Hans Herr (September 17, 1639 – October 11, 1725) was born in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. While often cited as a descendant of the knight Hugo Herr, scholarship done in the 20th century has put this claim in doubt. He joined the

Swiss Brethren The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries. Today's Swiss Mennonite Conference can be traced to the Swiss Brethren. In 1525, Felix Manz, ...

(later called

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

s) and became a bishop. He was the first Mennonite bishop to emigrate to America. When religious persecution became unendurable in Switzerland, many of his congregation emigrated with him to the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, which was governed by a ruler who promised them protection and religious freedom. This was satisfactory until the Palatinate fell into the hands of other rulers, subjecting the Mennonites to severe religious persecution once again. When this occurred, a number of them visited

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

in London, in 1707, and arranged terms with him to colonize a portion of what is now Lancaster County, near what was then the western frontier of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1710, Hans Herr, John R. Bundely, Martin Meylin (Mylin), Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller, Hans Funk,

Hans Graff Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

, Martin Oberholtzer, Wendel Bowman and others bought 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land on the south side of

Pequea Creek Pequea Creek (pronounced ''PECK-way'') is a tributary of the Susquehanna River that runs for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 from the eastern border of Lanc ...

. A warrant was issued for the land October 10, 1710, and it was surveyed October 23, 1710. The tradition, which has never been disproven, is that these immigrants held a conference as to what steps should be taken to inform their relatives and friends in Europe of their opinions and expectations of their new lands, and it was determined that Hans Herr, their revered minister, should return, explain the situation and the great advantages of emigration, and bring with him those he could induce to come. He sailed to Europe and returned to America with many more immigrants, despite making the journey at 70 years old. He had six sons and one daughter by his wife Elizabeth Kendig. He died in

West Lampeter Township West Lampeter Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the 2020 census. History The Johannes Harnish Farmstead, Christian and Emma Herr Farm, Hans Herr House, Lime Valley Cov ...

on October 11, 1725.

House and museum

The

Hans Herr House The Hans Herr House, also known as the Christian Herr House, is a historic home located in West Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1719, and is a -story, rectangular sandstone Germanic dwelling. It measures 37 fe ...

, built by his son Christian Herr in 1719, is open to the public as a museum, and is the oldest

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...

settlement still in existence today. The house is located at 1849 Hans Herr Drive in

Willow Street, Pennsylvania Willow Street is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,578 at the 2010 census. In the early part of the 20th century the main thoroughfare in town was ...

References

External links

*
The 1719 Hans Herr House & Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herr, Hans Herr, Hans Herr, Hans 18th-century American bishops 18th-century Mennonite bishops Herr, Hans People of colonial Pennsylvania Herr People from Zürich American Mennonites 18th-century American clergy