By early 1733, the family of Hans Heinrich Voegeli and his wife Anna Maria had grown to 11 children and economic conditions had become intolerable. They received permission to emigrate to America and sailed on the ship Hope of Captain Daniel Reid, arriving in Philadelphia on 28 August 1733. There were 84 men who with their families made a total of 226 immigrants. The men were required to sign the Oath of Allegiance to the King of England and the Oath of Abjuration, renouncing allegiance to any other power or religious organization. The signatures of Hans Heinrich age 50 and his older sons Mathias age 23 and Bernhard age 21 appear on these lists.

There doesn�t seem to be any record of the family in America until church records in 1740. Some researchers have felt that this 7 year stretch may have been spent in Philadelphia working to pay off the expense of their voyage. This was a common occurrence among immigrants whereby they would sign an agreement to work for someone who had paid for their voyage and would provide a place to live and meals in exchange for their labor for the term of years specified. In the meantime, the land north of Philadelphia was getting more crowded each year to the point where the year before Hans Heinrich arrived, a Machiavellian plot was hatched by William Penn�s son to obtain additional land from the Indians to the north. In 1732, Thomas Penn had produced a 1686 document, after his famous father had left for England, which he showed to the chief of the Delaware Indian tribe, that indicated the chief�s ancestors had agreed to give up additional land to the north, the boundary of which would be set at the point where a man could walk to after a day and a half. The Indians had to think this over but finally agreed. They were thinking that the distance walked would not be too far since the land was all rugged forest and woud be difficult to traverse on foot. But Penn had other ideas. He hired 3 of the fastest runners in the colony and had them practice hard for the event. He promised that whoever of the 3 walked the farthest would get a reward of 5 pounds sterling and 500 acres of land. Not only that, Penn had a wide lane cleared through the forest to the north for easier walking. The Indians complained that this was not meeting the spirit of the agreement but could do little about it.

With all the preparations, it wasn�t until 1737 that the race started. The 3 men started off running and the Indians again complained that they weren�t walking, but what could they do? After 18 miles, one of the men was exhausted and dropped out. The other 2 kept going and slept under armed guard that night, afraid that the disgruntled Indians might attack them. They continued north the following day until 1 of the 2 collapsed, dying 2 days later. The 3^rd kept going until time out was called at noon, 65 miles from the start. Surveyors drew a boundary at that point from east to west and the colony of Pennsylvania had gained an additional 1,200 square miles of virgin territory. The 3^rd man, Edward Marshall, never did receive the land he was promised, and his wife and son were killed by Indians in separate attacks. The Indians were so mad that their Chief Lappawinsoe appealed the matter to the King of England who ordered an investigation. It lingered on for 15 months during which the chief became acquainted with alcohol and drank excessively. He eventually withdrew his accusation and burned to death in a fire in his wigwam. Over 100 years later, experts examined the 1686 document and found that it was a forgery. This whole incident is true and is known as The Great Walking Purchase of Pennsylvania.

It took some time to survey and set the new boundary to the north, and it was during this period that the family of Hans Heinrich moved north to the frontier near what is now called Fagleysville in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 31 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Fagleysville is on a road called Swamp Pike and driving northwest about a mile and a half leads to the site of their church, New Hanover Lutheran, the oldest German Lutheran Congregation in America founded in 1700. The pastor at that time was The Reverend Peter Muhlenberg, later to become the first Speaker of the House of Representatives in the U. S. Congress.

Note that on old 'Swamp Pike' going west you first pass through Fagleysville then into Gilbertsville. This was no doubt the area where the Gilbert relatives of Hans Heinrich�s wife settled. Anna Maria Gilbert was the daughter of parents Hans Jacob Gilbert and Anna Catharine Kuhlwein who did not, however, leave Hoffenheim. But Anna Maria�s two brothers, Hans Georg and Jacob did immigrate to New Hanover Township in 1750, so both towns no doubt represent our direct ancestors in early Pennsylvania history.

 

Family of Hans Heinrich Voegeli

Hans Heinrich Voegeli born 1684 in Hoffenheim, Baden, Germany, died late 1745 in Montgomery Co., PA, married 5 Feb 1709 Hoffenheim to Anna Maria Gilbert born abt 1687 Hoffenheim, died after Oct 1745 PA

Children:

1. Matthias Fegley born 1709 in Germany, married Maria Magdalen Huber

2. Georg Ludwig Fegley born 1711 in Germany

3. Johan Bernhard Fegley born 1712 in Hoffenheim, died in 1782 in Longswamp Twp, Berks Co., PA, married Anna Catharina Beck

