65:
394:, he made his way back to the Northkill Amish Settlement. In 1765, he arrived at the home when the family was eating dinner and they offered him food, not recognizing him due to his Native American dress and haircut. Later, as Christian was sitting on a stump outside the home, Jacob Hochstetler approached him, and Christian told him his name, speaking in broken German. Christian was welcomed back into the community, married, and eventually converted to the
53:
284:
decided to try to escape out the cellar window, as they could not see any of their attackers, and presumed that the warriors had left. One Indian, however, who was known as Tom Lions, had remained nearby to eat peaches. He observed that Anna (Lorentz) Hochstetler had gotten stuck in the window during her escape and he called the other warriors. Anna was stabbed in the back and
827:
288:. Another daughter (name unknown) and Jacob Jr. were killed. Jacob Sr. and Christian Hochstetler were taken captive, and Joseph escaped, although the Indians soon recaptured him. All this was witnessed by an older brother, John Hochstetler, who had come from his neighboring farm and was watching from concealment.
198:. For religious reasons, the Amish settlers refused to defend themselves, and everyone in the homestead was either killed or captured. One of the captives, 45-year-old Jacob Hochstetler, escaped captivity after about eight months, and his two sons were later returned through a peace agreement brokered in 1763.
271:
warriors, about ten of whom, under the command of three French scouts, had entered the
Northkill settlement. The Hochstetlers had firearms in the home (which they used for hunting), and the two sons, Joseph and Christian, aged 11 and 13 years, loaded their guns to defend the family, but their father,
214:
reform movement. Because of their adherence to the doctrines of believers' baptism and non-resistance, Anabaptists suffered severe persecution, and beginning in the 1700s many of them immigrated to
America to find religious freedom. Jacob Hochstetler and his family arrived in Philadelphia in 1738. By
386:
Soon afterwards, Joseph was handed over to
British authorities at Fort Augusta, and on parting, his Native American family encouraged him to visit them and to consider them "brothers". Reportedly he returned frequently to the village where he had been held captive. He always maintained that if their
283:
At dawn, the
Indians set the house on fire, then stood guard around the house so the family could not escape without risking their lives. As the fire worsened, the family fled into the cellar, using apple cider to wet the floorboards overhead, but as the smoke threatened to asphyxiate them, they
313:
reported: "From
Reading, in Berks County, there is Advice, that on Thursday and Friday last some people were murdered in Bern Township by the Indians, and others carried off." In Jacob Hochstetler's own account of his escape, he reported the date of the attack as October 12. In support of the
266:
On
September 19, 1757 (see below for a discussion of dates), the Hochstetler family had a gathering of local neighbors to pare and slice apples for drying. After the guests departed, the family dog began barking, and Joseph Hochstetler Jr. opened the front door. He was shot in the leg by
306:
of (Thursday) October 6th reported: "From
Reading we have advice that last Wednesday the enemy burnt the house of one Hochsteller and killed Hochsteller’s wife and a young man, and himself and three of his children are missing." On the same day, the
362:
wrote to
Governor William Denny that he had seen Hochstetler floating downriver on the raft and had some soldiers help him to shore. Hochstetler told the examiners that for the last few days of his escape journey, he ate only grass.
784:
227:, at that time the western frontier of the British colonies. They built a homestead and farm buildings, cleared the land for farming, and planted several acres of fruit trees. They helped to establish the first
299:
There is some disagreement as to the date of the massacre. The
Hochstetler family history states that the massacre took place on September 19, but two contemporary newspaper articles give different dates. The
249:
of 1739. The growing
European population had reduced the availability of game that the Indians depended on, and relations with the settlers were often tense. By the early 1750s, many Lenape had moved into the
605:
Ron Devlin, "Fatal attack by Delawares at root of Berks family’s heritage: An Upper Bern Township resident lives on ground that was the scene of an Indian raid that left three family members dead."
371:
Jacob was separated from his sons at Fort Presque Isle, where the two boys were sold or given to Native American families. Jacob later learned that Christian had been adopted by the Lenape chief
354:, where he remained until April 1758, about 8 months. He reported that, after some time, he was trusted to go hunting alone and decided to escape. After walking east for six days he reached the
777:
29:
770:
194:
settlers were killed and three others taken into captivity. The attack was one of many assaults by French-allied Native American warriors on Pennsylvania settlements during the
351:
318:, reported on September 20, 1757: "Jacob Houghstetler and family, five killed and one wounded." Many modern publications give September 29 as the date of the massacre.
