Heinrich Kassel

• Son of Rev. Yelles "Julius" Kassel, II and Maria Elisabeth Gerolsheim
• Birth: born around 1641 in Kriesham, Herzogtum Baden, Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation
• Death: July 01, 1716 in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.
• Mennonite Farmer Daniel Kolb Cassel in his history of the Cassel family suggested his name was Abraham as the name is so prevalent in the family. However Mary Cassel Case makes the case that his name is Heinrich in her history of the Homer Deeter Cassel family from Ohio. She sights several indirect sources to substantiate her claim on page 79 in her book. Parents: Yelles CASSEL.
• Immigration Record: Heinrich Kassel Arrival Year 1683 Arrival Place Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Children

• Hupert CASSEL, Yelles (Julius) CASSEL, born in 1695 and died in Married Catherine Oberholzer.
• Johannes CASSEL, born June 16, 1686 in Kriegsheim, Monsheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany & died on March 22, 1750 (63) Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Colonial America. Married Elizabeth Jansen and Susanna "Anna" Meyer.
• Abraham CASSEL, born in 1644 in Germany. He died in 1704 in Germany. Mennonite Farmer Parents: Yelles Cassel.
• Barbara CASSEL,
• Elizabeth CASSEL,
• Susannah CASSEL,

History

About six miles from Worms, there was a small town named Kreisheim, which is not in current use.. It has been called variously as Creishem, Creisheim, Kreignsheim, Kirchem or Kircheim, in the many histories of the Cassell family...but we will use Kreisheim in this volume. It is also certain that the family name was originally Kassel, and that they resided in this area at the beginning of the 30 years war, (1618-1648)

The only accurate description of the area exists in William Penn's description of his travels in the Palatinate, which he referred to as the "town of Creisheim in the Paltzgrave's country" It fits all of the major criteria.

At this time Germany was a region divided into areas known as Electorates after those who had a vote in deciding the Holy Roman Emperor. France was ruled by Louis XIV and the Palatinate or Paltzgraves Country, was located in what is now Germany, near the French-German border and was a battle ground between both France and Germany, both of whom claimed it. It was nominally ruled by Prince and Count Karl Ludwig, who was an Elector. Thousands of people were killed and many were driven from their homes in these wars which were very vicious and cruel.

There were many abandoned farms, and empty towns and people found it difficult to raise enough food to supply themselves as so many farmers had fled for their lives, or just died from disease. The area was just beginning to recover from years of warfare. Into this area came an American, William Penn who had just been given a plot of land in America by the British King, and was interested in finding people to go to America and live on his land...He made three trips that we can identify, and left a fairly detailed account of his voyages, which occurred after Quaker missionaries first visited the area.

Penn's account is long and varied but the important thing is that he came to Kreisheim. According to the Kolb "History of the Cassel Family", Penn met with many German groups on his trips, and in 1681 he went to Kassel, Frankfurt, Worms and then to Kreisheim, arriving on August 23, 1681. Penn preached with the permission of Count Karl Ludwig and in the crowd at Kreisheim were three brothers, Heinrich, (G2)Yelles and Johannes Kassel who lived in the region We know that Heinrich lived in Gerolsheim and occasionally at least, used the name Heinrich Kassel von Gerolsheim, (Gorlisheim).

Julius Kassel (G1)was the father of Heinrich,(G2)Yelles and Johannes. Julius was a Mennonite minister as were his sons Heinrich and Yelles. Johannes was a weaver.

According to the Biography of Leonard Cassel by Rev. Charles D. Smith (1892), Leonard claimed that the three Kassel brothers were so enthused by Penn's preaching and comments about America that they immediately invited him to their homes, and he accepted the invitation to visit Heinrich, (G2) who lived in Gerolsheim which was nearby...Kolb indicates that Heinrich was a Minister in Lambartsheim in 1681 , moving to Gerolsheim in 1690 and on to Kreisheim in the early 1700's.

Kolb also says that Heinrich (G2) was a man of "considerable note" in Germany and was briefly tempted from his Mennonites to the Quakers because of Penn, as they were very similar in many respects, but he soon moved back to the Mennonites, and avidly attacked those other Mennonites who remained Quakers, especially his brother Johannes. He wrote some 'broadsides" as they were then called attacking his brother. Some of these broadsides still exist owned by Mr. A.H. Cassell of Harleysville, PA.. Johannes, (G2) Heinrichs (G2) brother, who had converted to Quakerism to obtain early access to land, sailed to America in the ship JEFFRIES, leaving Europe on March 20, 1686 and arrived in Germantown, PA, on Nov. 20, 1686, a voyage of 7 months . Johannes (G2)was 47 years of age.

