Alan: I have the book 'Pastors and People, Vol 1, Pastors and Congregations', by Chas. H Glatfelter, pub 1980. Here is what is written about Johan Philip LEYDICH: pages 82-83: "John Philip LEYDICH. Reformed. Born 4/28/1715 at (5921) Girkhausen, Wingenstein. Son of a pastor. Place of education and date of ordination unknown. Married abt. 1743 Maria Catharina Homrighausen (1721-1801). They had at least 7 children. Offered his services (July 1748) to the Holland fathers, who found his credentials in order and approved him. Arrived in Philadelphia September 15, 1748. Called to Falkner Swamp, where he succeeded Philip Boehm, and to Providence. Except for absences due to illness, attended coetus meetings regularly. Was a member of the rival coetus (1752-1753). Served as president of the body in 1751, 1757, and 1760. Served Falkner Swamp (1748-1765), Providence (1748-1784), Vincent (1753-1765), Coventry (1766-1784), Upper Milford (1766-1771), West Salisbury (1766-1771), and Pottstown (1769-1784). Naturalized September 24, 1762. In 1749 purchased a farm in Frederick township, Montgomery county, to which he later made additions. On numerous occasions was in poor health. After Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg moved back to Providence in 1776, he noted frequently that Leydich was unable to conduct services there on appointed occasions. Died in Frederick twp, Montgomery county, on 1/14/1784. Buried at LEIDIG's burial ground, located on part of the land which he purchased in 1749. There is no record of an estate. In effect, Leydich spent his entire Pennsylvania Ministry of more than 1/3 of a century in one charge, consisting of congregations in Montgomery, Lehigh and Chester counties which he could reach from his farm. Available evidence indicates he was a faithful parish pastor, but he was not in the forefront of the leaders of the Reformed church in his day." Sources: William J Hinke, 'Ministers of the German Reformed Congregations in PA and other colonies of the 18th century': pp. 50-60; and Journals of Henry M. Muhlenberg, #3) Diana in AL ----- Original Message ----- From: Alan Leighton To: PAMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 4:49 AM Subject: LEYDICH and HOMRIGHAUSEN Hello everybody, I have just joined the list, so before I bombard you with my request, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alan Leighton, and though I was born and raised in California, I have spent more than half my life in Germany seeking my fortune as a symphony orchestra musician. I was bitten in my college days by the genealogy bug, and a shocking number of decades later, I find it still to be a challenging and rewarding pursuit. Despite my English family name, a good part of my ancestors came from Germany, and some of them immigrated to Pennsylvania. I am at home in both the English and German languages, but I find that old-style Fraktur handwriting very difficult to decipher. (Well, to be honest, I have copies of some old Revolutionary War pension files, and that old American handwriting isn't easy either!!) My current project is a database on the Homrighausen name. I have Marie Catharina HOMRIGHAUSEN, born 1721, marrying the Reverend Johann Philipp LEYDICH on 26 May 1744, and emigrating to Philadelphia in 1748. They settled in Montgomery Co., PA, where the Rev. Leydich achieved a certain amount of fame. He is buried in the Leydich cemetery. I have a number of questions --- 1. What is the status of the Leydich cemetery? Is it abandoned and overgrown, or is it still fairly well kept? 2. Are the German origins of Johann Philipp LEYDICH and his wife known? I have some second-hand source material here, but if everybody already knows all about it, I wouldn't want to bore you with it. 3. Can anybody shed light on the husbands and families of Johan Philipp Leydich's two Homrighausen sisters-in-law who emigrated with them to Pennsylvania? According to one source, one married Andreas SASSAMAN (probably originally Sassmannshausen), and the other married Caspar ACHENBACH (Aschenbach?), but that source has a few inaccuracies in it, so I am not sure about this. If you are interested in or know anything about these topics, I would be grateful to hear from you, either through the list or not (whatever you prefer). Thanks in advance, and best wishes to all, Alan Leighton Bochum, Germany ______________________________

