Johann Wilhelm Berkheimer

For early book with ancestrial line and family tree, go to Hans Pirckheimer 1300-1375 and Anna Gundelfinger (died 1386),

http://mif.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=MIF&year=2004&month=...

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=117811273&re...

Passenger List of "Samuel" 1732

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild

Mifflinburg Telegraph Weekly Newspaper Trail of History for Week of February 16, 2012

The Berkheimer Family book was first done by Dr. Charles F. Berkheimer in 1966, which I helped him do. Since then new material has been found which goes back a few more generations. Although it is not proven the first Berkheimer was named Hans Sir Pirckheimer, born 1300, died 1375. His wife was Anna Lang Gundefinger and they had a son, born in 1340 who had a son, Hans Pirckheimer born 1380 who had, Hans Pirckheimer II 1415-1440, wife Katharine Teufel, who had Hans Johannes Pirckheimer, 1430-1501, wife Barbara Loffelholz, had Wilbar Pirckheimer 1470-1530, wife an Austrian Mistress, had a child who had John Casper Berkheimer, wife Elizabeth Caterina Houser, who had Johann Wilhelm Berkheimer who married Maria Salome Hallman, who had John Leonard Berkheimer 1721-1804, wife Maria Catherine Kerger. The last two generations are in the book I helped do. The First Generation in America— In the village of Klein Niedsheim, the Pfalz, in the early part of the 18th century there were at least two households of the Birckheimer family. One of these was Niclas and wife Anna Margaretha. The other was of Balzer Birckheimer and wife. Balzer and his wife were married in Klein Niedesheim and both died there. Balzer in 1741 and his wife in 1745. They had three children: Johann Wilhelm, Johann Casper and Susanna, all came to America on the ship, “Samuel” in 1732. However, there is a mistake here as Johann Casper came before that time as in 1730 he is the record at the Trappe. It is he who was the first immigrant. One of the very first marriages by Rev. John Casper Stoever in America was that of Johann Casper Bergheimer and Elizabeth Catarina Houser at “Providence” or “The Trappe” (now Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County). Pastor Stoever baptised the following children of Casper and Elizaeth Bergheimer: Anna Eve Bergheimer, born Sept. 30, 1734, bapt. May 22, 1735; John Ludwig Bergheimer, born Dec. 8, 1735, bapt. April 27, 1736; John Leonhardt Bergheimer, born Nov. 13, 1737, bapt. March 23, 1738; and Maria Elisabeth Bergheimer born May 23, 1741, bapt. June 25, 1741. We do not know where they lived when the children were born, but the church records say “On the Conewago.” They must have lived near the Lutheran Church at Hanover, which is on the Conewago. Casper and Elizabeth did live near Hanover, about 1750, as other records show. In 1752, Casper Berkheimer is named as one of the forty residents of the territory in dispute, named “Digges Choice.” This land is just south of Hanover although the southern portion of the tract is in Maryland. On this disputre land Casper lived. The Governor of Maryland declared that he was a resident of Maryland and could not be taxed in Pa. No deed is on record in either state in Casper Berkheimer’s name, although all records of deeds in Maryland from 1750 to 1752 are missing from the Archives. What happened to Casper we may never know. He may have moved to York Co. We find some reference to his sons as serving in the Cumberland County Militia in the Revolutionary War. There names were spelled Barkhamer, Barchammer, and Barkhimer, etc. The territory of the present Perry and Franklin Counties was then Cumberland County. A Ludwig Barkhimer bought land in 1823 in Franklin Co. and sold it in 1830. We have found no other descendants of John Casper Bergheimer On the ship, “Samuel” Hugh Percy, Captain, leaving Rotterdam, and last Cowes, England, and landing at Philadelphia, Aug. 11, 1732 there are Hans (Johann) Wilhelm; Susanna, age 18; Maria Salome; Leonard, age 8; and Veltin Bergh, age 6. The two boys were incorrectly given ages. The ages for Hans Wilhelm as 26 and his wife as 25, does not prove they were correct. Leonard’s age is from his baptismal certificate which shows he was born on Mar. 3, 1722 making him ten and a half when he arrived in America. That Wilhelm and Maria Salome were his parents is proven by the declaration, made in 1751 when Leonard was a deacon at Old Goshenhoppen Church. The 2nd boy, Valentine whose age is 6, but we think he was 8. The records of the registry in the home village shows Wilhelm Birckheimer was a “Gemeinsman,” or a common citizen of the community, he was of age but age is not given. Hans Wilhelm and Salome had other children— a daughter, Magda Louise, born Aug. 22, 1727, and a son Johann George, born Feb. 22, 1729. She may not have lived long for there is no record of her in any records. John George, who was only three and a half in 1732, no ship record was made since children of that age were not listed in the passenger lists. In 1755, in the will of Anthony Hallman, of Perkiomen Township, Philadelphia County, he leaves