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

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. 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 (Schweizer Brüder) 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. ...

(later called

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

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 was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 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, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

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, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. In 1710, Hans Herr, John R. Bundely, Martin Meylin (Mylin), Martin Kendig, Jacob Miller, Hans Funk, Hans Graff, Martin Oberholtzer, Wendel Bowman and others bought 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land on the south side of

Pequea Creek Pequea Creek ( ; ) 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 Lancaster County and ...

. 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 that is located in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the time of the 2020 census. History The Johannes Harnish Farmstead, Christian and Emma Herr Farm, ...

on October 11, 1725.

House and museum

The Hans Herr House, 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 (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate region of Germany ...

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 w ...

References

External links

*
The 1719 Hans Herr House & Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herr, Hans Herr, Hans Herr, Hans 18th-century bishops in North America 18th-century Mennonite bishops Herr, Hans People from colonial Pennsylvania

Herr Herr may refer to: * Herr (surname) * Herr (title), a German title * Herr's Snacks, a Pennsylvania-based snack food and potato chip maker {{disambig ...

Clergy from Zurich American Mennonites