Mary Werkheiser West Hooper started attending Werkheiser Reunions in 1933. Through out the years she was very active with the reunions and also with the Werkheiser historians. Mary was involved with collecting information from tombstones, libraries, and newspapers for many years. The major part of the extensive information on the Werkheisers is from the legwork, note taking, and typing of Mary. She has served as secretary and as an historian on the reunion committee at different times down through the years.
Viloa began attending reunions with her parents. Her father was the treasurer for many years and she was the secretary for a while.
Ted also started attending the reunions with his parents. His father, mother, and their eight children attended as a family.
In 1989 the historian committee decided to put together a handout for the 1989 reunion. Many people come to the reunion to try and trace their line of descent back to the first Werkheiser immigrant. Though the historians have a lot of information, the family history is not complete and probably never will be. Many people can point to illustrious, important, and famous forefathers. This is not so with the Werkheiser. There are no doctors, lawyers, ministers, or teachers in the early generations; just farmers, laborers, and a couple of tailors. This death of professionalism and social attainment has left us with no early notes, letters, or newspaper articles to rely on. If it were not for the ships records and church records we would know very little of our Werkheiser ancestors. We can be thankful that many of them were God fearing and therefore had births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths listed in the church records and recorded on tombstones. Many of them were not faithful or regular church members and that leaves us with many gaps that are hard to fill. We thank them for all of the information that they have provided. The following is the information that the historians have compiled through the years.
There are three publications as is explained on page XLII in Volume I of the 'Pennsylvania German Pioneers' by Strassburger and Hinke. Strassburger supplied the funds and Hinke researched and organized the data and information. Rupp published his list of 30,000 German Immigrants in 1856. According to Hinke it contains numerous omissions and mistakes. In 1890 Dr. William Egle was the editor of Volume XVII of the second series of Pennsylvania Archives. His work improved on Rupp's lists. Strassburger and Hinke's 'Pennsylvania German Pioneers', 1934, is the third attempt and the accurate list.
There are three lists. Some have been lost or were not saved. The lists are lettered A, B, and C. As you may notice later, there is only a list C for Nicol. Reinhard has lists A and C. CARL HENRICH has lists A, B, and C. The Captain's list is marked A. The Signer's list of the oath of Allegiance is marked B. The Signer's list of the oath of abjuration is marked C. The immigrants were required to sign three oaths. The first oath was the Oath of Allegiance or list B.
The Declaration of Fidelity which said in shortened form: I, Johan Schmidt, will be true and faithful to King George. The Declaration of Abjuration which said in shortened form: I, Johan Schmidt, acknowledge that King George the Second is the lawful and rightful King. This Declaration of Abjuration was considered more important than the Declaration of Fidelity and thus became the list called letter C.
Carl Heinrich Werkheiser swore allegiance to King George II, by signing his own name.
From immigration records we know that three Werkheiser's entered Pennsylvania through the port of Philadelphia. Werkheiser is the English spelling. Other spellings were Werckhausser, Werckheiser, Worhiser, Wirkiser, Workhyser, Werkeheser, Wirkyser, and Wirkhyfer.
They were Nicol Werckhausser, List 149C, whom sailed on the ship Royal Union from Rotterdam, last from Portsmouth, on August 15, 1750. Page 156 lists there was 350 whole freights and 500 souls. CARL HENRICH WERCKHAUSSER, Lists 222A, 222B, and 222C, whom sailed on the ship Phoenix from Rotterdam, Holland, Christian (X) Neycomer, Chris (X) Helhoff, Loreritz Enders, and Bartholemeus Beringer.
[Endorsed:] List of Foreigners imported in the Ship Phoenix, Captain Spurrier, from Rotterdam. Qual. Ocotber, 1754l No. 239, a shoemaker.
Sailing from Franconia, Palatinate, Zweybreck and last from Cowes, on October 1, 1754. [List 222 C] At the State House at Philadelphia, Tuesday, the 1st October, 1754.
The Worshipful Charles Willing, Esquire, Mayor.
The Foreigners whose Names are underwritten, Imported in the Ship Phoenix, Capt. John Spurrier, from Rotterdam and last from Cowes, did this day take the usual Qualifications to the Government. There were elevn Roman Catholics, 25 Mennonites, Swissers, 300 souls, and 554 freights.
