236. Documentation for John Yeakel
(Hans Heinrich Jäckel)
(Feb. 19, 1708 to Dec. 21, 1781)
father of Jeremiah Yeakel
(Apr. 9, 1736 to Feb. 10, 1818)
John Yeakel (Hans Heinrich Jackel), Fifth Great Grandfather of Curtis Lynn Older
1) John Yeakel, husband of Susanna Heydrick, parents of Jeremiah Yeakel
2) Jeremiah Yeakel, husband of Susanna Wiegner, parents of Anna Yeakel
3) Anna Yeakel, wife of Michael Hillegass Junior, parents of Susannah Hillegas
4) Susannah Hillegas, wife of John L Fox, parents of Daniel Alexander Fox
5) Daniel Alexander Fox, husband of Elizabeth Jane Ricketts, parents of Ethel Belle Fox
6) Ethel Belle Fox, wife of Robert William Gouty, parents of Mavis Lorene Gouty
7) Mavis Lorene Gouty, wife of Truxton James Older, parents of Curtis Lynn Older
Download Adobe Acrobat File - 236. John Yeakel - (This file contains the following text plus images.)
The story of the Yeakel family is told in The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737.(1) The book's author, Samuel Kriebel Brecht, employed a numbering system in his book to more easily identify the descendants of one of the emigrants. The Schwenkfelder emigrants, those who arrived in Pennsylvania in the years 1731 to 1737, are designed with the letter "E".(2) Hans Heinrich Jäckel [E 45] was born 19 February 1708, was baptized 20 February 1708, and died 21 December 1781.(3) His wife, Susanna Heydrick [E 126], was born 19 September 1710 and died 23 September 1793.(4)
Hans Heinrich Jäckel [E 45], his wife Susanna (Heydrick) Jäckel [E 126], and his father, David Jäckel [E 38], landed at the port of Philadelphia in 1734, and thus are included in The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families.(5) The wife of David Jäckel died before the family left Europe for America.(6) The Jäckels were included in the third and main migration. "The third and main migration began Tuesday, April 20, 1734, when the first family left Berthelsdorf. The emigrants embarked on the Elbe for Altona, Denmark, on April 28, and on May 20 reached their destination. On June 21 they embarked on the ship St. Andrew, and on July 29, Plymouth was reached. Land of the new world was first seen by them on September 17, and on September 22 actual landing took place."(7)
"Hans Heinrich (John) Yeakel (Jäckel) [E 45, F 38, F 38-5, wife E 126] acquired by warrant and survey of the year 1740, 100 acres in present Upper Macungie Twp., Lehigh Co. [Plate B IV], which he conveyed to John Fogel in 1769, to whom patent was issued in 1782. In 1743 he purchased of Philip Labar, 200 acres in present Marlborough Twp., Montg. Co. [Plate D II, owned in part in 1920 by Milton Hillegass], to which he later added 34 acres, of which he sold part to Philip Reed in 1759, and the remainder to George Roth in 1770. He for a time held part of the Christopher Newman tract [Plate D III]. He bought in 1755, 89 ½ acres in Upper Hanover Twp., near his 200-acre tract, which he sold in 1761 to Leonard Thomas. On Dec. 23, 1761, he as "John Yeakle of Marlborough," bought the Hamilton tract of 500 acres, partly in Upper Hanover Twp., Montg. Co., and partly in Upper Milford, Lehigh Co. [Placte C III], which he conveyed in four parts of equal area to his four sons, Balthasar [E 127], Jeremiah, George and Melchior. A survey of Dec., 1773, shows that he also bought 198 acres of Dietrich Welker in Lower Milford Twp., Bucks Co. Place of burial of Hans Heinrich, Yeakel Private Burying Ground, Hosensack; his wife, Hosensack."(8)
The numbering system used in the Schwenkfelder Families allows one to easily follow the descendants of the earliest ancestor. David Jäckel is number [38] and all of his descendants listed in the Schwenkfelder Families are numbered beginning with [38]. Hans Heinrich Jäckel is number [38-5] and Jeremiah Yeakel is [38-17].(9)
"The two most highly prized relics reposing in the Schwenkfelder Historical Library at Pennsburg (PA) are the original Ship List of the St. Andrew and the German Bible used by Caspar Schwenckfeld which contains his autograph and also marginal notes in his own handwriting."(10) See APPENDIX A for a brief discussion of Schwenkfelder History as described on the website of the Palm Schwenkfelder Church.
