Johan Jacob Hetrick was born in 1736 in Gocklingen, Landau, Germany, which is a village of less than 1000 persons, just a few miles from the border of France. From what little I know of German history, and World War I, and World War II, it is likely that this land has been in contention for centuries. Perhaps even in 1749, when Jacob emigrated to Pennsylvania, it was still recovering from the Thirty Years War of the previous century. Since he was only 19 when he came to America, it may be that he came for economic reasons. His mother, Anna Elizabeth Zimmerman, came either with him or shortly before he came, but died shortly after arriving here. His father, Johan Abraham Hetrick, died in 1743 in Germany, and the whole remaining family may have decided to make a fresh start here. Other Hetricks came to America during the middle years of the 18th century, but I've so far not been able to establish a connection.
Jacob married Anna Elizabeth Nuss, apparently back in Gocklingen although I've not found records for that marriage. If so, he must have gone back to marry a "home town girl" and then brought her back to his home in Pennsylvania. By this time, he may have been settled in Codorus, York County, Pennsylvania, about 1762, where he probably intended to live out an uneventful life. The first challenge to that was his family. He and Elizabeth had at least 9 children. The last six were baptized in Stone's Union (Reformed) Church, Brodbeck, Pa. He became a land owner of 200 acres called "Duck Hill" in 1767, and was constable in 1771 and supervisor for Codorus township in 1774. At about the same time, he obtained a license to sell "beer and cyder." In 1772 he was listed as an innkeeper. This was a family job. Elizabeth would have been the cook and hospitality hostess, and the children would all have been helping from an early age. Jacob is listed on tax records for 1783 and 1787, and when he died he owned land in both Codorus and Manheim townships.
The interesting part of Jacob's story is his involvement, if he was involved, in the Revolutionary War. He was a second lieutenant and then a first lieutenant in the 7th Battalion of the Pennsylvania Militia. This unit was made up mostly of Germans who, for reasons of honor or religion, didn't really want to fight. The reason of honor was that they had sworn an oath to Britain when they got off the ship at Philadelphia, and were hesitant to dishonor that. Also many from Germany frowned on military service, as a matter of principle, and of course, there were the normal family reasons for not wanting to serve. However, when Philadelphia was "captured" by the British and used as their headquarters, enough of the militia were willing to fight that the 7th Battalion may have been engaged in battle. It's also possible that they weren't involved at all, or that they served long only long enough to allow other soldiers to take a furlough, or they may have been used to guard British prisoners. I would love to find the answer to this mystery but the sources I've found seem to contradict each other. Jacob is listed as a soldier under the DAR and the Sons of the American Revolution; I just don't know what his exact service was.
Jacob was an immigrant, a pioneer, a successful farmer and businessman, a patriot soldier, and a father. I am proud to be his descendant.
The line of descent is
Johan Jacob Hetrick-Anna Elizabeth Nuss
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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