The list included Johannes Jung, Johannes Sauer, Jacob Schneider, Thomas Endres, Ludwig Gottgen, J. Michael (+) Tewbel, Abraham Stein, J. George (O) Ruttenwalder, CARL HENNRICH WERCHHAUSSER, Joh. Lenhart Bingel, Johann Nickel Gibs, Peter Muller, Peter Treier, Johan Bernhartt Bob, Johannes Henrichs, Johan Gerog Bob, Peter Henrichs, Lorentz Alberth, Filib Wetzger, Hans Mich. [?] Dosch, Jost (X) Shoenower, Hans Kisecker, Hans (+) Reish, Johannes Beck, Michael Fletter, Andreas Feth, Lorentz (X) Mangel, Andres Fertig, Burckhardt Kuch, J. Henry (X) Unckelbach, Marcus (X) Weidinger, Christoffel Schum, Frantz (X) Weidinger, Andreas Schwartz, Hieronimus (X) Gereenewald, Johannes Gilbert, Ulrich Jesel, Johannes Schaffer, Johannes Alberth, G. Philip (X) Eysenhaar, Johanes (+) Gebhart, Linhardt Ott, Hans Adam Sauer, Heinrich Ott, Hans Michel Sauer, and Adam Gieg.
Reinhard Werckheiser, Lists 224A and 224C, who sailed on the ship Friendship from Franconia, Hesse, and last from Gosport, on October 21, 1754. There were seven Roman Catholics and 301 whole freights. A John Michael Weckesser arrived on October 9, 1743 and a John Andrees Wecheffer arrived on September, 1749. There language was High German. Our forefathers brought four essential things when they came to America. They were a Bible, an English Primer, a hatchet, and a flintlock.
Franconia the Palatinate and Zwei Bruechan was a state in the early 1700's. It was west of the Rhine River. They had religious trouble and other tribes pushed them westward to Holland. They were later called Holland Dutch. They mixed with the Celtic, Latin, and English. Late on, the Paltinate was divided into the lower Rhine Palatinate and the upper Palatinate. In German it was called Pfals. It joined with Bavaria in 1648. The Upper and Lower Palatinates then joined to form a government. This is now the present Rhineland and was formed in 1945 from parts of Hess, Prussia, and old Rhine provinces.
The journey to Pennsylvania fell naturally into three parts. The first journey lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October. The Rhine boats from Heilbronn to Holland have to pass by twenty-six customhouse officials. In the meantime the ships with the people are detained for a long time, so that the passengers have to spend a lot of money. The trip down the Rhine lasts up to six weeks. When the ships come to Holland, they are detained there likewise five to six weeks. Because things are very dear there, the poor people have to spend nearly all they have during that time.
The second stage of the journey was from Rotterdam or Amsterdam to one of the English ports. In England there was another delay of one to two weeks. Then, when the ships at last weighed their anchors, the real misery begins with the long voyage. The ships are often at sea for up to twelve weeks before they reach Philadelphia.
The third stage of the journey was marked by much suffering and hardship. The passengers were being packed densely, like Herrings, without proper food and water. The passengers were subject to all sorts of diseases, such as dysentery, scurvy, typhoid, and small pox. Children were the first to be attacked and died in large numbers. Before the ship is allowed to cast anchor at the harbor front, the passengers are all examined, according to the law in force, by a physician, as to whether any contagious disease exists among them.
When a ship does arrive in the harbor of Philadelphia, one or more merchants received the passenger list and the agreement which the emigrants have signed with their own hand in Holland, together with the bills for their travel down the Rhine and the advances of the "Newlanders" for provisions, which they received on the ships on account. Formerly the freight for a single person was six to ten Louis D'ors ($27 to $45), but now it amounts to 14 to 17 Louis D'ors ($65 to $76.50). Then the new arrivals are led in procession to the City Hall and there they must render the Oath of Allegiance to the King of Great Britain. After that they are brought back to the ship.
Then announcements are printed in the newspapers stating how many of the new arrivals are to be sold. Those who have money are released. Whoever has well-to-do friends seeks a loan from them to pay the passage, but there are only a few who succeed.
The ship becomes the market place. The buyers make their choice among the arrivals and bargain with them for a certain number of years and days. Then they take them to the merchant, pay their passage and their other debts and receive from the Government Authorities a written document, which make the "Newcomers" their property for a definite period.
Some of the following information is from Mrs. Lenore Dyson, from a newspaper sketch written in 1901, and Nicholas's grandchildren. They are descendants of the Werkheiser line living in the Montgomery County area.