Hello everybody I can offer a bit more on John Philip LEYDICH, and also adds something about his father Leonhardt, but first --- thank you, Diana for the information you sent. It is very helpful, and I will be sure to hunt down the sources, too. In your quoted text, it is refreshing to see LEYDICH's birthplace as Girkhausen (in Wittgenstein, not Wingenstein). The works of Bean & Roberts, which can be found online, have his birthplace as Holland, which is wrong. I can offer a bit about Johann Philipp Leydich's life in Germany before he emigrated, from a couple of books I have here. The information may be interesting to descendants of Rev. Leydich or to historians of Montgomery County. Source 1: "800 Jahre Diedenshausen, 1194-1994: Geschichte des Dorfes und seiner Familien" [800 Years of Diedenshausen, 1194-1994: History of the Village and its Families"] (Diedenshausen: Heimat- und Verkehrsverein, copyright 1997); 720 pp. In the very long section (pp. 83-672) entitled, "Geschichte der Familien und Häuser in Diedenshausen" [History of the Families and Houses in Diedenshausen], by Helmut Womelsdorf, Klaus Homrighausen, und Ernst Homrighausen, on p. 246, is the family of Johann Jacob HOMRIGHAUSEN (b. 15 Dec 1706, d. 29 Jan 1740, m. Catharina Elisabeth WELLER the miller's daughter on 30 Oct 1704, [all events presumably in Diedenshausen]). They lived in the house named Hermes in Diedenshausen. Their 7th child was Marie Catharina [HOMRIGHAUSEN] (b. 25 Jul 1724 [in Diedenshausen], d. 1801 in the USA, m. Johann LEYDICH on 26 May 1744). The ancestors of Marie Catharine are scattered throughout the book, and I am entering the information into my database. When I am finished, I will post it here, if people are interested. Regarding Johann LEYDICH, they have on that same page 246: born 28 Apr 1715, died 4 Jan 1784 [must be a typo --- all other sources have 14 Jan], and then: "Johann Leydich war wie sein Vater Leonhardt Pfarrer in Girkhausen. Die Familie wanderte 1748 über die Niederlande in die USA aus." [J.L. was, like his father Leonhardt, a pastor in Girkhausen (a village not far from Diedenshausen). The family emigrated in 1748 to the USA by way of the Netherlands.] Source 2: "750 Jahre Girkhausen", by Fritz Krämer (Girkhausen, 1970). This book has an interesting chapter entitled, "Ein Beitrag zur Chronik von Girkhausen: Girkhausens Pfarrer" [A Contribution to the Chronicle of Girkhausen: Girkhausen's Pastors], by Fritz Krämer. In it I find: (first the original German, then in translation below): p. 38 ... 40 Jahre lang betreute Leonhard Leydich die Gemeinde Girkhausen. Er stammte aus Grüningen in der Wetterau und heiratete am 30. Mai 1708 als Girkhäuser Pfarrer die Tochter des gewesenen Bürgermeisters Johann Heinrich Stremmel von Berleburg. Merkwürdigerweise enthält das Girk- p. 39 häuser Taufregister keine Eintragungen über seine in Girkhausen geborenen Kinder. Es war die Zeit des Wittgensteiner Pietismus und der "separatistischen Hochflut", und der alte Pfarrer mag "seine liebe Not gehabt haben, allen Rotten und Ärgernissen zu wehren". 1737 konnte er zu seiner Freude im Kirchenbuch eintragen, daß der Johann Heinrich Dick, ein Wiedertäufer und Pächter auf dem Marienwald (Rehseifen), seine drei Kinder taufen ließ. Er stand mannhaft im Kampf gegen "sünden und greuel, die in schwang giengen". ... Allen Freunden der Wittgensteiner Heimatgeschichte ist Leonhard Leydichs Sohn Görg Andreas bekannt, der als Sergeant wiederholt der Anführer der Berleburger Streitkräfte gewesen ist. Am 31. Mai 1747 verstarb Leonhard Leydich in Girkhausen. Schon seit Jahren war ihm sein Sohn Johann Philipp als Helfer im Amt beigegeben worden, und dieser wurde auch dann sein Nachfolger. Doch er blieb es nicht lange. Die Berleburger Chronik meldet: Am 19. Mai 1748 hält Johann Philipp Leydich seine Abschiedspredigt "in deme er die Torheit begangen, seinen Dienst zu quittieren und darauf mit seiner Familie nach Pennsylvanien gereist, nebst noch unterschiedlichen Untertanen vom Land, meist Diedenshäuser". Er und später sein Sohn waren reformierte Pfarrer, nach ihm ist der Leydich-Friedhof benannt. ... Translation: p. 38 ... Leonhard Leydich led the congregation in Girkhausen for 40 years. He was from Grüningen in the Wetterau, and as pastor of Girkhausen he married the daughter of the former mayor Johann Heinrich Stremmel of Berleburg. Oddly enough, pp. 38-39 the Girkhausen Register of Baptisms contains p. 39 no entries of his own children born in Girkhausen. It was the time of Wittgenstein Pietism and the "high tide of Separatism", and the old pastor would have "had no end of trouble restraining all the gangs and scandals". To his pleasure, he was able in 1737 to enter into the church books that he had baptized the three sons of Johann Heinrich Dick, an anabaptist and tenant farmer at Marienwald (Rehseifen) [apparently alternate names of a particular field]. He fought bravely against "sins and atrocities which have become the fashion".... All friends of the local history of Wittgenstein know about Leonhard Leydich's son Görg Andreas, who repeatedly led the troops of Berleburg as Sergeant. Leonhard Leydich died on 31 May 1747 in Girkhausen. For years already, his son Johann Philipp had been his assistant in his official duties, and now he became his successor. But he did not remain so for long. The Chronicle [not a newspaper, but an official registry of events] of Berleburg reports: Johann Philipp Leydich gave his farewell sermon on 19 May 1748, "in which he committed the folly of quitting