To SEARCH for INDIVIDUALS
Open EDIT menu on toolbar. Left click on FIND on THIS PAGE. On FIND screen tick ONE WORD ONLY box. Enter the name of a person. Left click on NEXT. Screen will automatically scroll to the first time a person of that name is shown and will highlight it. If that is not the person you are looking for, click NEXT again and it will move to the next place that name is shown. Always remember this is an EXACT search engine. If the data base uses a middle initial or name, it will not bring it up unless that is the way you have asked for the name. 3. HANS (JOHN)3 FRETZ (WEAVER JOHN) (JOHANNES2, JOHANNES1) (#405) was born in
Hagenau, Alsace, Germany 2 February 1704. HANS died 1772 in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co.
Pa., at age 68. His body was interred 1772 in Deep Run Cem. Buck's Co. Pa.. He married twice. He married BARBARA MEYER circa 1729. (BARBARA MEYER is #406.)
BARBARA was born circa 1710 in Langenzell, Germany. BARBARA was the daughter of HANS
MEYER. BARBARA died 1740 in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa., at age 30. Her body was
interred circa 1740 in Deep Run Cem. Buck's Co. Pa.. He married MARIA circa 1745. (MARIA is
#1273.) In the book by Rev. A .J. Fretz "HANS AND CHRISTIAN FRETZ" it states the two brothers
emigrated to America between 1710 and 1720. If this is correct they must have been just children
as JOHN FRETZ was born on 2 February 1704 in Hagenau, Alsace, Germany. His father was
JOHANNES FRETZ and his mother was ANNA MARIE GROSS. They settled in Plumstead Township, Bucks County (part of which later became Bedminster
Township). In fact JOHN FRETZ was one of the signers of the petition to form Bedminster
Township in March 1741. It was granted at the Spring Quarterly Session Court in Philadelphia in
1742. JOHN FRETZ purchased 230 acres from Benjamin Longstreth in 1738 who with his
brothers was a land speculator in the area. According to the article in the BEDMINSTER
TOWNSHIP HISTORY (copy in my library) he paid £106. I have been unable to find this deed in
either the Philadelphia or Bucks County Deed Books. The above property is on the north side of highway # 113 (Bedminster Road) and between
Rolling Hills Road and Deer Run Read with the entrance to the farm off Rolling Hills Road. It is still
being farmed in 1994 by Fred and Judy Bupp and is called Vermont-Pennsylvania Farms. There
are phonographs of the farm and house taken in 1994, in my files. Also historic and modern maps
showing the location. JOHN FRETZ was a weaver by trade and was known as "WEAVER JOHN". He was a
Mennonite and a member of the congregation at Deep Run Mennonite Meeting House. In 1798
Pennsylvania imposed a DIRECT TAX which was sometimes known as a Window Tax as they
assessed on the number of window panes as well as the size of the house. Although JOHN FRETZ
had died by this time undoubtedly this was the original building from the description as follows. Stone and log house 30 X 20 1 storey. House valuation $ 300. log barn 45 X 26. 225 acres. Total valuation $ 3500. When JOHN FRETZ died his son Christian received the farm for £600. When Christian died
his son Abraham inherited the farm and it was Abraham who built the stone house in 1820 that is
still there in 1994. In my files are photographs of the house and farm and also historic and modern
maps showing the location. JOHN FRETZ and his wife BARBARA MEYER are both buried in the Deep Run Mennonite
Cemetery on the west side of Keeler Road just south of Meeting House Road. John is buried in
Row 3, Plot 23 and Barbara is buried in Row 2. There are photographs of both stones in my files
as well as photos of the cemetery. The caretakers of the cemetery and church grounds are Mr. and
Mrs. Meyer who live across the road from the cemetery. There was a split in the congregation in the 1800s and those who split off built a new Meeting
House around the corner on Meeting House Road. It is called DEEP RUN WEST. It is in their
cemetery that the Fretz Family Association erected a monument to Hans and Christian Fretz
proclaiming them the progenitors of the Fretz family in America. When I questioned the present
minister in 1994 as to why they would erect it there instead of where they are buried he thought it
was because there were more Fretz members in that congregation at the time. There are
photographs of the monument in my files. SOURCE of INFORMATION 30,000 NAMES OF IMMIGRANTS TO PENNSYLVANIA BY I. Daniel Rupp published in 1876.
This book is held by the Orlando Library, Orlando, Florida. In my files are copies of pertinent pages.
JOHN AND CHRISTIAN FRETZ by Rev. A. J. Fretz published in 1890 by The Mennonite
Publishing Co. HISTORY OF BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP published in 1976 by the Bedminster Centennial
Committee. MEYER FAMILY HISTORY. A copy of this book is held by THE MEETING HOUSE library in
Harleysville, Montgomery County, Pa. Copy is also in my library. THE DIRECT TAX OF 1798 covers 12 townships in Upper Bucks County, Pa. It was published
in 1994 by Adams Apple Press in Bedminster, Pa. MAINTAINING THE RIGHT FELLOWSHIP by John L. Ruth published in 1984 in Kitchener,
Ontario. FRETZ COMPUTER FILES coordinated by Waiter Fretz of Vineland. HANS (JOHN) FRETZ (WEAVER JOHN) and BARBARA MEYER had the following
children: 4 i. JOHANNES (JOHN)4 was born 25 March 1730 ii. JACOB (#407) was born in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa. 1732. JACOB
died 1808 in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa., at age 76. He married twice.
He married an unknown person date unknown. He married MAGDALENA
NASH. (MAGDALENA NASH is #13516.) MAGDALENA was born date
unknown in Bucks County. Pa. USA. MAGDALENA was the daughter of
WILLIAM NASH and UNKNOWN. 5 iii. CHRISTIAN was born 1734 iv. ABRAHAM (#409) was born in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa. 1736. 6 v. ELIZABETH was born 19 July 1739 HANS (JOHN) FRETZ (WEAVER JOHN) and MARIA had the following children: vi. MARK (#411) was born in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa. Dec 1750. MARK
died 24 Feb 1840 in New Britain Twp. Bucks Co. Pa., at age 89. He married
ELIZABETH ROSENBERGER 11 MAY 1773. (ELIZABETH ROSENBERGER
is #1283.) vii. BARBARA (#413) was born in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa. ABOUT 1753. viii. HENRY (#412) was born in Bedminster Twp., Bucks Co. Pa. 11 November
1755. HENRY died 30 May 1831 at age 75. He married BARBARA
OBERHOLTZER date unknown. (BARBARA OBERHOLTZER is #1284.) DIRECT E-MAIL LINK to (MRS.) PAT HIGH
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