Dietrichs in British Colonial America

Date: 1700 to 1776
Location: British Colonial America
Surname/tag: Dietrich

Back to Dietrich Name Study

Contents 1 Introduction 2 New York 3 New Jersey 4 Pennsylvania 4.1 Philadelphia 4.2 Northampton 4.3 Berks 4.4 Lancaster 4.5 York 4.6 Somerset 4.7 Cumberland 5 Maryland 6 North Carolina 7 South Carolina 8 Sources

Introduction

Dietrich families who migrated to British Colonial America, mainly Palatines.

"Dietrich (German pronunciation: [ˈdiːtrɪç]) is an ancient German name meaning 'Ruler of the People'. Also 'keeper of the keys' or a 'lockpick' either the tool or the profession." (Wikipedia)

Boldface denotes individuals with numerous known descendants, usually into the 20th century.

The current count of known (male) progenitors, by Province or Colony, those with numerous known descendants in parentheses: New York 6 (2), New Jersey 2 (2), Philadelphia PA 12 (1), rest of Pennsylvania 14 (9), Maryland 1 (1), North Carolina 1 (1), South Carolina 1 (0). The totals are 37 (16), or 25 (15) excluding Philadelphia.

New York

In 1710 there was a major effort by the British government to settle Palatine German emigrants in the Hudson valley to produce pine tar for the British navy (Knittle 1937). There were originally five Dietrich families involved in this project (Knittle pp 284, 294; MacWethy 1933):

Johann Dieterich w. Maria Catharine & 1 ch. (settled Schoharie Valley)

Christian Dietrich w. Anna Maria & 1 ch. (Haysbury, East Camp)

Anna Elizabeth Dietrichin wid{?} Jacob Dietrich & 4 ch. (Queensbury, East Camp)

Johann Wilhelm Dietrich w. Anna Margaretha & 3 ch. (West Camp)

Johann Jacob Dietrich w. Maria Catharina, 5 ch. (1710), 4 ch. (1711) (New York city)

Most of the Dietrichs in colonial New York apparently descended from the families of Christian and Wilhelm (brothers per Family Search); the other three families disappeared from the records shortly after arrival in America.

Johann Jacob Dietrich (abt 1666-aft 1710) arr 1710 New York

m Maria Catharina Molsbender 3 sons 4 dau

Christian Diederich (abt 1660-?) arr abt 1710 New York

m(2) Anna Maria Becker 3 children

Johann Wilhelm Dietrich (abt 1660-1716) arr 1710 New York

m(2) 1700 Anna Margaretha Neff 3 sons

An unrelated George Dieterich (b Germany) appears in New York city records starting in 1786.

George Dieterich (abt 1746-1831) b. Germany m bef 1785 Justina NN 2 sons 3 dau

New Jersey

Hansz Dedericks (1644-1698) Dutch migrant abt 1660

m 1664 Margrietje Warnaerts van Schoneveldet 2 sons 1 dau

John Michael Tiedrick (abt 1733-abt 1812) migr bef 1770, settled Warren NJ

m 1770 Elizabeth Leppert 7 sons 2 dau

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Philadelphia was the point of entry to British Colonial America for many Palatine migrants, and pre-1800 contained at times a relatively large contingent of Dietrich families. Only one of the dozen or so listed below have any identified descendants beyond the first or second generation.

Jacob Dietrich (1723-1790) m 3 times, 1 son Jacob David Dietrich, 3 dau

Nicolaus Dieterich (abt 1725-aft 1755) m bef 1750 Maria Anna NN, 2 dau

Jacob Dietrich (abt 1727-1772) m twice(?), 2 sons 1 dau

David Dietrich (abt 1728-aft 1762) m 1753 Maria Ursula Schmidtin, 4 dau

Jacob Dietrich (abt 1728-aft 1754) m bef 1752 Magdalena NN, 2 sons

Johann Michael Dietrich (abt 1729-bef 1798) m 1753 Magdalena, 5 sons 4 dau

Johann Jacob Dietrich (abt 1730-aft 1768)

m 1755 Dorothea Johanna Margreth Sternbek 4 sons 3 dau

Christian Dietrich (abt 1735-aft 1763) m 1760 Maria Rosina Kattemeyer, 1 son 1 dau

Jacob Dietrich (abt 1744-aft 1773) mgr 1768 alone

m 1769 Rosina Hofman 3(?) sons 3(?) dau, moved abt 1780 NJ

Christopher Dietrich (abt 1744-aft 1774) migr 1765 m 1769 Elizabeth Hofmann,

2 sons; possibly moved bef 1810 Berkeley VA (now WV)