64:
390:
Hochstetler family tradition says that Christian had been living in a village in Ohio and, after being handed over to Colonel Bouquet's troops at their camp on the
1210:
422:
358:. He followed it for another four days, then he constructed a crude bark raft and floated downriver for five more days until he reached Fort Augusta. Colonel
1205:
383:
negotiated a peace treaty with the Lenape, they were released to the British colonial authorities with over 200 other European captives in October 1764.
534:
957:
376:
315:
696:
866:
449:
1185:
1180:
589:
467:
Beth L. Mark, "Our flesh and blood: A documentary history of the Jacob Hochstetler family during the French and Indian War period, 1757-1765,
238:
562:
730:
vol I, edited by S.K. Stevens, Donald H. Kent and Autumn L. Leonard. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg PA, 1972
1072:
334:. He told the examiners that his home was assaulted on October 12, 1757 by 15 Lenape and Shawnee warriors, and he was taken by them to
1175:
1165:
24:
740:
1215:
1170:
630:
97:
1220:
1190:
1047:
291:
Newspapers also reported the death of a soldier, Philip Sommer, on the same day, although the circumstances are unknown.
237:
The Northkill Amish Settlement was on the edge of the legal boundary of European settlement according to agreements with
1102:
220:
90:
1042:
997:
1200:
1195:
1007:
619:
406:
224:
187:
666:
1002:
861:
846:
811:
258:, Lenape warriors, often accompanied by French soldiers, began attacking farms and settlements in Pennsylvania.
1082:
1057:
816:
793:
851:
444:
493:
Conscience in Crisis: Mennonite and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789, Interpretation and Documents.
929:
924:
908:
882:
434:
399:
538:
330:
in May 1758. He was interviewed at Fort Augusta about his experiences on May 5, 1758, in front of Colonel
210:, Switzerland, in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. In the 1600s some members of the family joined the
725:
409:
residents were killed and about 150 were kidnapped by Native Americans during the French and Indian War.
1127:
1017:
887:
797:
418:
255:
195:
79:
44:
245:
Indians, who had been forced to relocate by several unfair land purchase agreements, most notably the
395:
309:
302:
273:
856:
841:
439:
756:
Philadelphia: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, 2/24/2024
1092:
762:
581:
Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766
1097:
1087:
939:
682:"Lists of Pennsylvania Settlers Murdered, Scalped and Taken Prisoners by Indians, 1755-1756,"
626:
585:
355:
339:
1067:
934:
579:
246:
1151:
Dan Hochstetler, "The Hochstetler Massacre," Descendents of Jacob Hochstetler website, 2024
681:
649:
Dan Hochstetler, "The Hochstetler Massacre," Descendents of Jacob Hochstetler website, 2024
491:"Examination of (Jacob) Hochstattler," in Richard MacMaster, Samuel Horst and Robert Ulle,
342:. Three days after this, he was sent to a Native American community "above Venango" on the
391:
343:
216:
1032:
1145:
1077:
992:
518:
338:, a journey on foot and by boat which took 17 days. The following day he was taken to
1159:
1052:
1037:
1027:
1012:
987:
380:
347:
335:
331:
277:
207:
20:
604:
1122:
1117:
1112:
1107:
1022:
982:
967:
962:
387:
father had allowed them to shoot at their attackers, the Indians would have fled.
327:
251:
83:
490:
1062:
972:
697:
Donald Troyer, "Was David Dreher the Father of Amish Mennonite Michael Troyer?"
142:
57:
Historical marker at the site of the massacre in the Northkill Amish Settlement
977:
359:
211:
52:
112:
99:
826:
372:
231:
624:
Revised and updated. Intercourse, Pennsylvania: Good Books, 2003. pp. 74–86
285:
715:
Laura Klotz, "Northkill Amish," Historical Marker Database, Feb 7, 2023
173:
714:
751:
268:
242:
169:
1150:
648:
326:
Jacob Hochstetler was held captive until he escaped and traveled to
228:
191:
766:
519:
Joan M. Hochstetler, "History of the Jacob Hochstetler Family"
280:
and refused to allow weapons to be used against the Indians.