Jeremiah Yeakel and Susanna Wiegner [38-17] were married 16 June 1763 by Reverend Balzer Hoffman in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.(11) Susanna Wiegner was born 05 August 1740 in Towamencin County, Pennsylvania.(12) She was the daughter of Christopher Wiegner (Junior) [E 56] and Anna Schultz [E 150].(13) She died 12 June 1821 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.(14)
Susanna Seibt Wiegner [E 154] was the mother of Christopher Wiegner (Junior) [E 56].(15) Susanna Seibt married Christopher Wiegner (Senior) of Langneundord [Harpersdorf Church Book] on 02 June 1711. Christopher Wiegner (Senior) died prior to the migration to Pennsylvania.(16)
Jeremias Jäckel (Yeakel) signed the Oath of Allegiance on 02 June 1778 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.(17) Jeremiah served as a Private in the Northampton County, Pennsylvania Militia, under Captain John Jacoby.(18) John Jacoby was the Captain of the 2nd Company of the Upper Milford Township, Northamption County, Pennsylvania Militia, in 1780 and of the 8th Company in 1783.(19)
Children (Yeakel) all born in Pennsylvania except Balthasar:
i. Balthasar [E 127], born December 1733; died October 12, 1797; married Susanna Krauss
ii. Jeremias, born April 9, 1736; died February 10, 1818; married Susanna Wiegner
iii. George, born November 19, 1738; died June 1, 1812; married Rosina Schubert
iv. Melchior, born February 25, 1742; died May 18, 1831; married Regina Schultz
v. Susanna, born February 1, 1744; died January 8, 1820; married Balthasar Krauss
vi. Maria, born October 2, 1748; died August 20, 1832; married Christopher Schultz
vii. Anna, born May 30, 1752; died April 7, 1838; married Matthias Gerhard
ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL to support the RELATIONSHIP between
JOHN YEAKEL and his son JEREMIAH YEAKEL
[Submitted to the N.C.S.S.A.R. on June 3, 2020]
Proof that Jeremiah Yeakel (gen.7) was a son of John Yeakel (Hans Heinrich Jackel) (gen. 8) and that this John Yeakel signed the Oath of Allegiance in Northampton Co., PA, in 1778.
Problem:
Does proof exist that Jeremiah Yeakel (Apr. 9, 1736 to Feb. 10, 1818) was a son of Hans Heinrich Jackel (or John Yeakel) (Feb. 19, 1708 to Dec. 21, 1781), a member of the religious sect called the Schwenkfelders, and was this John Yeakel the one who signed the Oath of Allegiance in Northampton County, PA, in 1778?
Evidence:
* Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Volume XVII. List of Foreigners Imported in the Ship St. Andrew, John Stedman, Master, from Rotterdam. Qualified Sept. 12, 1734. The name of Hans Henrich Jackel appears on page 107 and the name of David Jackel (sick) appears on page 108.
