'SHANTZ, JACOB, was born in Switzerland about the year 1710. Owing to religious persecutions, he, with others, left their native home and went to Holland where they had the promise of protection from the persecuting parties by the Prince of Orange. Here he lived some fifteen years. Seeing so many of his co-religionists emigrating to America, besides being informed of the proclamation issued by William Penn, he at last decided to emigrate to America and settle among his co-religionists. He crossed the ocean in a vessel named "Townshead" and landed safely at Philadelphia in the summer of 1737. He may have resided in Germantown for some time. In the year 1745 we find him and his family located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. What number of children he had could not be ascertained. We know that he was married twice. The children of his first wife were Isaac, Esther, and Susannah, and from his second wife we have the record of only one son named Christian. Old Jacob Shantz died in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 5th, 1781, aged a few months less than 71 years. He was buried in the Sprogell Cemetery, beside Magdalena, his first wife.'
