Person:Frederick Pershing (1)

Frederick was of French Huguenot ancestry, and the surname is believed to have been originally spelled differently. The surname may have been of Norman origin, perhaps designating a place (de Berschinges). Many Huguenots had fled to the adjacent PALATINATE during the Reformation. As early as 1650 Huguenots began to also migrate to the Netherlands, England, and the American Colonies. Frederick spoke both German and French.

Frederick left Alsace in the spring of 1749. He arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Jacob" on 2 Oct 1749. He was indentured. He settled in York County, Pennsylvania. He was married 8 months after his arrival in America. In 1769 he migrated to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

He was a weaver, wheelwright, and carpenter. He was known as a "devout Lutheran".

Frederick is considered to be the ancestor of almost all Pershings in America. Some of his descendants migrated to Tuscarawas County, Ohio; and later to Wabash County, Indiana. The famous general, John J. Pershing, the commander of all allied forces in Europe, during World War I, was another descendant.

--White Creek 14:29, 11 September 2012 (EDT)

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Edgar J. Pershing. The Pershing Family in America. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: George S. Ferguson Co., 1924).
2.   Sugarcreek Centennial Scribe.