Hans (Bichsel) Bixler (abt. 1700 - abt. 1765)

Born about 4 Feb 1700 in Eggiwil, Switzerland

Ancestors

Husband of Madalena (Kroehbuhl) Bixler — married 24 Nov 1742 in Codorus, York, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died about Mar 1765 at about age 65 in York, Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Theresa Shaffer [send private message], Kurt Caulley [send private message], and Jim Bixler [send private message]

Biography

John (Bichsel) Bixler is of Swiss descent

Hans Bichsel was born on or before 4 Feb 1700 in Eggiwil, Emmental, Bern, Switzerland. He was baptized on 4 Feb 1700 in Eggiwil, Emmental, Bern, Switzerland. He was the son of Ulrich Bichsel and Anna Baiser^[1]. He married Katharina Wägeli about 1724 in Switzerland. She gave birth to a daughter that was baptized 8 April 1728^[2]. In about 1725 Hans immigrated to Pennsylvania^[3] and settled in York County, Pennsylvania. About this time Hans Bichsel became known as John Bixler. John married Magdelena Kroehbuhl 24 November 1742 in Cordorus Twp., York, Pennsylvania^[4]. John died in March 1765. In his will he listed his wife, Matalina, and children, his oldest sons Jacob and John, step daughter Merey and her husband John Miller, Madalena and Elizabeth^[5].

Johann (John) Bixler b. about 1730, was a farmer. John had a son, Samuel Bixler, of Carroll County, MD. Samuel was a farmer. He had son, David Bixler, born 26 Oct. 1775 in Hanover, Pa. David did not like farming so he went to Baltimore, Maryland and engaged in the tobacco business. He lived in a three-story dwelling on Howard Street with an outlet and store on Clay Street. He was a member of the Old Zion Lutheran Church on Gay Street, Baltimore. He later contributed $800 toward building the English Church on Lexington Street which stood for forty-nine years before burning down and being rebuilt on the corner of Lanvalle and Fremont Ave.