4. Eva Catharina Fegley born 1714 in Germany

5. Anna Maria Fegley born 2 Sep 1716 in Germany

6. Johan Georg Fegley born 1718 in Germany, died before 1726 in Germany

7. Maria Margaretha Fegley born 4 Jan 1720 in Germany

8. Johann Maria Fegley born 25 Jun 1721 in Germany

9. Hans Georg Fegley born 24 Jan 1726 in Hoffenheim, died 7 Sep 1784 in New Hanover, PA

married Philippina Crebill born 2 Nov 1728 in Philadelphia, PA, died 24 Jan 1805 in New Hanover, PA

10. Anna Catharina Fegley born 23 Jul 1729 in Germany

11. Johan Jacob Fegley born 1732 in Germany, died 1 Apr 1745 in Montgomery Co., PA

 

Johan Bernhard Fegley, our 5^th great-grandfather, had settled near East Greenville in what is now Montgomery County and married Anna Catharina Beck. By now, the Voegeli spelling had disappeared and in all the public documents the spelling was some variation of Fegley. This is an English representation of how the Voegeli name was pronounced by German immigrants. The spelling variations found in documents are endless: Fegley, Fegely, Fagley, etc. Over the years, whole branches of familys for various reasons would take on a spelling slightly different from another branch. In our branch, the spelling finally resolved to Fegley, but not until after sporadic appearances of Fagley and others. See here for a further explanation of this surname. And while on the subject of names, we should note that a first name of Johan or Hans, etc. was a bible or Christian name but the individual was known by his given middle name, e.g. Johan Bernhard was not called Johan, but Bernhard.

There is another family story that should be mentioned here. Some believe that most likely Bernhard or possibly his father Heinrich had surveying skills and because of the nature of the new, virgin territory in the �Walking Purchase� one of them, whoever it was, was allowed to survey his own property to establish its boundaries.

Heinrich died in 1745 and 3 years later Bernhard moved his family of wife and 4 children north to Longswamp Township in what became Berks County in 1752 and lived there the rest of his life.

Bernhard was one of the original members of the Longswamp Church congregation dating from the 1740s. Jacob Weymer, a later pastor, recorded that the Reformed congregation in this place had resolved to build a house of worship in 1748. In 1753 land was secured for a church and cemetery, and in 1791 a second church was built on the property. In 1817 a Lutheran congregation was formed, and with the earlier Reformed congregation a union church was formed at Longswamp in 1852.

Bernhard was on the tax lists for Longswamp Township in 1752. In 1767 he paid a tax of 20 shillings on 300 acres, 4 horses, 3 cattle and 3 sheep. Only one other family out of the 92 on the list had property as large as his. His son Christian age 24 was also on the list and paid 15 shillings as one of 19 single men in the township.

In his will, written in German, his eldest son Christopher received 5 shillings, �he having already rec�d his share.� Catharine had already received 50 pounds, Anna Margaretha got 18 pounds, Eve 50, Henry 50, Peter 125, Anna Maria 60, and �youngest son John Bernard shall have 40 pounds before division.� This son served in the Berks County Militia, 6th Company, 5th Battalion during the Revolutionary War. Bernhard directed that the legacies be made equal, so it appears that many of them had received part of theirs before Bernhard died and the balance to make it equal was now being paid. It mentions �letters to Christian Fegely� and we can only guess what they contained. The witnesses to the signing of the will were John Heinley and Valentin Haupt.

 

Family of Johan Bernhard Fegley

Johan Bernhard Fegley born 1712 in Hoffenheim, Germany, died 1782 in Longswamp Twp, Berks Co., PA, married to Anna Catharina Beck

Children:

1. Christopher Fegley born before 1743 in Philadelphia Co., PA

2. Christian Fegley born 15 Dec 1743 in Philadelphia Co., died 1807 in Longswamp Twp, married Anna Maria Dresher born 23 May 1749 in Northampton Co., PA, died aft. 29 Sep 1811 in Northampton Co.

3. Maria Catharina Fegley born 1 Aug 1745 in Philadelphia Co., PA

4. Anna Margaretha Fegley born about 1747 in Philadelphia Co., PA

5. Eve Fegley born abt 1751 in Philadelphia Co., PA

6. Henrich Fegley born abt 1753 in Philadelphia Co., PA, died in 1829, married to Barbara Mertz

7. Peter Fegley born abt 1755 in Philadephia Co., PA

married to Elisabetha _____

8. Anna Maria Fegley born abt 1756 in Philadelphia Co., PA

9. Johan Bernard Fegley born 1757 in Philadelphia Co., died 1844 in Douglass Twp, Berks Co., PA

married to Mary _____ born 7 Sep 1758, died 29 Jan 1845 in Douglass Twp, Berks Co., PA