1146:
J. M. Hochstetler, "History of the Hochstetler Family," 2023
206:
The Hochstetler family is thought to have originated near
741:
Morton Montgomery, "Victims of the French and Indian War"
669:
Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler: The Immigrant of 1736,
469:
Elkhart, IN: Jacob Hochstetler Family Association, 2009.
495: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001; pp 125-26
379:
for assistance in getting his sons back. After Colonel
254:
and were accepting French support. At the start of the
314:
September 19 date, Captain Jacob Orndt, commander at
567:(Classic Reprint). Fb&c Limited, 2018; pp 313-19
948:
917:
896:
875:
834:
804:
684:
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,
667:Harvey Hostetler and William Franklin Hochstetler,
241:. The area was part of the traditional home of the
164:
156:
148:
136:
128:
89:
74:
37:
234:church in America in the Northkill area in 1740.
69:Approximate location of the Hochstetler massacre
565:Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier: 1753–1758,
537:. Pilgrim Mennonite Conference. Archived from
778:
423:Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
417:A historical marker was erected in 1959 near
190:in September or October 1757, in which three
8:
405:Altogether, more than one hundred and fifty
16:Attack on settlers in colonial Pennsylvania
785:
771:
763:
486:
484:
482:
480:
478:
476:
51:
34:
754:History of Berks county in Pennsylvania.
710:
708:
662:
660:
658:
656:
558:
556:
460:
272:Joseph Hochstetler Sr., adhered to the
644:
642:
640:
638:
528:
526:
375:. On August 13, 1762 Jacob petitioned
215:1739 the family had settled along the
1211:Pre-statehood history of Pennsylvania
7:
514:
512:
510:
508:
506:
504:
502:
450:Gnadenhütten massacre (Pennsylvania)
186:was an attack on a farmstead at the
1206:Massacres in the Thirteen Colonies
160:Hochstetler family, Swiss settlers
14:
671:Genealogy and Local History, 1912
825:
63:
535:"The Doctrine of Nonresistance"
1:
1186:1757 in the Thirteen Colonies
1181:Massacres by Native Americans
322:Jacob Hochstetler's captivity
132:September 19, 1757 (disputed)
728:The Papers of Henry Bouquet,
817:Battle of the Great Meadows
701:vol 36, No. 4, October 2017
219:on the eastern edge of the
1237:
225:Berks County, Pennsylvania
188:Northkill Amish Settlement
847:Battle of the Monongahela
823:
812:Battle of Jumonville Glen
699:Mennonite Family History,
321:
62:
50:
42:
1176:Province of Pennsylvania
563:Hunter, William Albert.
1166:History of Pennsylvania
930:Battle of Fort Ligonier
925:Battle of Fort Duquesne
909:Bloody Springs massacre
883:Battle of Sideling Hill
622:A History of the Amish.
578:Anderson, Fred (2000).
435:Bloody Springs massacre
398:, for whom he became a
377:Governor James Hamilton
25:Infobox civilian attack
752:Montgomery, Morton L.
30:considered for merging
1216:Amish in Pennsylvania
1171:French and Indian War
1128:Heinrich Zeller House
1018:Fort Juniata Crossing
888:Kittanning Expedition
867:Gnadenhütten massacre
852:Penn's Creek massacre
798:French and Indian War
609:Reading PA, 9/18/2007
445:Penn's Creek massacre
419:Hamburg, Pennsylvania
256:French and Indian War
196:French and Indian War
152:3 settlers, 1 soldier
113:40.55000°N 75.98333°W
45:French and Indian War
1221:Captivity narratives
1191:1757 in Pennsylvania
904:Hochstetler massacre
396:Schwarzenau Brethren
346:, identified as the
310:Pennsylvania Gazette
303:Pennsylvania Journal
295:Date of the massacre
274:Anabaptist Christian
184:Hochstetler massacre
38:Hochstetler massacre
857:Great Cove massacre
842:Braddock Expedition
584:. New York: Knopf.