Occupation

Occupation: Farmer

Religion

Religion: Mennonite

Last Will and Testament

In the name of God Amen this thirty one day of August in the third year of the Reign of our Savoring Lord George the third by the Grace of God King of Great Britain Etc and in the year of our Lord God one thousand seven hundred and sixty and three I John Bixler of Manheim Township in the County of York and Province of Pennsylvania farmer being very sick and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given unto God therefore calling into the mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this to be my Last Will and Testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommand my soul into the hands of God that give it and for my body I recommand it to the earth to be buried in a Christian lick and decent manner and as touching such worldly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form firstly it is my will and I do order that in the first place all my just debts and funeral charges be paid and satisfied. Item. It is my will and I do order that my dearly beloved wife Matalina shall have the sum of sixty pounds good and lawful money to be raised and levead out of my moveable estate for her and that she is to have before hand of all further my wife Matalina is to have her bed where she use to lay in and what before hand of all further my wife is to have before hand one Sorel Mear Coald two year each and what is above mentioned she is to have for ever further my wife is to have before hand two cows the joys of all my cows further it is my will that my wife Matalina is to have the third part of all my moveable estate and that forever further it is my will that my wife shall have her living in my dwelling house as long as she remains a widow or else to have another house built for her sufficient for her living further it is my will that my wife shall have my plantation except the mill that is thereon for her usage for the term of four years after my decease then my son Samuel is to have my plantation whereon I now adwells except the mill that is thereon the six acres of land that belonged to the mill and that little house that is on the Bick Road with the little planting garden that belonged to the mill which I have sold to my son in law John Miller for the sum of three hundred and twenty pounds good and lawful moneys but the said John Miller is only to pay the sum of three hundred pounds the twenty pounds above mentioned he is to keep for his wife's heirs part which I give and bequeath unto my step daughter Merey which is now the said John Miller's wife but the above mentioned three hundred pounds he is to pay in several payments that is to say every year the sum of forty pounds but except the mill and that what belongs to it as above mentioned my son Samuel is to have the rest of my land and plantation to him his heirs and assigns for ever therefore my son Samuel is to pay to the rest of his brethren and sisteren the sum of six hundred pounds good and lawful moneys but of the said three hundred pounds which the above said John Miller is to pay for the mill my wife Matalina is to have the third part of its Item. It is my will that my land what I have bought from John Dix that what is not paid yet shall be paid out of my estate. Item. It is my will that my oldest son Jacob shall have five pounds before hand more then one of the rest to be raised out of my estate and paid to him. Item. It is my will that my son Samuel is to have his share out of the six hundred pounds as well and as much as one of the rest. Item. It is my will that my son Samuel is to pay one year after if he is going to live on the plantation the sum of thirty pounds to his sister Madalena and one year after the sum of twenty pounds to the said Madalena and then one year after he is to pay to his other sister Elizabeth the sum of thirty pounds and one year after the sum of twenty pounds to her again and son on according to their each till to the youngest always one year thirty pounds and the other year twenty pounds till everyone of them have got fifty pounds because my two oldest sons Jacob and John have received the sum of fifty pounds already every one of them and then if he my son Samuel have paid the sum of fifty pounds to my youngest child and then he is to begin on my oldest son Jacob and is to pay every year fifty pounds and till he has paid that what he have to pay to them six hundred pounds but he the said Samuel is to have his share out of it as well as one of the rest as before mentioned and so they are to receive according to their each of before mentioned. Item. It is my will that my son Samuel is to give to his mother yearly twenty five bushels of wheat and ten bushels of rye and that every year as long as she remains a widow further he is to give to his mother every year two hundred pounds of pork further my wife is to have the joys of two rows of apple trees in the orchard. Item. It is will and that my son Samuel is to keep her two cows and one Mear in further along with his creatures and that yearly as long as she remains a widow and further he is to sow one acre and flaxseed for his mother yearly as long as she remains a widow further my wife is to have the half of the planting garden as long as the above mentioned articles. Item. It is my will that my wife Matalina shall have before hand one iron kettle that is worth about the value of thirty shillings and further she is to have before hand one iron pot and one iron frying pan and one pewter dish and one pewter beson and a half a dozen of pewter plates and one dozen of pewter spoons and one tea kettle that she is to have before hand of all. Item. It is my will and I do order that my son in law shall have the right and property to the water to the mill but these I expect he shall allow my son Samuel the water twenty four hours long in a week to let it on the meadow. Item. It is my will and I do order John Miller and Christian Huber to be my whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby disallow, revoke and disannul all ancLevery other former testament will legacies and executors by me in any ways before this time named and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written. Signed, sealed, published, pronounced and declared by the said John Bixler as his Last Will and Testament in the presence of us the subscribers. N.B. Item. It is my will that my son Samuel shall keep his mother four head of sheep as long as she remains a widow. John (JB) Bixler (seal) Andreas Fleckinger, George Zachariah, William Berkboile, York County S. Sep. before me Samuel Johnston Esquire Deputy Register for the Probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration for the said County of York personally came William Berkboile and Andreas Fleckinger on their Solemn affirmation they being two of the people called Mennonites and consciously scrupling the taking of an oath and George Zachariah on his solemn oath the three subscribing witnesses to the annexed will respectively do say that they were personally present and saw and heard John Bixler in the annexed will named sign, seal, publish and declare the same as and for his Last Will and Testament and that as doing thereof he was of sound and disposing mind and memory to the best of their knowledge and that they subscribed their names as witnesses that same in the presence of the testator that his bequest the 27th day of March 1765 Sam Johnston deputy Reg.

Research Notes

It has been proposed that Hans (John) Bixler and John Hans Bixler be merged as they are the same person. Ulrich Bichsel has been proven to be the father and Anna Baiser the mother. The reservations I have about merge has to do with the ancestry of Ulrich. There are two notable researchers on this line and they disagree to Ulrich's ancestry. Richard Warren Davis of Provo, Utah, spent a lot of time in Germany and Switzerland researching Mennonite origins of American families. In 1995, he published Emigrants, Refugees, and Prisoners, Vol. I. The other being Ernst Bichsel who lives in Switzerland and researched his ancestry. As it is unlikely that I would be able to confirm the correct ancestry of Urich I believe selecting one over the other could/would be misleading.

Sources

1. ↑ Hans Bichsel Baptismal Record
2. ↑ Maria Magdalena Bichsel Baptismal Record
3. ↑ Pennsylvania Folklfe Vol. 26, No5, Page 6, #18 Johann Bichsel
4. ↑ Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940, Index
5. ↑ Pennsylvania Probate Records, York Co.,Volume 2B / Page 37-40

• Source: S54 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R2 NOTEThis information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.
• Repository: R2 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com E-Mail Address: Phone Number:

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Steve Conner for creating WikiTree profile Bixler-203 through the import of Mikesell Winters_2013-09-04.ged on Sep 4, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Steve and others.