Regina Yeakel

Schwenkfelder immigrant from Silesia. [E-160]

Regina Hübner (Heebner) was born on November 4, 1687 in Liegnitz, Lower Silesia (Schlesien), at the town of Harpersdorf. She is one of eight children of George Hübner and Maria John Hübner. Harpersdorf is now the town of Twardocice, Poland.

Regina married Christopher Jäckel (Sr) who was born around 1680 in Armenruhe, Selisia. They had a son Christoff born 12/10/1713 in Silesia who died at the age of 1 on 1/31/1714. A few years later a second son, also named Christoff (Christopher), was born March 15, 1718 in Armenruhe, Silesia. Armenruhe was a village in Liegnitz, Circle of Goldberg. Liegnitz is now Legnica, Poland.

On June 29, 1619, Regina’s husband Christopher Jäckel Sr died in Armenruhe, Selesia.

The Jäckels and Heebners were Schwenkfelders, a religious sect founded in Silesia by Caspar Schwenkfeld. At this time the region was under the rule of the Hapsburgs, and members of the Schwenkfelder sect were being persecuted. Between 1731 and 1737, groups of Schwenkfelders migrated from Germany to America seeking religious freedom.

The widow Regina Jäckel sailed on the third migration with her 18 year old son Christopher. The third and main migration began on Tuesday, April 20, 1734, when they left Berthelsdorf, Germany, embarking on the Elbe River for Altona, Demark, where they arrived on May 20. A month later they embarked on the ship Saint Andrew, reaching Plymouth, England on July 29. The ship sailed under the command of Captain John Stedman. Also on this voyage were three of Regina’s brothers and their families: Dr. Melchior Hübner, Hans Hübner, and David Hübner. A fourth brother, Christopher emigrated with the sixth migration in 1737, and another brother, Abraham, did not emigrate.

On September 17, 1734, the migrants had their first sighting of the land of the New World. They landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 22 after nearly two months at sea.

Captain Stedman had a ship’s list of passengers (“Stedman’s True List”) that had the passengers’ names written with correct German spelling. But when the names were read, the immigration clerk, not being German, spelled the names on the immigration list phonetically as Captain Stedman dictated them. Thus, upon arrival in America, the spelling of the name Jäckel was changed to Yeakel (or Yeakle), and Hübner became Heebner.

Regina and her son eventually settled at Chestnut Hill in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia, where her son worked as a cooper.

Regina died on April 4, 1753 at the age of 65 years and 5 months. She is buried in the Yeakle Schwenkfelder Cemetery in Montgomery County.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 10 2023, 10:10:39 UTC