Johan Georg Kistler ⁵⁴⁰

  General Notes:

Oct 5 1737 immigrant on Townsshend ship.

Johan's father may have been Hans Rudolph

The Kistler family is depicted in a stained glass window of the quild hall in Aarberg Switzerland

FROM HISTORY of LEHIGH COUNTY PENNNSYLVANIA
-ROBERTS, STOUDT, KRICK & DIETRICH
1914
On the records of the Jerusalem church, known in the 18th century as the allemangel church located near the line of Berks and Lehigh counties, there recorded hundreds of baptisms of KISTLER children, while in the cemetary under the shadow of the the church there are many graves marked with the same name. Near the center of the oldest part of the cemetary lies a slate stone , replaced now with a marble slab, bearing the inscription "I.G.K. 1767"
This is the stone which marked the burial place of the proginator of the American KISTLERS, who was legally known as Johannes, but was called Joerg or George by Pastor Schmacher in his record, and hanjoerg or john george, by his neighbors.
Johnnes KISTLER was a native of Palatinate in Germany. On Oct. 5 1737, he came in the ship "Townshead" from Amsterdam to Philadelphia, and soon after to Falkner Swamp
, or Goshenhoppen, in what is now Montgomery Co, Pa. It is supposed he was accompied by wife Anna Dorothea, and his oldest children. In 1747 he took out a warrent for land and moved to Albany township, Berks Co, then wild and barren, where made his perment residence. The vicibity was named "Allemangel" or "All Want". JOHANNES KISTLER was taxed in Albany in 1756, and was naturalized in 1761, on September 10th when he and his neighbor appeared before the Supreme Court in Philadelphia, there received the papers that made them citizens of Pennsylvania. He was a Luthern and served as an elder of the Allemangel

From James Kistler Research, 4604 W 37th St,Suix Falls, SD

The origin of "HanJorg" or Johannes "George" Kistler is not known. Numerous theories exist as to who he could have been or where he came from.
It is possible that he was the son of a 1708 immigrant that landed in New York and migrated to Pennsylvania. Three of these Kistler families were noted in the original Jerusalem church records found by John Levan Kistler (Arthur Klingaman's Uncle) in 1945 at Stony Run. These records were published by the National Genealogical Society in Washington in 1959. Useing the birth dates of his children we can estimate his birth at about 1720. Another very possible origin of HanJorg is the 1740 immigrant "Maria Margretha Kistler & son > Destination America > 1740" /ref. (Filby & Meyer "Passenger & Immigration Lists") ( Estimated birth date of the minor son - between 1720-1723 )

Collective Notes:
The first Kistlers in the Allemengel area (Albany and Lynn townships) belonged to the Jerusalem Lutheran Church which is located in Albany township, Berks County, but almost on the Lehigh County line. Locally it is called the "Red Church" to distinguish it from Friedens Church in the same area, which is called the "White Church". The "White Church" is located in the village of Stony Run and was completed in 1771. The land warrant for the property on which the Red Church stands was bought for the congregation by Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, thru his father-in-law Conrad Weiser. When the congregation split and Pastor Schumacher went to the White Church, most of Johannes's family followed. HanJorg stayed with the Red Church.
The first public record of the name Kistler in the Allemengel area is in a petition to the September court in the year 1745, at Philadelphia, signed by a number of residents of Maxatawny and Allemengel, asking for a public road "from Abraham Levan's mill to Upper Hanover". Among the signers of this petition are both Johannes Küstler and Jurg Küstler. Abraham Levan's mill apparently refers to what was later the well known Levan's mill at Eagle Point near Kutztown and Upper Hanover which is the official name for part of Goshenhoppen. A Xerox copy of this original petition is in the Schwenkfelder Library at Pennsburg.