Johannes brought with him his wife, Mary, and children Peter, Mary, Arnold, Sarah and Elizabeth...Some of the old papers about the Cassells list Johannes name as Hans Peter for some reason..it seems likely that his Christian name was actually Johannes (Hans) Peter Kassel. His son Arnold was elected "Rekorder" of Germantown in 1691. Johannes signed the original application of the town of Germantown, which was necessary to incorporate a new village. Heinrich(G2) sent his chidren to the first school in Germantown which was established in1702

Heinrich also grew dissillusioned with the conditons in Germany and in the Palatinate and apparently sailed to the New World, arriving around 1700. Heinrich (G2) brought with him his wife and four children. These children were Ann, (G3) Nicholas (G3) and Sara Kassel,(G3) while a fourth child, a boy, Heinrich, (G3) was apparently either born just before their departure or immediately after their arrival in the New World.

Julius's (G1) third son, also named Julius, (G2)who was also a Mennonite minister in Kreisheim, was apparently in poor health and never came to the new world.

Heinrich's (G3) son b. 1700-1708 was named Johannes Heinrich, who went by the name of Heinrich, and later just plain Henry. Someime around this period their name became Cassell instead of Kassel.

Also around this time, a strange little event occurred. There was apparently a death in the Kassel/Cassell family in Germany, and word came that a considerble fortune and possibly a title was to be claimed by one of the brothers, Johannes or Heinrich(G2)..We know that the entire matter was dicussed in the Mennonite religious service, since records exist of its discussion, and we also know that the congretation decided that the money should be refused because it would make the recipients"too proud". The author heard this story from his father and grandfather, and both Kolb's "History of the Cassell's", and the Cassel researcher Alice Bordeleon mention the same story. The fact that the matter was discussed in the Mennonite Church, but not the Quaker Meeting, seems to indicate that Henrich, (G2), who was still a Mennonite, was the intended recipient, and not Johannes, (G2)who was by now a Quaker. Nevertheless the money was refused, as was the title and land and the refusal seems to have created a schism in the family which had not healed at the time of World War II. There seems to be nothing left in writing which indicates what the title may have been, but the church minutes do mention an "enormous" fortune.

Perhaps due to the ill feelings from part of his family over being slighted as far as the inheritance was concerned, Heinrich (G2) left Germantown, Pennsylvania ,with his family, and moved to Philadelphia, a short journey and then in 1712 he moved to Chester Co. PA, near the town of Coventry where he died and was buried in 1726. His son Johannes Heinrich, (G3) by this time just plain John Henry Cassell (G3)married a young lady named Anna Margaret Bemker(G3) in approximately 1830. According to

PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN MARRIAGES by Donna Irish, Anna Margaret was the daughter of Christopher and Anna Eva Bemker. Anna and Henry(G3) had at least five children. They were:

• John Jacob. b. Oct. 7, 1734. in Connewago, PA(G4)
• Caterina b. Oct. 1739 in Connewago, PA(G4)
• Anna Eva b. Feb. 25, 1748 in Conneewago, Pa(G4)
• Martin b. approximately 1752(G4)
• Abraham b. Sept. 25, 1756, probably in Maryland. (G4)

It seems very probable that Henry Cassell (G3) was, in fact, the first Maryland Cassell. By way of substantiation of this claim, both bore the name Heinrich , which was somewhat noteworthy at that time, and three of Henry Cassell's(G3) children, John Jacob , Katarina (Catherina)(G4), and Anna Eva(G4) , were born in Connewago, Pennsylvania, which at that time was located in Chester Co. and the Maryland Cassell's claim that the first Cassell migrated from Pennsylvania. This is the county in which Heinrich Cassell (G2) lived the last 14 years of his life, and where he was was buried.

The last written record of our Henry's (G3) presence in PA is in the recorded birth of his daughter, Anna Eva (G3) in Connewago, Penn on Feb. 25, 1748

We next find Henry (G3) in Frederick, Co. MD, purchasing a home and acreage named "Mill Lott", consisting of 50 acres, on July 19, 1754, followed by the additional purchase of a home named "Clear Meadows, on Aug. 25, 1754. Clear Meadows had 91 acres. He obviously arrived in Maryland between Feb. 1748 and July 1754. At this time Henry would have been in his early 50"s. Martin Cassell (G4) was born at about this time, either in Pennsylvania or Maryland but most probably Maryland, and Abraham (G4), the third and last son, came along about 2 years later, in the same year as old Henry's (G3) death.

A religious problem was developing in Maryland during the 1740's-50's. The Protestants thought that the Catholics were trying to intefere with their religion and were importing more Priests from Germany and France to help them do it. The Protestants organized watch groups of trusted Protestants, who spoke German, to spy on the Catholic "mass houses" and report back on their activities.

This "watching" was done secretly by trusted members of thecongregation and one of the "watchers" was Henry Cassell.(G3) On June 17, 1751, he made a "deposition" to the court of Frederick, Co. MD. A copy of the deposition is in the Maryland State Archives, Liber, L. P. 54.

Sources

• History of the Mennonites: Historically and Biographically - https://books.google.com/books?id=VHsXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA353&lpg=PA353&d...

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• Reference: MyHeritage Genealogy - SmartCopy: Dec 14 2018, 18:27:59 UTC