Jacob David Dietrich (abt 1752-1792) m 1777 Christine Weckerle, 1 son

Joseph Detrick (bef 1755-aft 1810) m NN 1 son

Northampton

Elias Dieterich (1701-abt 1759) m(2) 1732 Anna Elisabetha Schopf, 2 dau 3 sons

Migr 1744 with wife, 1 dau & 2 sons; settled abt 1748 Forks Twp, later Mt. Bethel

Casper Dietrich (abt 1744-aft 1800 m 1767 Catherine Sternberger 1 son

Migr 1767 with wife, settled Whitehall Twp; son Caspar Jr moved to VA(?)

Berks

Johann Adam Dietrich (abt 1710-abt 1775) migr 1751 with family

m 1737 Christina Bieber, 4 dau 5 sons incl Johann Adam Jr & Johannes(?)

Johann Adam Dietrich Jr (1740-1817) s/o Johann Adam Sr, migr 1751

m 1764 Maria Barbara Steinbruch, 7 sons 5 dau; settled Greenwich Twp, Berks

Johannes Dietrich (abt 1754-1785) s/o Johann Adam Sr, settled Berks

m abt 1780 Barbara Braucher, 3 sons

Lenhart Dietrich (1732-1803) migr 1753 settled bef 1762 Bern Twp, Berks

m(1) abt 1770 Catherine Kessler, m(2) abt 1785 Catherine Shaffer

Conrad D. Dietrich (1763-1841) b Baltimore or Phila, settled bef 1790 Hereford Twp

m abt 1790 Elizabetha Sussholtz 4 sons 5 dau

Note: Jacob Dautrich (1722–1804) & Johann Dautrich (1735–?) settled bef 1790 Heidelberg & Alsace Twps, respectively

Lancaster

George Hans Dietrich (bef 1736-abt 1780) migr 1752 settled Lebanon Twp, Lancaster

m(2) 1756 Dorothea Boltz 4 sons 2 dau

son(?) Elisha Teeters (1762-1821) settled Washington PA, then Ohio

Philip Dietrich (abt 1725-aft 1769) m 1748 Elizabeth NN 5 sons 5 dau

migr 1754 settled near Lancaster Twp

Michael Dietrich (abt 1736-1810) migr 1754 settled Earl Twp, Lancaster

m 1769 Maria Sarah Bernhard 2 sons moved bef 1774 Upper Paxton Twp, Dauphin PA

Johann Ludwig Detrich (1740-1821) migr 1767 settled Antrim Twp, (later) Franklin

m 1768 Julianna Gochet 7 sons 5 dau many descendants

York

Johan Nicholas Dietrich (1727-1813) migr 1749 settled Tyrone Twp, York

(later Adams); m 1753 Anna Margaretta Shafer 6 sons 2 dau,

Wilhelm Dietrich (abt 1734-1770) m abt 1759 Maria Magdalena NN 1 dau

Somerset

Johannes Ditrich (Deeter) (abt 1760-abt 1828) b Germany(?) migr bef 1780

settled bef 1791 Allegheny Twp m 1786 Catherine Springer 4 sons 5 dau

Cumberland

John Dieterich (abt 1758-1812) origins unknown

settled bef 1779 Lurgan Twp m Elizabeth NN 2 sons 2 dau

Maryland

Johannes (Hans) Dieterich (abt 1720-aft 1770) migr 1738 m abt 1745 NN 3 sons

settled 1752 Conococheage valley PA border, many descendants PA, OH, etc

North Carolina

Michael Tedrick (1752-1834) migr 1752 with parents, born at sea

settled bef 1785 Wake NC m bef 1785 Rebecca NN 3 sons 1 dau

South Carolina

Hans (John) Dietrick (1683-1759) arr 1735 South Carolina

m Anna NN in Switzerland 3 children; no known male line descendants

Sources

• "Dietrich" article, Wikipedia.
• "Pennsylvania German pioneers; a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808", by Ralph Beaver Strassburger, ed. by William John Hinke (Norristown, Pa., Pennsylvania German Society, 1934).

New York

• "Early eighteenth century Palatine emigration; a British government redemptioner project to manufacture naval stores," by Walter Allen Knittle. Philadelphia, Dorrance [c1937].
• "Three Rivers Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie: History From America's Most Famous Valleys; The Book of Names," Compiled and Arranged by Lou D. MacWethy (The Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, NY., 1933).