Person:John Klein (3)

PURC: Date: ABT 1719 Place: 250 acres in what became lower Salford Twp, Montgomery Co., PA Source:

PURC: Date: 6 Mar 1724/5 Place: PA Source:

Johan Isaac Klein from Berks Co. was naturalized on 9 Jan 1729/30 (as was George Järger), according to the book 30,000 Names etc, on page 435.

My reading of this book gives the name as Jäger. - EWH

In Montgomery County, PA, "among the famous inns is known to have been one conducted by John Isaac klein,..."

From Pennsylvania In American History by Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker, 1910. (digitized online as a PDF at Google.com "books" site)

An article called The Dutch Patroons of Pennsylvania starting on p. 226 has on p. 243 a description of some Indian conflicts in the spring of 1728.

On 29 April 1728 a communication and petition was sent to the Governor of Philadelphia by a number of people living on, what was then the frontier, informing him of the troubles. A few days later there was a confrontation with several Indians which resulted in several injuries from gunfire. "It was widely reported that there was a general uprising of the savages, that this band was only the advance guard of the host with which the forests were filled, and that already several of the German settlers at Tulpehocken and elsewhere had been killed."

On the 10th of May inhabitants of "Van Bebbers Township and ye Adjacencies Belongs" petitioned the governor. The region of the petitioners appears to have been northwest of Philidelphia in what is now Montgomery county.

"We think it fit to address your Excellency for Relief for your Excellency must know that we have suffered and is like to sufer by the Ingians they have fell upon ye back inhabitors about falkner's Swamp & New Coshahopin. Therefore we the humble petitioners with our poor wives and children do humbly beg of your Excellency to take it into consideration and relieve us the petitioners hereof whos lives lies at stake with us and our poor wives and children that is more to us than life."

Seventy-seven names were attached although the writer is supposed to have supplied forty-four of them. The 12th name is George Poger and the 18th is John Isaac Klein. The author surmises that this is probably a fairly complete list of the residents at that time. I (EWH) recognize many names as being just that. However I have never come across a "Poger" surname. I wonder if this could be "Jorger" or "Jarger" mostly because of the association with John Isaac Klein.

In any case, the governor supplied mostly only moral support. He did journey to the area and found the settlers "gathered together at a mill near New Hanover township in order to defend themselves." One of the mills in the vicinity was reported to be the "Yelger Mill." "Yelger" is another surname with which I am not familiar. Perhaps this was a "Yerger Mill?"

The author reports that the band of Indians were reported to be "Shawanese" and that altogether five of the settlers and several of the Indians had been wounded more or less seriously, but notwithstanding the wild rumors, none were killed. It is interesting as the only engagement with the savages which ever occurred in the vicinity of Philadelphia."

From this account 182 years after the fact one might conclude that the Yarger family did not lose members to an Indian fight unless it was further from Philadelphia. Whether the eventual site of Reading is sufficient to qualify as not "in the vicinity of Philadelphia" is not clear to me.

From other documents of this time period it appears that Hans George Jarger and John Isaac Klein were inhabitants of the area at this time. These two appear to be 6G Grandfathers of ours. This is one of the earliest (1729) accounts to mention them.

1. ↑ Judith Hull. Three Generations of Johns (Johannes).
2. ↑ Kline, Ann Sybilla; Widow of John Isaac Kline.
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 perhaps Margaret Irene Shaw. Pedigree Resource File CD 106.
4. ↑ Christine Schultz. Re: will for John Kline.

   see Death note this database

5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Clifton S. Hunsicker. Montgomery County Pennsylvania, A History. (Lewis Historical Rublishing Co., Inc.).
6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. (Everts & Peck, Philadelphia).
7. ↑ William Henry Egle. Early Pennsylvania Land Records. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore).
8. ↑ Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker. Pennsylvania in American History. (William J. Campbell).
9. ↑ Daniel Wunderlich Nead. THe Pennsylvania-German in the Settlement of Maryland. (Lancaster, PA).
10. ↑ ^10.0 10.1 The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1801. (Clarence M. Busch, State printer of Pennsylvania, 1897).
11. ↑ p. 347 of reference