Nicholas Werckhausser arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 15, 1750. He lived in Upper Milford Township until he bought a 50-acre farm for 300 pounds near Skippack, Montgomery Co. in 1762. He died four years later in March 1766. His occupation was that of peddler and he bought an Indian Trader's License on March 1, 1762, March 9, 1763, March 5, 1764, and March 4, 1765. He left a widow Margaretta Philippina, whom he married on June 1, 1763. Nicholas was naturalized on April 7, 1765 as a Quaker. He had a son Adam and a daughter Mary Barbara. In his will he refers to his nephew Charles Werckhausser of Northampton County. His son Adam had six children. They were George, Elizabeth, and Mary Wurkhauser who married David Wolldy/Gouldy/Gulde on April 21, 1815, at the First Reformed Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mary and David Gouldy are buried in the cemetery at St. John's Lutheran Church in Centre Square, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The other three children are Susanne, Sarah, and Samuel. Samuel married Elizabeth Fetter on March 8, 1831, at the Whitpain Reformed Church in Bluebell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Other news in the paper was that Philippina Werkhaeuser married Philip Saenger on April 21, 1767. She was from Worcester Township, and they were married in the Germantown Reformed Church (now Market Square Presbyterian Church) in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Johann Philip Singer married Mararetha Werckheisser on April 21, 1767, at the Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran Chruch, Upper Salford Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
From the Schwenkfelder Library, Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, comes the following information. "Sketches of Worcester", by Edward Matthews. These sketches were written for the "Montgomery Transcript" and the articles date from July 12, 1901 to about 1904.
Skippack, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1901. The Workheiser Property-The farm of George Dotts and Adam and Samuel Workheiser (The Printz Lot).
This is the third quarter of the old Osborne Plantation, and the Southern Corner. The buildings are on the long southeast slope of Methacton, and the farm extends down towards the village of Belfry. It is now owned by George Dotts. This portion, after the death of Richard Osborne in 1754, fell to the share of his daughter Mary, wife of Josiah Evans, comprising 68 acres, 100 perches. In 1761, Josiah Evans detailed a lot of 19 acres lying along the Skippack Road to John Johnson, of Germantown. This is the later Printz lot. At the beginning of the revolution, in 1755, Johsnon sold this 19-acre lot to Peter Wolf, who immediately transferred it to John Davis for 230 pounds. It was a piece of 60 by 53 perches. Wolf was a blacksmith and Davis a copper, coming from Whitpain.
Meanwhile, long before this time, or in 1762, Josiah Evans had sold the home and main farm of 50 acres to Nicholas Workheiser. Workheiser was a German, coming from Upper Milford, now Lehigh County, and was called a "Chapman" i.e. hawker of peddler. He paid 300 pounds for a farm of 106 perches by 53 perches, and bordering the Skippack Road, 46 perches net to the present village of Belfry, and 106 perches along the township line.
Nicholas Workheiser died a young man, only four years after his purchase. Seeing death approaching, he made his will on February 16, 1766. His wife bore the quaint name of Phillipine. There were 2 minor children, Mary Barbara and Adam. They were to learn the trades, but to have sufficient schooling to "read, write, and cypher". Their reading was to go so far as to master the Bible and their cyphering to go as far as the "rule of three". The timber on the land was not to be cut during the minority of these children. To Adam was of course devised the farm when he became of age. To Barbara went 50 pounds. In case of the death of both, the property was to go to his nephew, Charles Workheiser of Northampton County.
There has probably been a home here since the middle of the 18th Century. Adam Workheiser lived here the remainder of a long life. His will was made in April 1832, naming his sons, Samuel and George, along with David Thomas, as his executors. In 1836, these conveyed to Isaac Detweiler, who immediately sold to Samuel Workheiser, 62 acres for $76/acre.
Harry Workheiser succeeded his father in the ownership. After some years the latter became involved in financial troubles and assigned to J.R. Yost. In 1881, Yost conveyed to George W. Rogers, who immediately conveyed it back to Workheiser. By 1886, the latter was deceased, but the Sheriff, Henry C. Kline, seized his estate selling it to Christian Beener. The last purchaser was George W. Dotts, who in 1889 gave $5,000 for 56 acres. The latter had been a renter of the Jonathon Scott farm.
There was a lot on the Skippack Road, having on it a home and blacksmith shop and comprising of 17 acres. This was originally one of the quarters of the Osborne Plantation, which came into the possession of Peter Wolf in 1775.