* An early lay pastor elected by the Schwenkfelder immigrants, Rev. Balthasar Heebner (1770-1848) began a journal that identified many relationships among the Schwenkfelders who settled in Pennsylvania. That journal has been preserved and is at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsburg, PA. It was written in German. The journal, and material from other sources, was translated into English by Reverend Reuben Kriebel and published in 1879. Genealogical Record of the Descendants of the Schwenkfelders who Arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733, 1734, 1736, 1737, from the German of the Rev. Balthasar Heebner and from other sources, by the Rev. Reuben Kriebel, Manayunk (PA), Josephus Yeakel, Printer, 1879. The book was published under the direction of a committee charged with the publication of a more complete history of the Schwenkfelders by the Annual Conference of the Society of Schwenkfelders held in 1875. (Per Heebner/Kriebel, Preface)
* The Heebner/Kriebel book indicates on page 18: Hans Heinrich Yeakel, son of David Yeakel married Susanna Heydrick, A.D. 1735. Had issue: Jeremias, born April 9, 1736; George, born November 19, 1738; Bathasar, born 1740; and Melchior, born February 24, 1742.
* The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families, seekers of religious liberty who fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the years 1731 to 1737 was edited by Samuel Kriebel Brecht, A.M. and published by Rand McNally & Company in New York in 1923. This book was printed for the Board of Publication of the Schwenkfelder Church, Pennsburg, PA. The credentials of the editor, Samuel Kriebel Brecht include: Editor of “The Schwenkfeldian;” Secretary of the General Conference of the Schwenkfelder Church; Member The Historical Society of Pennsylvania; The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania; The Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Historical Society; and The Pennsylvania German Society. (Per Brecht, title page)
* The Brecht book indicates on page 468: Hans Heinrich Jackel, b. Feb. 19, 1708, d. Dec. 21, 1781, son of David and Susanna (Heydrick) Jackel. Children: (sons) 1. Balthasar, 2. Jeremias b Apr. 9, 1736, d Feb. 10, 1818, married Susanna Wiegner, 3. George, and 4. Melchior.
* History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Alfred Mathews and Austin N. Hungerford was published in 1884 by Everts & Richards at Philadelphia. Page 362 of this book indicates: Hans Heinrich Jackel (or Yeakel) emigrated in 1734, with his father (David Yeakel), four brothers, and two sisters, to this country. He married Susanna Heydrick in 1735. H. H. Yeakel died Dec. 21, 1781, aged seventy-four years, and was buried near the center of his premises. He left four sons—Jeremiah, George, Balthaser, and Melchior Yeakel.
* Page 56 of the Brecht book lists the “Enrollment of Schwenkfelders During the Revolutionary War.” Two lists appear on this page. The first list contains the names of men in Capt. Daniel Springer’s Co. of Militia. The second list contains the names of men who were “Non-Associators.” Both lists contain the name of John Yeakle. These two lists were first published in 1897 in a book entitled, History of Towamencin Township, written for the Montgomery Transcript by Edward Mathews. The two lists appear on pages 12 and 13. Towamencin Township was part of Philadelphia County until the formation of Montgomery County on September 10, 1784. The John Yeakle who appears on these lists was not Hans Heinrich Jackel, the father of Jeremiah Yeakle. This man was Hans Jakel who appears on page 83 of the Brecht book and who lived in Philadelphia County in 1767 and who lived there during the American Revolution.
* An Alphabetized Listing of Those Subscribers to the Oaths of Allegiance, Northampton County, PA, 1777-1784 prepared by Gaylord Griffiths and copyrighted in January 1992 was published by Closson Press. Page 34 of this book lists John Jackel, George Jackel, and Jeremias Jackel. Page 83 lists the name of Melchoir Yeakle. Thus, the names of John Jackel and three of his four sons appear in this book as signers of the Oath of Allegiance in Northampton County, PA.
* Page 82 of the Brecht book, “Maps of Homesteads”, indicates a request was made that the Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania should let their friends in Germany know how and where they dwelt. David Schultze, a surveyor, made a map of the places of residence which was sent with explanatory matter to Germany in June 1767, by his cousin, Melchior Schultz. These maps and explanatory matter were discovered a century later in the library of Paster Nitschke of Harpersdorf by Ober-Lehrere Friedrich Schneider. He made a copy of the material which Dr. Chester D. Hartranft found in the Berlin Library and made a tracing of it. These maps were reproduced and published for the first time in the Brecht book in 1923. Page 82 of the Brecht book lists the following individuals living in Northampton County, Milford Township, in June 1767: “Hans Jakel, father; Jeremias Jakel, son; George Jakel, son; Balthaser Jackel, son.”