his post, upon which he travelled to Pennsylvania with his family and several various subjects [of the duke] of the land, mostly from Diedenshausen." [Obviously, the duke was not amused --- translator's note.] He and later his son were Reformed pastors; the Leydich Cemetery is named after him. Hope some of you find this useful. Best wishes, Alan Leighton DIANA QUINONES wrote: >Alan: > >I have the book 'Pastors and People, Vol 1, Pastors and Congregations', by Chas. H Glatfelter, pub 1980. Here is what is written about Johan Philip LEYDICH: >pages 82-83: > >"John Philip LEYDICH. Reformed. Born 4/28/1715 at (5921) Girkhausen, Wingenstein. Son of a pastor. Place of education and date of ordination unknown. Married abt. 1743 Maria Catharina Homrighausen (1721-1801). They had at least 7 children. Offered his services (July 1748) to the Holland fathers, who found his credentials in order and approved him. Arrived in Philadelphia September 15, 1748. Called to Falkner Swamp, where he succeeded Philip Boehm, and to Providence. >Except for absences due to illness, attended coetus meetings regularly. Was a member of the rival coetus (1752-1753). Served as president of the body in 1751, 1757, and 1760. >Served Falkner Swamp (1748-1765), Providence (1748-1784), Vincent (1753-1765), Coventry (1766-1784), Upper Milford (1766-1771), West Salisbury (1766-1771), and Pottstown (1769-1784). >Naturalized September 24, 1762. In 1749 purchased a farm in Frederick township, Montgomery county, to which he later made additions. On numerous occasions was in poor health. After Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg moved back to Providence in 1776, he noted frequently that Leydich was unable to conduct services there on appointed occasions. Died in Frederick twp, Montgomery county, on 1/14/1784. Buried at LEIDIG's burial ground, located on part of the land which he purchased in 1749. There is no record of an estate. >In effect, Leydich spent his entire Pennsylvania Ministry of more than 1/3 of a century in one charge, consisting of congregations in Montgomery, Lehigh and Chester counties which he could reach from his farm. Available evidence indicates he was a faithful parish pastor, but he was not in the forefront of the leaders of the Reformed church in his day." >Sources: William J Hinke, 'Ministers of the German Reformed Congregations in PA and other colonies of the 18th century': pp. 50-60; and Journals of Henry M. Muhlenberg, #3) > > >Diana in AL > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Alan Leighton > To: PAMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 4:49 AM > Subject: LEYDICH and HOMRIGHAUSEN > > > Hello everybody, > I have just joined the list, so before I bombard you with my request, > please allow me to introduce myself. > > My name is Alan Leighton, and though I was born and raised in > California, I have spent more than half my life in Germany seeking my > fortune as a symphony orchestra musician. I was bitten in my college > days by the genealogy bug, and a shocking number of decades later, I > find it still to be a challenging and rewarding pursuit. Despite my > English family name, a good part of my ancestors came from Germany, and > some of them immigrated to Pennsylvania. I am at home in both the > English and German languages, but I find that old-style Fraktur > handwriting very difficult to decipher. (Well, to be honest, I have > copies of some old Revolutionary War pension files, and that old > American handwriting isn't easy either!!) > > My current project is a database on the Homrighausen name. I have Marie > Catharina HOMRIGHAUSEN, born 1721, marrying the Reverend Johann Philipp > LEYDICH on 26 May 1744, and emigrating to Philadelphia in 1748. They > settled in Montgomery Co., PA, where the Rev. Leydich achieved a certain > amount of fame. He is buried in the Leydich cemetery. > > I have a number of questions --- > 1. What is the status of the Leydich cemetery? Is it abandoned and > overgrown, or is it still fairly well kept? > 2. Are the German origins of Johann Philipp LEYDICH and his wife known? > I have some second-hand source material here, but if everybody already > knows all about it, I wouldn't want to bore you with it. > 3. Can anybody shed light on the husbands and families of Johan Philipp > Leydich's two Homrighausen sisters-in-law who emigrated with them to > Pennsylvania? According to one source, one married Andreas SASSAMAN > (probably originally Sassmannshausen), and the other married Caspar > ACHENBACH (Aschenbach?), but that source has a few inaccuracies in it, > so I am not sure about this. > > If you are interested in or know anything about these topics, I would be > grateful to hear from you, either through the list or not (whatever you > prefer). > > Thanks in advance, and best wishes to all, > Alan Leighton > Bochum, Germany > > ______________________________ > > >==== PAMONTGO Mailing List ==== >You flame – you’re GONE. > > > >