Documentation by Carolyn Buttolph:



AGeorge
At the Jerusalem Church in Stony Run, Berks county, Pennsylvania, near the center of the oldest part of the cemetery, is a large marble slab which rests where (it is said) once lay a simple slate stone marked "I.G.K. 1767".
The marble memorial, dating from about 1914, is inscribed:

HERE RESTS THE REMAINS OF
JOHN GEORGE KISTLER
AND HIS WIFE
ANNA DOROTHEA
WHO WERE BORN IN THE
PALATINATE, GERMANY
CAME IN THE SHIP TOWNSHEAD
FROM
AMSTERDAM TO PHILADELPHIA
OCT 5, 1737
LIVED FOR 10 YEARS AT
FALKNER SWAMP OR GOSHENHOPPEN
MONTGOMERY CO, Pennsylvania
RECEIVED A WARRANT FOR LAND
IN ALBANY TP. BERKS CO.
WHITHER THEY MOVED IN 1747
JOHN GEORGE KISTLER
DIED IN 1767 AND HIS WIFE
ANNA DOROTHEA
DIED ABOUT 1778
THEY LEFT 6 SONS AND 3 DAU.
FROM WHOM DESCENDED
THE LARGE KISTLER RELATIONSHIP
OF AMERICA

Apparently, the inscription on the marble memorial is attributable largely to the efforts of Samuel J. Kistler (1819-1890) and his son, Samuel (1865-1934). The elder Samuel for many years was justice of the peace in
Heidelberg township, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Pennsylvania legislature before the Civil War, and later he served as associate judge of Lehigh county. His son, Samuel, was a member of the Lehigh county bar and succeeded his father as justice of the peace.
The elder Samuel had compiled a Kistler family history which his son continued and which served as the basis for the account printed in the Anniversary History of Lehigh County published in 1914 - about the time the marble memorial was erected. Unfortunately, this tribute is incorrect.

In large measure, the family history compiled by Samuel J. Kistler and his son was based upon oral testimony of family descendants. Although the information is correct in many instances, it is less reliable for the earliest periods of the Kistler family in this country. The inscription on the marble memorial, for example, is erroneous in a number of respects:
1. The Kistler family may have originated in Aarberg, Switzerland, rather than the Palatinate, Germany. Along with a number of other local families, the Kistler family is depicted in a stained glass window of the guild hall in Aarberg.
2. Johannes Kistler is recorded as having arrived in Philadelphia from Amsterdam in October 1737 on board the ship Townshend (not Townshead or Townsend, as so often reported). However, Johannes Kistler did not sign his own name - some other person signed for him. Johannes simply made his "mark".
It is unlikely that this "Johannes Kistler" is the person later known in the area of Berks and Lehigh counties as HanJorg/John Kistler/John George Kistler/George Kistler.
3. George Kistler, not "John George" Kistler, was the man known to Rev. Muhlenberg, the initial spiritual leader of the Lutheran church in the area of Berks and Lehigh counties, Pennsylvania.
In 1747, after the start of what would later become the Jerusalem Church, Rev. Muhlenberg visited the area. While there, he preached and baptized several children. Among the first children baptized was a child (or children) of George Kistler. Muhlenberg also wrote that among the first persons confirmed, in 1756, was George Kistler, the son of George Kistler.
In 1770, Muhlenberg granted the land on which the church stood for the use of the "German Lutheran Congregation of Albany Township". Specifically, he granted the land to Philip Stambach, Jacob Gortner and Valentine Brobst of Albany Township in Berks county; and to Matthias Brobst and George Kistler of Lynn township in Northampton (now Lehigh) county.
4. Rev. Schumacher served the congregation of the Jerusalem Church (then known as the Allemaengel Church) from 1755 to 1767. His records refer repeatedly to George Kistler and his wife, Maria Dorothea (not Anna Dorothea).
5. Baptismal records of the Jerusalem Church refer to George Kistler. As late as 11/1/1778, George Kistler Sr. and Dorothea were sponsors to their grandchild, George Michael Reinhard, son of George M.
Reinhard and Dorothea (nee Kistler). It seems apparent that George Kistler lived well beyond 1767.
6. George and his wife (Maria Dorothea) were parents to more children than the six sons and three daughters described on the memorial, although it is likely that only six sons and three daughters survived to become adults.
7. On March 7, 1747, "George Kisler" applied for 50 acres of land in Philadelphia county (which then included all of present day Berks and Montgomery counties). The land was surveyed in 1753 and amounted to 85+ acres. In a document dated in 1829, this same acreage is identified as being in present day Rockland township, Berks county. There is no record of George Kistler applying for and being granted land in what is now Albany township, Berks county.
8. George Kistler was not the sole progenitor of the Kistler family in America. In addition to George Kistler and his wife Maria Dorothea, there were other families with the same or similar surname. Indeed, in the immediate area, there was another family headed by John Kistler and his wife Anna Barbara. Both George and John were about the same age. They attended the same church. Undoubtedly, they knew one another.
We could speculate that George and John were brothers and that "Johannes Kistler" who came to this country in 1737 might even have been their father. This is only speculation - there is no proof of any relationship.