In 1775, Peter Wolf sold the same to John Davis, who owned it during the Revolutionary War until 1787, when he sold it to David Wagner. In 1792 Wagner sold it to Jonathon Blair, who held possession for 14 years, till 1806. In that year is will made Mordecai Jones his executor. In this capacity, Jones, sod to Adam Workheiser in that year. Before 1853, the lot was owned by John Preston, a blacksmith, and he sold it in that year, to Philip S. Gerhart. In 1885, Thomas Lownes, bought the same. In 1874, he assigned it to Samuel C. Seiple and the next year, Seiple sold it to Henry Workheiser.
The Printz lot is a lot of 12 acres, which fronts the Skippack Road. It is a part of 19 acres sold in 1775, by Peter Wolf to John Davis and who probably erected buildings here. In 1781, Davis sold it to David Wagner. Five years later, Jonathon Blake bought it and held it for many years. By 1806, he was dead and Mordecai Jones, his executor, sold his home to Adam Workheiser of the adjoining farm to the northeast. He kept it all his lifetime and in 1837, his executors sold it to Rosina Kriebel, to George Smith, to Jacob Kinkiner, to Frederic Spare, to William Printz in 1851, for $1736. Two of the daughters of Printz, have been well known school teachers of Montgomery County.
There isn't any information or records for Reinhard Werckheiser. He is listed once as a communicant at the Dryland Church in Hecktown, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. What became of Reinhard is a mystery.
Two other Werkheiser immigrants that have descendants in the United States, but are not related to us on this side of the Atlantic, are Christian Workizer. Christian was an accomplished German gentleman turned mercenary soldier, who entered the English Army as a lieutenant at Aschaffenburg, in 1743, when George II was fighting in Germany. He subsequently rose to the rank of Colonel and came to Canada as Aide-de-camp to General Wolfe, in 1758. He was one of the three men who bore his brave commander to the rear when he was mortally wounded on the Heights of Abraham during the battle for Quebec. After the capture of Quebec, Colonel Workizer retired from the British Army, having served 15 years, and soon after married Margaret Shirardin of Quebec, a lady of French extraction. He and his wife, his father-in-law, Jacob Shirardin, and brother-in-law came to Chester County and settled with all three men purchasing land and other properties.
Christian Workizer had four daughters and two sons. One son died young of consumption, before he could marry his fiancé. The other son, John, married and had five daughters and one son, John Sheridan. This grandson of Christian Workizer sold out his inheritance and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, and they have no further word about him. Genealogically speaking, this John Sheridan is the only conceivable descendant of Christian who could carry on the family name.
The Chester County Historical Society Library contains additional material about Christian Workizer's family. His daughters and granddaughters are the nucleus of a fairly large family tree. The small book titled "The Workizer, Thropp, and Cone families by Edward Payson Cone, 1905, make for interesting reading and Christian Workizer is the Workizer of the book's title. Amelia Tropp Cone (the granddaughter of Christian's son John) spent a good part of her lifetime as a committee of one, seeking help and funds to establish what today we call Valley Forge Park at the sight of the encampment by General Washington and his troops at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Two different family names, Werkheiser and Workheiser, living in and around Kewaunee, Illinois, who both say they are not related to each other. The Werkheiser family knows that they are descendants of John Martin and his son Charles. The Workheiser family comes from Henry Lloyd Workheiser, who was born on October 15, 1854. One parent died when he was very young and at the age of six, he came west to Illinois with William Bardo and his family, which would have been in 1860. Lloyd's descendants today don't know Henry Lloyd's father's name.
During the past years, the Werkheiser historians have since been in contact with Werkheisers who live in Wisconsin, in the Sturgeon Bay area. They have received two replies. The nucleus of this family is descended from a Johann Werckhauser. They have a marriage certificate in German dated April 16, 1863, for Johann Werckhauser and Wilhelimine Schumann, who were married at Burton, Wisconsin. Johann was born on April 8, 1817, near Coblenz, Germany, and came to America in the 1840's. He was the son Christopher and Eva Werkhauser. Coblenz is about 70 miles north of Zweibrucken and Kaiserslautern which is the region where we think our ancestors, Carl Henry Werkheiser came from.
The foregoing information comes from Mrs. Dorothy Werkheiser Fellner. She also says that her great, great grandfather was an officer in the German Army. He didn't like it so he came to America. He had a wife, Clara, and a daughter Mary with him, but went west without Clara, because she did not want to go. Next stop is near Pearl City, Illinois, at a carriage stop called "Wayside Inn", (he has his daughter Mary with him) and meets Minnie Beck Schumann, also working there, who has a son Adolph. They go to Richfield, Wisconsin, and get married. He is listed in the 1870 census as a cabinet maker. In 1878, he came across the bay (Sturgeon Bay) on a raft with horses. Besides each having one child before marrying each other, Mrs. Fellner's great, great grandparents had three sons and one daughter in their second marriage.