bequests to Leonard, Valentine and George, sons of my daughter Maria Salome, intermarried with Wilhelm Perkhymer. So we know that Hans Wilhelm the immigrant ancestor of many, was married to the daughter of Anthony Hallman, and Anthony Hallman and wife Maria Salome, are ancestors, then, too. Anthony Hallman was in America for several years before his daughter and her family arrived. Some think he was here as early as 1721. His tombstone is in the old Mennonite Church cemetery, Perkiomen Twp., Montgomery Co. and says he was born in 1671 and the Father of the Hallman Family of America. He and his wife were Lutherans and gave land from their farm to the Mennonite Church for a cemetery. Maria Salome Hallman died in 1745 and Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg conducted her funeral in the Mennonite Meeting House by special invitation of the pastor of that church. Anthony Hallman died in 1759, aged 88. Their tombstones are in sight of their farm house which was still standing in 1966. Anthony Hallman was naturalized in 1731. In 1734 he was one of about forty land owners in Perkiomen Twp. and had 100 acres. He was on the building committee of the Frappe Augustus Lutheran Church erected in 1743, the oldest Lutheran Church still standing in America. He probably helped Hans Wilhelm to get settled on the property along the Perkiomen Creek which he bought soom after he arrived. In 1734, William Birckheimer acquired 100 acres, adjoining the first piece. The property can be found in various deeds, and the land is near the town of Schwenksville, and the old house built in 1730 is there. In 1966 there was a summer resort hotel there. Hans Wilhelm Birckheimer died in 1745. Tax records were found up to 1744. It would been natural to assume he is buried at the Goshenhoppen Lutheran Church, of which his sons, Leonard and Valentine were deacons. The earliest grave of a person buried in that cemetery is that of Hans Wilhelm Berkheimer. The marker is a thick sandstone slab cut into the form of an old fashioned coffin and is in an excellent state of preservation. It was originally inscribed by a professional stone cutter. Anthony Hallman wrote the name of Hans Wilhelm Perkhymer in his will, and the stone cutter carved the initials “HWPH” to mean Hans Wilhelm Perkheimer. No other person of that day had those initials. Leonard, Valentine and George remained until they married. When their mother died in not known, nor where she is buried. She probably had not remarried by 1755 when her father wrote his will. By this time her sons had married and left, Maria Salome Berkheimer may be buried next to her husband. Children of Johann Wilhelm Bergheimer and Maria Salome Hallman: 1. Leonard, born Klein Niedesheim, Mar. 3, 1722; 2. Valentine, b. Klien Niedesheim, 1724(?); 3. Magdalena Louisa, b. Klein Niedesheim, Aug. 22, 1727; 4. George, b. Klein Niedesheim, Feb. 22, 1729. There is no other record for Magdalena Louisa, so we forget her. John Leonard settled in Upper Salford Twp., Phila. Co. in the vicinity of Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran Church. Leonard was elected one of the first deacons in 1744, and he was the nephew of Pastor John Henry Goetschius, who married another daughter of Anthony Hallman. In 1751, Johan Leonard Berkheimer was one of the deacons, a native of Klein Middlesheim in the Palatinate. When the St. John’s Lutheran Church, Center Square was instituted, the deed for the property, containing one acre was given by George Castner and wife to Philip Bower and George Berkheimer of Whiteplain Twp., presumed to be the son of Leonard but may have been his brother, June 26, 1773. When the building was finished June 28, 1773, Leonard Berkheimer was one of the trustees. On Jan. 5, 1744 Leonard Berkheimer married Maria Catharine Kerger, who was born 1720 in Creuzenach, Switzerland, daughter of Philip and Anna Maria Kerger. They had just arrived in this country from Switzerland in 1743. Part Two continues next week...

Obama is also a decedent of Johann Wiheim Berkheimer

 Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pennsylvania)

Passenger List of "Samuel" SOURCE: http://www.immigrantships.net/1700/samuel320811.html The passengers include Johann Wilheim Berkheimer, his wife and four children. The spelling is wrong and is not the same for all the family members. It was the Captain's best guess as how to spell these German Names. The ages are wrong as well. Their names are highlighted in red and bold. Rotterdam, Netherlands and Cowes, England to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11 August 1732 Samuel, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes. Arrived Philadelphia, 11 August 1732. Hugh Percy, Commander Columns represent: Name, Age, Signatures for Declaration of Fidelity and Oath of Allegiance

 1  Jacob Albrecht      

Johann Wilhelm and Maria Salome came to the New World aboard the Ship Samuel, which traveled from Rotterdam. It stopped in Cowes, England, for supplies and then landed at Philadelphia on August 11, 1732. (reported in "Berckheimer, published 1966)

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