440:Great Cove massacre
118:40.55000; -75.98333
109: /
1093:Fort Prince George
1201:Massacres in 1757
1196:Conflicts in 1757
1136:
1135:
1098:Redstone Old Fort
1088:Fort Presque Isle
940:Forbes Expedition
591:978-0-375-40642-3
356:Susquehanna River
340:Fort Presque Isle
180:
179:
1228:
935:Treaty of Easton
829:
787:
780:
773:
764:
758:
749:
743:
738:
732:
723:
717:
712:
703:
694:
688:
679:
673:
664:
651:
646:
633:
620:Nolt, Steven M.
617:
611:
602:
596:
595:
575:
569:
560:
551:
550:
548:
546:
530:
521:
516:
497:
488:
471:
465:
247:Walking Purchase
239:Native Americans
124:
123:
121:
120:
119:
114:
110:
107:
106:
105:
102:
67:
55:
35:
1236:
1235:
1231:
1230:
1229:
1227:
1226:
1225:
1156:
1155:
1142:
1137:
1132:
950:
944:
913:
892:
871:
830:
821:
800:
791:
761:
750:
746:
739:
735:
726:Henry Bouquet,
724:
720:
713:
706:
695:
691:
680:
676:
665:
654:
647:
636:
618:
614:
603:
599:
592:
577:
576:
572:
561:
554:
544:
542:
532:
531:
524:
517:
500:
489:
474:
466:
462:
458:
431:
415:
413:Memorialization
392:Muskingum River
369:
344:Allegheny River
324:
297:
264:
223:in what is now
217:Northkill Creek
204:
139:
117:
115:
111:
108:
103:
100:
98:
96:
95:
70:
58:
33:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1234:
1232:
1224:
1223:
1218:
1213:
1208:
1203:
1198:
1193:
1188:
1183:
1178:
1173:
1168:
1158:
1157:
1154:
1153:
1148:
1141:
1140:External links
1138:
1134:
1133:
1131:
1130:
1125:
1120:
1115:
1110:
1105:
1100:
1095:
1090:
1085:
1080:
1078:Fort Northkill
1075:
1073:Fort Necessity
1070:
1065:
1060:
1055:
1050:
1048:Fort Lyttleton
1045:
1040:
1035:
1030:
1025:
1020:
1015:
1010:
1005:
1000:
995:
993:Fort Granville
990:
985:
980:
975:
970:
965:
960:
954:
952:
946:
945:
943:
942:
937:
932:
927:
921:
919:
915:
914:
912:
911:
906:
900:
898:
894:
893:
891:
890:
885:
879:
877:
873:
872:
870:
869:
864:
862:Kobel massacre
859:
854:
849:
844:
838:
836:
832:
831:
824:
822:
820:
819:
814:
808:
806:
802:
801:
792:
790:
789:
782:
775:
767:
760:
759:
744:
733:
718:
704:
689:
674:
652:
634:
612:
607:Reading Eagle,
597:
590:
570:
552:
541:on 18 May 2022
522:
498:
472:
459:
457:
454:
453:
452:
447:
442:
437:
430:
427:
414:
411:
368:
365:
323:
320:
296:
293:
263:
260:
221:Blue Mountains
203:
200:
178:
177:
166:
162:
161:
158:
154:
153:
150:
146:
145:
140:
137:
134:
133:
130:
126:
125:
93:
87:
86:
76:
72:
71:
68:
60:
59:
56:
48:
47:
40:
39:
18:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1233:
1222:
1219:
1217:
1214:
1212:
1209:
1207:
1204:
1202:
1199:
1197:
1194:
1192:
1189:
1187:
1184:
1182:
1179:
1177:
1174:
1172:
1169:
1167:
1164:
1163:
1161:
1152:
1149:
1147:
1144:
1143:
1139:
1129:
1126:
1124:
1121:
1119:
1116:
1114:
1111:
1109:
1106:
1104:
1103:Fort Robinson
1101:
1099:
1096:
1094:
1091:
1089:
1086:
1084:
1081:
1079:
1076:
1074:
1071:
1069:
1068:Mercer's Fort
1066:
1064:
1061:
1059:
1056:
1054:
1053:Fort Machault
1051:
1049:
1046:
1044:
1041:
1039:
1038:Fort Ligonier
1036:
1034:
1031:
1029:
1028:Fort Le Boeuf
1026:
1024:
1021:
1019:
1016:
1014:
1013:Fort Hyndshaw
1011:
1009:
1006:
1004:
1001:
999:
996:
994:
991:
989:
988:Fort Duquesne
986:
984:
981:
979:
976:
974:
971:
969:
966:
964:
961:
959:
956:
955:
953:
947:
941:
938:
936:
933:
931:
928:
926:
923:
922:
920:
916:
910:
907:
905:
902:
901:
899:
895:
889:
886:
884:
881:
880:
878:
874:
868:
865:
863:
860:
858:
855:
853:
850:
848:
845:
843:
840:
839:
837:
833:
828:
818:
815:
813:
810:
809:
807:
803:
799:
795:
788:
783:
781:
776:
774:
769:
768:
765:
757:
755:
748:
745:
742:
737:
734:
731:
729:
722:
719:
716:
711:
709:
705:
702:
700:
693:
690:
687:
685:
678:
675:
672:
670:
663:
661:
659:
657:
653:
650:
645:
643:
641:
639:
635:
632:
628:
625:
623:
616:
613:
610:
608:
601:
598:
593:
587:
583:
582:
574:
571:
568:
566:
559:
557:
553:
540:
536:
533:Long, Steve.