Clearly, the information recorded on the marble memorial for "John George" Kistler is inaccurate. But what is the truth? Although we may never known, we can assemble the available information and try to make some sense of it.
1. To avoid confusion, I have identified each individual with a unique alpha code (refer to the explanation on page iii of the Introduction. George Kistler (whose wife was Maria Dorothea) is identified as code A.
Other Kistler families are also covered in this document.
John Kistler (whose wife was Anna Barbara) is identified as code B. Jacob Kistler of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, is identified as code M. Johannes (John) Niclaus Kistler is identified as code N. etc.
2. Johan was used as a common first name. The middle name was frequently used as the name by which the person was commonly known. The clearest example of this is John George Kistler (see narrative under code BA). His father's will refers to him by his full name. But the name commonly used was his middle name, George. Thus, Johan Kistler/Johan George Kistler/George Kistler might be the same person.
(If the name was Johannes, then he was John)
3. It is practically certain that George (A) Kistler was not "Johannes Kistler" who arrived in Philadelphia in October 1737. That individual could not sign his name. Just a few years later, however, in 1745, both "Jeorge" Kistler and "Johannes" Kistler signed a petition (with about twenty other people) for the "opening of a road from Abram Levant's mill in or near Maxatawny (through and over certain hills about eight or ten miles distant from upper Hanover township) by Peter Sills near the great road leading toward Philadelphia".
4. The religious history of the Allemaengel area of Berks county is significant. About 1747 there was a crisis among the German Lutheran settlers of the Allemaengel area. The records of Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church provide first hand knowledge of the situation.
In 1735 and 1745, a number of his church members from New Hanover (now in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania) had moved to the territory which includes present-day Albany and Greenwich townships in Berks county. It is commonly believed that this area of northeast Berks county was known as "Allemaengel" (all wants) because the soil lacked fertility; others believe it was so known because of the terrible Indian raids on the settlements.
On a number of occasions, Muhlenberg's former members had written to him for assistance. They were concerned that many in the area no longer had regard for churches and schools; others had left the Lutheran church and had connected themselves with the Moravians from Bethlehem. Many of the German people who lived there were poor and destitute and, according to Muhlenberg, needed both spiritual and physical support.
In 1746, Muhlenberg (through his father-in-law, Conrad Weiser) set aside a small tract of land (50 acres) as property for a church/school. This land is located in present-day Albany township, Berks county, near the village of Stony Run, just a short distance from the boundary with Lehigh county.
The congregation in the area then began to erect a log church. Disputes about the use of the building arose with the Moravians, but the Lutheran congregation prevailed. They erected a church which was first known as the Allemaengel Church, then the New Jerusalem Church, then the Jerusalem Church, or the Red Church. [As already noted, years later, in 1770, Muhlenberg granted the land on which the church stood for the use of the "German Lutheran Congregation of Albany Township". Among those to whom the land was granted was George Kistler of Lynn township in Northampton (now Lehigh) county.]
When the building of the first church began, in 1747, Muhlenberg visited the area. About this time also, Muhlenberg may have encouraged settlers from other regions to move to the Allemaengel area to strengthen the congregation there.
While visiting the congregation in 1747, Muhlenberg baptized several children. Muhlenberg wrote that among the first children baptized was a child (or children) of George Kistler -- but exactly when this occurred is not clear. Muhlenberg may have visited later and baptized children at that time, or he may be referring to baptisms performed by some other pastor.
Rev. Daniel Schumacher served as the pastor of the church from 1755 to 1769. He kept records of baptisms and confirmations from about 1754 to 1774.
In the 1760's a dispute arose between Rev. Schumacher and some members of the Allemaengel congregation. Thus, in 1769, Rev. Schumacher withdrew from this church and, with a number of those who supported him, began another church in 1770-1771, just a short distance away. This new church was also Lutheran. It was known variously as the New Allemaengel Church, the Bethel Church, the Friedens Church, or the White Church. Kistlers are associated with both the Jerusalem/Red Church and with the Friedens/White Church.
5. Elaine D. Schwar, a member of the Berks County Genealogical Society, notes that Maria Barbara (AG), daughter of George (A) Kistler, was confirmed by Schumacher in 1756. She estimates that Barbara (AG) was born about 1742. Also in 1756, George (AB) was confirmed. Other sources give his birth as 10/14/1744.
6. In 1765 Schumacher records the confirmation of Michael (AD), son of George (A) Kistler. Michael was probably born about 1750.
In 1767 Schumacher also records the confirmation of Jacob (AE) and Samuel (AF), both sons of George (A). It is known that Jacob was born in 1751 and Samuel in 1754. In 1767 as well, Schumacher records the
confirmation of John (AL); he was probably born about 1752.
7. In 1759, George "Kosler" appeared on the tax rolls of Greenwich township, Berks county; this may be George (A) Kistler. Writing in his "History of Berks County, Pennsylvania" (1886), Morton Montgomery
refers to the "well-known mill of Kistler" located on Mill Creek in Greenwich township.
Also in 1759, John (B) Kistler appeared on the tax rolls of Albany township, Berks county.
8. In April 1762, George (A) "Kishtler" of Berks county took the oath of naturalization. Some months earlier, in September of 1761, John (B) Kistler of Berks county had taken the oath.
9. About 1765, George (A) Kistler had moved to Lynn township, Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Pennsylvania. John (B) Kistler remained in Albany township, Berks county, Pennsylvania. This is evident from various land warrants:
On 10/30/1765, George (A) Kistler made application for 70 acres of land in Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Lynn township (warrant #1156). The survey in 1766 showed 20+ acres. The land adjoined his other land and land of Burkhart Moser and Christian Christ (Grist).
Also on 10/30/1765, George (A) Kistler made application for 40 acres of land in Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Lynn township (warrant #1157). The survey in 1765 showed 21+ acres. The land adjoined his other land and land of Michael Probst and Valentine Probst.
Also on 10/30/1765, John (B) Kistler made application for 40 acres of land in Berks county, Albany township (warrant #1160). The survey in 1765 showed 41+ acres. The land adjoined his other land and land of Michael Probst, John Carel, and Arnold Billig.
On 5/21/1766, John (B) Kistler made application for 50 acres of land in Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Lynn township (warrant 1507). The survey in 1819 showed 42+ acres. The land adjoined the land of William Stump, Peter Lutz and vacant land.
10. The 1767 and 1768 tax lists for Albany township, Berks county show John (B) Kistler. There is no entry for George (A) in Albany township - or in Greenwich or Maxatawny township - perhaps this signaled his move to Lynn township, Northampton (now Lehigh) county.

