, quickly formed the Heidelberg Union Church in 1740.

It is believed that he married Elizabeth Ott shortly after his arrival. Ulrich had seven children. The first child was born in 1735. The last child was born ca 1752 in Heidelberg, Northampton (now Lehigh) Co. Pennsylvania. His wife died ca 1812 in Heidelberg.

Children: Bernhard (Maria Magdalena Kressley); Heinrich (Anna Catharina Weaver); Johannes (Susannah); Conrad (1. Elizabeth 2. Mary Magdalena Weaver); Maria "Anna" (Christian Krumm); Magdalena "Susanna" (Johann Theobald Dewalt Hunsicker); and Ulrich (Dorothea Gabel) Note: Four of Ulrich's sons and his brother Rudolph served in the Revolutionary War.

A great break for the researchers of the Neff family occurred October 1, 1751 when Ulrich announced that he was going to his home town of Zell Switzerland. This announcement was in Sower's Germantown, Pennsylvania newspaper. He announced that he was returning to Switzerland to settle his father's estate and that he would act as a courier and would care for business of others while he was in Switzerland.

He apparently returned with Ulrich Ott (likely a relative of Elisabeth Ott who emigrated from Zell when Ulrich Neff did and probably married him) Bernhard Neff, his cousin, and Jakob Haller (a relative of Bernhard's mother.) They all were passengers on the Phoenix on November 22, 1752. Ulrich Neff was returning with a relatively large sum of money from his father's estate, as the accounts of the Landvogtei Kyburg in 1752 indicate.

There were two major Indian attacks in the Heidelberg Territory in 1757. The Heidelberg Church was burned. Some say that the Indians were to blame. The church membership provided leadership and soldiers. Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia played an important role in the defense of this section of Pennsylvania. A massacre of settlers occurred nearby, however, the membership of this church was spared.

Will of Ulrich Neff the elder, 23 Dec 1773 Northampton Co. PA This will was written in German but an English translation of the text is in existence. His wife Elizabeth and his son Conrad were named as executors.

On December 23, 1773, he signed his will. Bernard Näff was one of the signed witnesses for his father's will. Henry Näff was one of the appraisers of his father's estate. The will was filed on the May 14, 1779. One of the items listed was a buffalo robe - the value of which was not clear, but it was 3 pounds plus.

Sources The focus of this research by Robert H. Neff (1916-2011) was for Conrad Neff, Ulrich's fourth son and the first known to be born in America. Conrad was born in 1742 in Heidelberg, Northampton (now Lehigh) Co. Pennsylvania. Note: R.H. Neff strongly recommended a visit to the Heidelberg Church, Neffs Pennsylvania and the Jordan Creek site of the Ulrich Neff farm and mill. Neffs Pennsylvania was founded by Ulrich's descendents.

Research from Pastor Frederick S. Weiser (1935-2009) The Rev. Frederick Weiser was passionate about history. A student of history and genealogy since he was a teenager, his vast knowledge of German and Pennsylvania Dutch history was enhanced by five years he spent living in and exploring Germany. He wrote books on the history of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and was the translator of over one hundred Pennsylvania German church records.

History of the Heidelberg Union Church, 1740-1978 Compiled in 1977 by Raymond E. Hollenbach (1893-1991)

Swiss Research and translation by Dr. Hans Ulrich Pfister, Staatsarchiv des Kanton Zürich "Three Näf Brothers from Zell: Jacob, Rudolf, and Ulrich" A three part series published by Neff News in Feb 1998, May 1998, and Feb 1999 Edited by William A. Neff & Rev. John Murray Note: Church records of Zell may provide more on Ulrich, Sr.

Northampton Co. PA - Probate Records; Tax Records

Note: Northampton County Pennsylvania was formed in 1752. Then, in 1811 Schuylkill Co., and in 1813 Lehigh Co., were formed from Northampton County. Lynn and Heidelberg Townships are in Lehigh County. Heidelberg is in the northern area of Lehigh Co, about fifteen miles northwest of Allentown.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 23 2020, 19:43:15 UTC