* The Heebner/Kriebel book lists a Hans or John Yeakel, a son of Abraham Yeakel, on page 10. This Hans or John Yeakel was born January 1, 1739 and died December 9, 1801. Therefore, he was alive at the time of the American Revolution. He is the only other Hans or John Yeakel listed in the Heebner/Kriebel book or the Brecht book who was alive at the time of the American Revolution. Page 83 of the Brecht book lists a Hans Jakel who lived in Philadelphia County in 1767.
Conclusion:
* The Heebner/Kriebel book on the Schwenkfelder genealogy indicates a father-son relationship between Hans Heinrich Yeakel and Jeremias Yeakel on page 18. The Brecht book on the Schwenkfelder genealogy indicates a father-son relationship between Hans Heinrich Jackel and Jeremiah Jackel on pages 82 and 468.
* Hans Heinrich Jackel (or John Yeakel), the father of Jeremiah Yeakel, was the John Yeakel listed on page 34 of An Alphabetized Listing of Those Subscribers to the Oaths of Allegiance, Northampton County, PA, 1777-1784 prepared by Gaylord Griffiths, who signed the Oath of Allegiance in 1778. This is confirmed by page 82 of the Brecht book that lists the Hans Heinrich Yeakel family as living in Northampton County, PA, in 1767. The only other Hans or John Yeakel alive at the time of the American Revolution lived in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, in 1767, as indicated by page 83 of the Brecht book and who must have lived in Philadelphia County during the American Revolution as indicated by the History of Towamencin Township book on pages 12 and 13.
REFERENCES
1) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923).
2) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page xvii.
3) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), Hans Heinrich Jäckel [E 45], page 466 and 468. Also see The Hans Heinrich Yeakel Cemetery, Plate 53, immediately after page 436.
4) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), [38-5] Hans Heinrich Jäckel [E 45], pages 466 and 468.
5) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), [38] David Jäckel [E 38], page 466 and Third Migration Lists, pages 36 and 38. See Plate 8, Complete Ship List of the Saint Andrew, Sept. 12, 1734, second page after page 68.
6) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), [38] David Jäckel [E 38], page 466.
7) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 36.
8) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), pages 72 and 73.
9) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page xvii.
10) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 28.
11) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 471, [38-17] Jeremiah Yeakel and page 475, [38-35] Anna Yeakel.
12) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 1226, [154-1] Christopher Wiegner [E 56] and Susanna [38-17], Dates from fly-leaf of book in Schwenkfelder Historical Library – Sammelband XXI.
13) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 1226, [154-1] Christopher Wiegner [E 56] and Susanna [38-17].
14) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 471, [38-17] Jeremiah Yeakel.
15) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 1226, [154-1] Christopher Wiegner [E 56] and Susanna [38-17].
16) Samuel Kriebel Brecht, editor, The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty Who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737. (Pennsburg, Pa.: Rand McNally & Company, 1923), page 1226, [154-1] Christopher Wiegner [E 56] and Susanna [38-17].
17) An alphabetized listing of those subscribers to the Oaths of Allegiance, Northampton County, Pa., 1777-1784: (also Oaths of Office, 1789-1804), Gaylord Griffiths, Closson Press, Apollo, PA, page 34: Name – Jackel, Jeremias, No. – ___, Date – 2 June 1778, Justice of Peace – Frederich Limbach, Page – 53. Also see, Henry F. Marx, ed., Oaths of Allegiance of Northampton Co., PA 1777-1784.
18) Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Volume 8, edited by Thomas Lynch Montgomery, Harrisburg, PA, page 50. See Daughters of the American Revolution National Membership Numbers 705892, 840151, 848677, and 813936, which claim membership as descendants of Jeremiah Yeakel through his daughter Ann Yeakel and her husband, Michael Hillegas.
19) Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission website, Northampton County Revolutionary War Militia.
APPENDIX A
SCHWENKFELDER HISTORY
[The following passages are quoted from the website of the Palm Schwenkfelder Church. Physical address: 833 Gravel Pike, Palm, Pennsylvania 18070]
Caspar Schwenckfeld lived from 1489 to 1561. He was born into a family of nobility in Silesia (now part of Poland), was raised Roman Catholic, and was educated to be a diplomat in the European courts. He was a court advisor in Silesia in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg, triggering the Protestant Reformation. Schwenckfeld was immediately attracted to the Reformation movement. He believed that the old world was passing away and a new world was appearing on the scene. He soon abandoned his affairs of state, and gave his full attention to studying the Scriptures and early church writings.
Schwenckfeld’s followers did not attend the established, dogmatic churches of the day. Instead, they conducted Christian worship in their homes, guided by Schwenckfeld’s writings. (Most people did not own Bibles at that time.) Schwenckfeld’s followers also participated in the Stillstand. The established churches deemed them un-churched heretical people and had fines and imprisonment imposed on them. Persecution throughout the 17th century reduced their numbers until, in 1719, the Austrian Emperor established a Jesuit mission to bring them back into the Catholic Church. Representatives of the Schwenkfelders traveled to Vienna to plead for religious tolerance but their pleas were futile. By 1726, only one alternative remained… to leave everything and escape.
In 1726, the most ardent of Schwenckfeld’s followers left their homes and began a migration to America. The largest group, numbering 171, landed in Philadelphia on September 22, 1734, on the sailing ship “St. Andrew.” On September 24, they held a service of thanksgiving to God for their deliverance from persecution and safe arrival in the New World. They also shared a simple meal together. There is no documentation of what was served at the meal but Schwenkfelder tradition tells us that it included bread, butter and apple butter. Schwenkfelders have held a Day of Remembrance service every year since then, making this the oldest continuous thanksgiving observance in the country.
Early Schwenkfelders held worship services and religious instruction in their homes for almost 50 years after their arrival in Pennsylvania. Initially, they had no fixed places or times of worship but, in 1762, they instituted a system of religious meetings. The meetings were held in private homes selected for that purpose on a predetermined schedule of rotation. This simple structure for worship met their needs for another 20 years until 1782, when they formed the “Society of Schwenkfelders.” This organization was incorporated in 1909 as “The Schwenkfelder Church.” The Schwenkfelder Church grew to include six congregations at its peak, with four remaining today. All of them were within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia. Today’s congregations are located in Palm, Worcester, East Norriton, and Philadelphia.
Early Schwenkfelders established homesteads from Chestnut Hill, near Philadelphia, to what are now Berks and Lehigh Counties. However, most of them settled in Central and Upper Montgomery County. Schwenkfelders referred to the area covering Upper Montgomery, Berks and Lehigh Counties as the “Upper District.”
Schwenkfelders have historically been interested in education. They built the first log school in the Upper District near Hereford in 1765 and, soon thereafter, rented a structure for a school in the Hosensack area. Other school sessions in this district were held in private homes. In 1790, a combination school and meeting house was erected at Hosensack to replace the earlier facility. The first worship service was held in this building in August, 1790. This log school and meeting house was replaced by one of stone in 1838. The building was remodeled in 1893, and it remains to this day.
A second Schwenkfelder meeting house was built in Washington Township, Berks County, in 1791. The first services to be held in this meeting house were the Day of Remembrance services of September 24, 1791. Public school sessions were conducted by the Schwenkfelders in this building until 1824, when it was replaced by a more modern structure. This building was removed in 1911, and a granite monument was placed on the site.