The available information can be constructed in several different ways. Although it is speculation, I believe that George (A) and John (B) were brothers.
Using the birth dates of their children as a guide, I believe that George (A) was born about 1722 and that John (B) was born about 1724.
By 1745, George and John had settled in the Maxatawny area of Berks county where they signed a petition for construction of a road.
By 1747, George (A) applied for land which we can now locate as being in present day Rockland township, Berks county.
By 1752, John (B) and Peter (C) had settled in present day Albany township, Berks Co. where they both appeared on the 1752 list of taxables.In 1759, George (A) appeared on the tax list in Greenwich township, Berks county. In the early 1760s, both George (A) and John (B) were still located in Berks county when they took the oath of naturalization. By 1765, George (A) had relocated to Lynn township, Northampton (now Lehigh) county. John (B) remained in Albany township, Berks county, but also had land interest in Lynn township. George (A) and his wife, Maria Dorothea, had a number of children:
The listed children are as complete as possible, but there is no agreement that this list is correct. The most serious difference concerns John (AL). Most other family historians either omit him from similar lists or include him but then confuse him with John (B) or his son, John (BE).
There are a few minor differences with some family historians. One source, Mary Bell Lontz, writing in Our German, Pilgrim and Quaker Ancestors, shows Susanna Kistler, daughter of George and Dorothea, born
about 1742. I have not been able to verify this, and I have not included Susanna in the above listing.
Yet another source, the Rev. C.E. Kistler (whose papers are available at the Historical Society of Berks County), shows Mary Magdalena, daughter of "John", born 1/14/1744 at Tulpehochen, in western Berks Co. Mary Magdalena, however, is the child of Johannes Niclaus (N).

