Person:Ludwig Mohler (1)

Ours is the story of the Mohlers hailing from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Tradition has it that Swiss born Ludwig Mohler, Sr. arrived in Philadelphia on August 29, 1730 aboard the "Thistle" from Glasgow with sons Jacob, Henry and either John or George. A monument in the Ephrata Mohler Dunkard Church Cemetery between the tombstones of Ludwig and his frau celebrates his arrival in America. Many sources point to the record of Ludwig aboard ship. Baptismal, land and naturalization records confirm his existence in Lancaster County. The Ludwig Mohler Reunion Committee organizes an annual family reunion held on the third Sunday each August. Ludwig, having been the only recognized Mohler in America born before 1720, must be the Palatine immigrant ancestor of all Ephrata and Lancaster Mohlers and certainly the father of Henry Mohler born 20 Jan 1728. Or was he?

Who was the father of 1728 Henry Mohler? Ludwig? Or possibly someone else? This is a very important question to most of us with Lancaster roots because it is the 1728 Henry lineage that remained in the Lancaster County area. "Is It Immigrant Henry or LudwigMohler ? ", an article in the July 1995 issue of Mennonite Family History, discusses these brothe

Recorded Lancaster County deeds [including Deed N?9] establish that a Henry Mohler and wife Elizabeth began purchasing land in Cocalico Twp in 1736. These purchases extend around the 140 acres warranted to a Henry "Maler" in 1735. This Henry could not be 1728 Henry. Even if these land deals were made in the name of a minor son, it is hard to imagine an eight year old married man. How, then, is this Henry related to 1728 Henry?

The last land transaction with names of both Henry and Elizabeth was on 10 Jan 1763, when Henry and Elizabeth gave a portion of their estate to son Henry, Jr. [Deed N?7]. Henry, Sr.'s will, signed 22 Aug 1769 and proved 22 Sept 1769 named son Henry Mohler and friend John Landis as executors for the estate and guardians over "all my minor children until their lawful age" [Lancaster will book B?1?637]. On 14 April 1774, a court hearing was held at the house of Henry Mohler. Henry Mohler and John Landis, executors for the estate of Henry Mohler, Sr., gave money to Martin, John, Elizabeth and Susanna [Orphans Court Record. April 1774]. On 9 July 1774, Martin, who has evidently come of age, received his inherited land [Deed S?33]. This deed reads: "And whereas the said Henry Mohler one of the Executors in the said last Will named died before the said Deed was executed whereby the sole Power of Executing the said Deed or Titles for the said lands is now vested in the said John Landis party hereto. "

From other records including execution of his will, we know that the Henry born 20 Jan 1728 died 20 April 1774. 1728 Henry was alive on 14 April 1774 and died before 9 July 1774. This evidence strongly suggests that 1728 Henry was Henry, Jr., son of Henry, Sr. ? not son of Ludwig. Most recently we found evidence that Henry, Sr.arrived in America before Ludwig. Page 37 of "A New Index Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Before Federal Census, Volume 4", by Gary T. Hawbaker and Clyde L. Gruff, records Henry Moler paying taxes at the Conistogoe rate in 1726 ? four years before Ludwig's 1730 arrival. This Henry certainly was not Ludwig's son.

Several researchers, working independently the last few years have come to the conclusion that 1728 Henry was the son of Henry, Sr., not Ludwig ? as tradition led us to believe. In a report, dated 1922, found recently in the Tipp City, Ohio Studebaker Family Foundation, genealogist Lawrence Brainerd reached the same conclusion. Most notable of the current day researchers is Ned Mohler Drees. Our hard working colleague is completing a book focusing on the line of 1728 Henry Mohler and wife Elizabeth Landis.

For those Mohlers who were looking for Ludwig, fear not, he is here too. Anna Catharine Mohler, who we believe was Ludwig's daughter, married John Landis, Jr. [son of Ephrata John]. 1728 Henry Mohler's wife was John, Jr.'s sister Elizabeth Landis. We also captured some of the data from J M Hacker's ged2html pages before they disappeared from the Web. These links depict the lineage of Ludwig Mohler, Jr., a true son of Ludwig.

Other sources of Mohler genealogy include: C C Moler's book, Mohler/Moler Genealogy focused on the lineage of George Adam Mohler (another known son of Ludwig), Cora Garber Dunning's 1921 work, LudwigMohler and his Descendants, and Louise Martin Mohler's book, The Mohler Family of Ohio.

We give special thanks to Sherry Koshney for honoring our page with her A Passage in Time Award Of Excellence. Visit Sherry's very beautiful and informative A Passage in Time.

We also want to acknowledge the hard work and to honor the memory of Don Mohler. His notebook passed on to Betty inspires our search for all the Ephrata Mohler descendants and the record of Henry, Sr.'s arrival in America.

From the Historical Notes from the Church of the Brethren Network, Baptisms by Elder Michael Frantz 1739-1747 A History of the German Baptist Brethren by Martin Grove Brumbaugh: Brethren Publishing House, Mount Morris, Illinois, 1899, reprinted 1961 List of individuals Baptized by Elder Michael Frantz-1739-1747 Conestoga Congregation , German Baptist Brethren Pages 307-309 Submitted by Ben Harlacher

The following is a list of individuals baptized by Elder Michael Frantz at the Conestoga Congregation located in Lancaster county, PA, between 1739-1747. 1739 Lugwig Mohler and wife Henry Mohler George Mohler 1740 George Mohler's wife Henry Mohler's wife 1742 Jacob Mohler and wife May 16, 1744 Jacob Mohler's wife 1747 Henry MohlerReference Number:+150016

Ship "Thistle" of Glasgow (Scotland) registry From: GERMANY cow August 29, 1730. Emigrated from Darmstadt, Germany, 29 Aug 1730 Tombstone in Ephrata, PA indicates Ludwig was born in Switzerland. No record

has been found on this, but he was baptised in Hassloch, Germany 22 Nov 1705 so he must have immigrated to Germany before age 5. According to "Mennonite Family History", Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jan 1985), the ship

"Thistle" on which Ludwig immigrated brought also a unique collection of religious zealots. Fellow passenger, Jacob Ammon, founded the Amish sect. Abraham Transue helped found the Moravian community of Emmaus, PA. They were wscaping the persecution, torture and harrassment of the "religious wars" that took place between 1600 and 1750. A small booklet printed in German gives the location in Europe of many of the "Thistle" passengers. In 1719, twenty Brethren (Mennonite) families emigrated to America in search

of religious rest in William Penn's colony. In 1730, thirty more families came. It is difficult to separate the growth and spread of the Dunkard church and the growth of Ludwig Mohler's family. They have for centuries been active members of the Brethren or German Baptist faith. Ludwig's sons, Ludwig, Henry, George and Jacob, were born after 1714 because

they were not registered on ship with their father. Only males over 16 were registered on the ship "Thistle" (this was not true of all ships). In the cemetery in Ephrata near the elder Ludwig, but to the left of Henry,

is a stone inscribed in German, "Elizabeth Moler, b. 14 Apr 1741, d. 20 Mar 1804." This may have been a daughter of the elder Ludwig or the second wife of Henry, but the word "frau" does not appear.

Gravestone http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=249a8d64-7ef9-4964-9110-1f01bf6c1779&tid=1151858&pid=-1853353182

Mohler Family http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=f2c90c55-6fa1-48a7-a6b4-40e690d65c3d&tid=1151858&pid=-1853353182

1.   Genealogy of the Ludwig Mohler Family in America, in Letter from J.M. Mohler August 3, 1905.

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