529:
527:
523:
520:
515:
513:
511:
509:
507:
505:
503:
499:
496:
494:
487:
485:
483:
481:
479:
477:
473:
470:
464:
461:
455:
451:
448:
446:
443:
441:
438:
436:
433:
432:
428:
426:
424:
420:
412:
410:
408:
403:
401:
397:
393:
388:
384:
382:
381:Henry Bouquet
378:
374:
366:
364:
361:
357:
353:
349:
345:
341:
337:
336:Fort Machault
333:
332:Henry Bouquet
329:
319:
317:
312:
311:
305:
304:
294:
292:
289:
287:
281:
279:
278:nonresistance
275:
270:
261:
259:
257:
253:
248:
244:
240:
235:
233:
230:
226:
222:
218:
213:
209:
208:Schwarzenburg
201:
199:
197:
193:
189:
185:
175:
171:
167:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
144:
141:
135:
131:
127:
122:
94:
92:
88:
85:
81:
77:
73:
66:
61:
54:
49:
46:
41:
36:
31:
27:
26:
22:
1123:Fort William
1118:Fort Venango
1113:Fort Swatara
1108:Fort Shirley
1043:Fort Loudoun
1033:Light's Fort
1023:Fort Lebanon
998:Fort Halifax
983:Fort Deshler
968:Fort Bedford
963:Fort Augusta
903:
794:Pennsylvania
753:
747:
736:
727:
721:
698:
692:
686:vol 32, 1908
683:
677:
668:
621:
615:
606:
600:
580:
573:
564:
543:. Retrieved
539:the original
492:
468:
463:
416:
407:Berks County
404:
389:
385:
370:
328:Fort Augusta
325:
308:
301:
298:
290:
282:
276:doctrine of
265:
252:Ohio Country
236:
205:
183:
181:
84:Pennsylvania
23:
1063:Fort McCord
1058:Fort Manada
1008:Fort Hunter
973:Fort Bigham
796:during the
350:village of
143:Mass murder
138:Attack type
116: /
91:Coordinates
19:‹ The
1160:Categories
1003:Fort Henry
978:Fort Depuy
958:Fort Allen
631:1561483931
456:References
360:James Burd
352:Buckaloons
316:Fort Allen
212:Anabaptist
202:Background
165:Assailants
1083:Fort Pitt
373:Custaloga
367:Aftermath
232:Mennonite
104:75°59′0″W
101:40°33′0″N
28:is being
949:Frontier
429:See also
400:minister
262:Massacre
176:warriors
75:Location
43:Part of
32:. ›
21:template
421:by the
286:scalped
174:Shawnee
157:Victims
80:Hamburg
629:
588:
545:20 May
348:Seneca
269:Lenape
243:Lenape
170:Lenape
149:Deaths
951:Forts
229:Amish
192:Amish
78:near
918:1758
897:1757
876:1756
835:1755
805:1754
627:ISBN
586:ISBN
547:2022
182:The
172:and
129:Date
168:15
1162::
707:^
655:^
637:^
555:^
525:^
501:^
475:^
425:.
402:.
82:,
786:e
779:t
772:v
594:.
549:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