Full Context of Names of Foreigners Who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania [ Ancestry.com]
Taking an oath of allegiance was a process undergone during
early colonial emigration. In this oath, immigrants declared they would
be faithful to King George II.
Names of Foreigners Who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania

Johannes Kistler



William A. Brobst
6072 Currituck Road, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
252-261-3068 Brobstwa@mindspring.com
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=brobst

Descendants of Johannes Georg "Hans Joerg" Kistler

1 Johannes Georg "Hans Joerg" KISTLER b: 1718 in Aarberg, Kanton Bern, Switzerland d: Abt. 1792 in Kutztown, Maxatawny Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
. +Anna Maria Dorothea LEVAN b: Bet. 1718 - 1720 in Alsace, France d: Nov 1778 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania m: Bet. 1737 - 1741 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 John KISTLER b: Bef. 1740 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: 1773 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Susanna KISTLER b: Abt. 1742 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Johan Georg KISTLER b: Oct 14, 1744 in Kistler Valley, Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania d: Jul 22, 1807 in Greenwich Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Anna Christina DIETRICH b: Apr 25, 1751 in Germany d: 1796 in Packer Twp, Carbon Co, Pennsylvania m: 1765 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Philip Jacob KISTLER b: Oct 19, 1745 in Goshenhoppen, Montgomery Co, Pennsylvania d: Aug 28, 1809 in Berks Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Christina KISTLER* m: Bef. 1779
..... *2nd Wf of Philip Jacob KISTLER:
......... +Elizabeth Barbara STEIGER b: Jun 14, 1758 d: Feb 11, 1811 in Berks Co, Pennsylvania m: 1779 in Pennsylvania
..... 2 Anna Maria Barbara KISTLER b: 1746 in Kistler Valley, Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania d: 1816
......... +Philip Jacob PROBST b: 1744 in Weissenberg Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: 1778 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania m: Bef. 1762
..... *2nd Hsbnd of Anna Maria Barbara KISTLER:
......... +Michael MOSSER b: 1753 in Lowhill Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Jun 01, 1818 in Berks Co, Pennsylvania m: Abt. 1780
..... 2 Michael KISTLER b: 1748 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Oct 26, 1792 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Eva Maria DRIESY b: 1750 d: Abt. 1771 m: Abt. 1768
..... *2nd Wf of Michael KISTLER:
......... +Maria Barbara HAAHL b: 1753 d: Abt. 1781 m: 1772 in Lowhill Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
..... *3rd Wf of Michael KISTLER:
......... +Magdalena MANTZ b: Oct 17, 1761 d: Jan 20, 1833 m: Abt. 1781
..... 2 Johannes KISTLER b: Abt. 1750 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Jun 12, 1819 in New Tripoli, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Eva Maria WEIDERSTEIN b: Apr 08, 1750 in Germany d: Aft. 1805 m: Abt. 1775 in Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Jacob Michael KISTLER, Sr. b: Feb 12, 1751 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Oct 26, 1811 in Berks Co, Pennsylvania Burial: Jerusalem "Red" Ch Cmty, Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Christina HAGENBUCH b: Sep 02, 1759 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania d: May 10, 1823 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania m: 1777 in Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania Burial: Jerusalem "Red" Ch Cmty, Albany Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Maria Elisabeth KISTLER b: 1753 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Apr 23, 1822
......... +Johann Heinrich KELLER b: Dec 12, 1755 in Hamburg, Berks Co, Pennsylvania m: Abt. 1775 in Hamburg, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Samuel J. KISTLER, Sr. b: Sep 20, 1754 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Apr 24, 1822 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania Burial: Jerusalem "Red' Union Ch,Stony Run, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
......... +Maria Elizabetha LADICH b: Nov 22, 1761 d: 1785 m: Sep 22, 1778 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania
..... *2nd Wf of Samuel J. KISTLER, Sr.:
......... +Maria Catharina Barbara PROBST b: Dec 16, 1767 in Lynntown, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Mar 26, 1845 in Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania m: Sep 22, 1788 in Berks Co, Pennsylvania Burial: Jerusalem "Red" Union Ch, Stony Run, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
..... 2 Maria Dorothea KISTLER b: Mar 09, 1756 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Feb 09, 1818 in Greenwich Twp, Berks Co, Pennsylvania
......... +George Michael REINHARDT b: Jul 06, 1754 d: Nov 25, 1808 m: 1778 in Pennsylvania
..... 2 Johann Heinrich KISTLER b: Dec 24, 1758 in Kistler Valley, Lynn Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania d: Abt. 1853 in Adams Twp, Seneca Co, OH