Two or perhaps three other German immigrants to America are Peter Werkhaeuser, a shoemaker, who immigrated to Brazil in 1858 from Niederkosteny amt. Kirchberg. Another Peter Werckhaeuser (could be the same Peter) might have returned to Germany and immigrated to the United States from Gemunden, in 1879. Or it could be a different Peter who immigrated in 1879 to the United States. A Philip Werkhaeuser immigrated to America in 1851 taking 400 Thaler with him from Gehlweiler amt. Gemunden (Hunsrueck).
Werkheisers found in California are as follows:
1. C.E. Werkheiser. A historian phoned this number and a daughter of Charles Edward Werkheiser answered. She said that her grandfather was Amos Werkheiser from Stockton, Illinois. He is a descendant of John (1821) and Deborah Hahn Werkheiser who settled in northern Illinois. They have a copy of their family history.
2. Val Werkheiser. Val said that his name was Valentine. He was the fifth one to be named that and that his son also was named Valentine. He was 78 and was born in 1914. At the age of two, his parents moved from Chicago to San Diego. Val Sr. served 18 years in the Navy. He lived in England five years, where he met and married an English girl named Isabel Cole. Val Jr. was born in 1946 in London and his mother died a few years later and is buried at Saint Bancress. An obituary of Val is as follows: Val, age 81 years, passed away December 5, 1995, in El Cajon. Mr. Werkheiser resided in San Diego County for 78 years. He was a US Navy veteran of WWII, serving in Europe. He was the beloved father of Valentine Werkheiser Jr., Jerry Sanfilippo and Rosemary Green. Also survived by nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Memorial services Wednesday, December 13, 1995 at 2:00 pm, El Camino Mortuary Chapel. Internment with military honors in El Camino Memorial Park.
Val Sr.'s father was Frederick Werkheiser, middle name Albright. He was a Professor of Music at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. Frederick's wife's name was Sarah C. He was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When Val Sr. was two, his father moved to California where he continued to give piano concerts, but worked as a manager of several hotels. Val Sr. said that his father practiced 4 to 6 hours a day and that he could here him practicing a block away from their home. His father died in 1924 when Val Sr. was ten. Val Sr. had a brother named, Austin Albright Werkheiser, who settled in Delaware and Maryland. He died around 1990 and his widow may still live in Delaware.
Val Sr. said that his mother had hired someone to trace the family name. The researcher told her that he found Valentines back to the Penn's, but when his mother died he could not find any papers to verify it.
Around 1983, Val Jr. paged a call for his father to come to the main office of a garage. They were both very much surprised when another Valentine Werkheiser also responded to the call. The third Valentine promised to pay them a visit but never did. They think he may have been in the Navy, because some years his name is listed in the phone book and some years not.
The following is another contact made by the historian. E.E. Bus and Vera L. Workizer and Randy Workizer. E.E. Bus Workizer is dead. The historian said they found this to be an unusual contact. He said that the family member he talked to said there were problems in the family and that this makes it difficult for the historians for they would still like to know about his ancestors. Also family researchers will meet this name in the future and probably be unaware of the confusion.
The information that had been recorded here earlier about Bus I have changed since I received an e-mail from one of his sons, Bob Workizer. His father was E.E. Bus Workizer who married Vera L. The information that was printed in one of our hand outs a few years back and handed out by the historians at the Werkheiser reunion is not correct. Bob Workizer said he can't believe that the information that was printed came from a member of his family. He said that the three boys, Randy, Robert, and ? all say that Bus Workizer was a great father! There is no better father in the world. He also says he was one of the best husbands. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think about and remember our father and not a day goes by that my mother doesn't think about and remember the love of her husband.
The names of Wickizer, Wicckiser, Wickkiser, Wickhizer, and Wickheiser do not have any known ties to us. The name is not a German name, but an Americanized version of an unknown name (probably German). Werkhieser was a possibility, but the first names of Nicholas, Valentine, and Henry do not appear at all in the Wickizer families. Also Workizer and Wikheuser does not fit with Wickizer. Weckesser was considered, but their first immigrant ancestor, Conrad Wickizer, was originally a Weckesser, though it is possible because Conrad and Andrew appear often as first names in both families.
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