From "The History of Lehigh and Carbon Co Penna 1884 pg 285

George Kistler, was among a number of Palatinates or Swiss who, during the interval between 1735 and 1745, removed from Falkner Swamp and Goschenhoppen (now Montgomery County) to Lynn township, and settled in the vicinity of what is now called Jerusalem Church, and was formerly Allemangel Church. He had six sons and three daughters, - George, Jacob, John, Samuel, Philip, Michael, Barbara, Dorotea, and Elizabeth.

From Scott Grussing <grussing@hotmail.com>

The Kistler family was Swiss. The name means chest maker. The Kistlers of Canton Bern, from which we Americans are most likely descendants, trace their line of ancestry back to 1357.

The Kistlers were faithful Catholics up to the time of the Reformation, when those in Canton Bern became Protestants (Lutheran).

Johannes (John) George Kistler, the great, great grandfather of Margaret Elliott Kistler (Grandmother of James Matthews Clements), came to Philadelphia from the Palatinate of Canton Bern (a former division of Bavaria) on the S. S. Townsend on October 5, 1737. He was a farmer and an Elder in his church (the Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Church of Berks County, PA) and, with other Kistlers, was involved in the establishment of Muhlenberg College. Five of his six sons enlisted in the Army of the Revolutionary Forces. The youngest son of Johannes Kistler, Samuel, had 15 children (2 wives) who, almost without exception, became heads of large families. A list of the descendants of Samuel would fill an entire book! For example, Samuel, Jr., had 23 children (2 wives). In about 1910, the town of Lynn, PA, published a "Role of Honor" which included 41 physicians and 15 preachers, all named Kistler!

The Kistlers have always served their country; five of Johannes' six sons (including "our" Samuel) served in the Revolutionary War; many served in the war of 1812, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II.

(Family history by Jack Hoey)

From : http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:af2176&id=I0477

# Name: John George KISTLER
# Sex: M
# Birth: ABT. 1719 in Aarberg, Bern, Switzerland
# Death: AFT. Nov 1778 in Albany Twp, Berks, PA
# Note:

Emigrated from Amsterdam to Philadelphia on the ship Townshen on 5
October 1737.
Naturalized in Philadelphia on 24 September 1761.
Farmer

# Note: Living in Nov, 1778
# Note: Buried in Jeruselem Church cemetery, Kempton, PA


Land warrent 7 Mar 1747 - acres 50
Source Information
Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Land Warrants, 1733-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Original data: Index of Early Pennsylvania Land Warrants, 1733'961987, from the Pennsylvania State Archives. Stevens, Pennsylvania: Ken McCrea, 2010

  Noted events in his life were:

• Alternate Spell: Johan Georg Kustler.

• Immigration, Oct 5, 1737, Ship Townshen (Townshend?) From Switzerland. ⁵⁸³

• Naturalization, Sep 24, 1761. ⁵⁸³

• Burial Alternat, 1767, Jerusalem Church Cemetery, Near Kempton, Penna. ²⁰⁴

Johan married Anna Maria Dorothea Levan, daughter of Abraham B. Levan and Catherine Weimar, about 1741. (Anna Maria Dorothea Levan was born about 1722, died about 1779 in Albany Twp, Lehigh Co, Pennsylvania and was buried in 1779 in Jerusalem Church Cemetery, Near Kempton, Penna ²⁰⁴.)