Great- great - great - great Grandfather
Johann Georg Shimmel
Born 5 December 1758 in Heuchelheim, Gießen, Hesse, Germany
Died 1847 in Bigler, Clearfield, Pennsylvania
During the American Revolutionary War about 20,000 German soldiers were hired by the British to fight the colonists. They were called Hessians because most of them came from the Hessian states of Germany. The Hessians were victims of a European system by which governments sold men into military service. The men were paid about 25 cents a day. They were not particularly interested in war but they were well trained and fought well, and their performance in battle caused the Americans to fear and respect their fighting ability. Some of the Hessians were won over to the American cause and deserted the British. Many of them remained in America after the Revolution.
The availability of these soldiers was due to Prince Karl August Friedrich zu Waldeck-Pyrmont of Waldeck being eager to sell his subjects into English service for the Revolutionary War. The principality already had a draft policy of every man but students could be drafted. He found that he could make very large sums of money if he sold the service of his subjects to other countries. It was said by Edward J Lowell after meeting with the Prince of Waldeck "by comparison with the Malgraves of Anspack, the Prince of Waldeck seem almost respectable. They use their country as a stock farm for raising men for the Dutch service, but themselves fought for the Dutch with distinction."
Johann Georg Schimmel arrived with the 3rd Waldeck Regiment, Company 5, from the principality of Waldeck, Germany. Waldeck is a small principality a few miles west of Kassel. Most of the German men sent to America were from the Hessen-Cassel area, so all the German troops were come to be known as Hessen's. Company 5 of the Waldecker's marched from Korback on May 20, 1776 to the port town of Bremerlehe to sail to England. They arrived in Bremerlehe on May 31, 1776. Johann left for Portsmouth England on the ship "Benjamin" on June 3, 1776, but bad winds delayed the arrival to Portsmouth until June 20, 1776. It is unclear what ship that he arrived in America on as there was a convoy of 22 ships. He left Portsmouth, England for America on July 20, 1776. They arrived in New York on October 23, 1776. He served in New York at the Battle of Fort Washington, in New Jersey, and in Pennsylvania before being sent to Florida and Louisiana where he was captured by the Spanish forces in September 1779 and sent to Havana, Cuba. He remained a prisoner of Spain for 3 years. He was released as a prisoner in the exchange of prisoners between Spain and England and sent back to New York in January of 1782. He deserted 2 months later on March 25,1782 and stayed in America. The war ended a few months later and most of the Hessen Waldeckers were sent back home to Germany.
One of these Hessian soldiers who chose to remain in America was Johann Georg Schimmel. After leaving the German Army, George Shimmel as he was called, proceeded to Maryland, where he married Phillippina Catharina Haisch and eventuallylocated in Huntingdon and Centre Counties in Pennsylvania. By 1806 he and his family were living in Bradford Township, Clearfield County.
One Clearfield County historian states, "Among the German-born citizens who did so much to develop this section in the pioneer days was George Shimmel." He came from the Fatherland in early manhood, and about 1800 settled near Philipsburg, cleared a farm and built a distillery which he operated for many years. In his later life he devoted his entire attention to agriculture. An enterprising and able man, he was a prominent figure in his locality. In politics he was a democrat.
On the l7th day of October 1851. George 'Shemmel' and Catherine his wife sold 427 acres. of land in Bradford Township, to Richard Durbin. In 1859 he was taxed for 100 acres Bradford Township. His will probated 11 May l847 provided for his wife and for all of his twelve children except Adam who was deceased but whose children were provided for. The largest part of the estate went to son William consisting of the farm in Morris Township with the stipulation that William provide his mother with every necessary and comfort of life.
Conducting German research concerning George Shimmel was a challenge. One genealogist writes that one of the most difficult feats is to establish the German home of an American settler in colonial times. Eventually, however, a reply was received from one archivist where records of Hessian soldiers were on file but it would be impossible to conduct research without knowing the regiment of a particular soldier. However, regiment lists were being transferred to punch cards and the undertaking was expected to be completed in two or three years when it would be made available.
Five years later, in the Spring of 1976, the first two volumes of the project HETRINA were published. The fifth and final volume titled, Waldecker Troops in America during the American Revolution listed under Grundeliste WLD 5: Johann Georg Schimmel, Gemeiner (Private) born in Heuchelheim u Darmstadt, enlisted 1 May 1776, age 17, deserted in 1782.
The records further show that Johann Georg Schimmel was sent to America where he was taken prisoner in September 1779. After three years' imprisonment he was ransomed in January 1782 and deserted two months later.
An introduction to Volume V of HETRINA project states. At the time of the outbreak of the Americans War of Independence, Waldeck had nearly a century old tradition of hiring mercenary troops. In contrast to the Kassel contract for troops, the Waldeck document contained a paragraph establishing reimbursement of the ruler Waldeck for every soldier killed or wounded in action. A decree of 1755 had ordered conscription procedures in Waldeck which allowed only university students exemption from service, but in 1776 the ruler of Waldeck attached great importance to sending only volunteers to America.
The newly formed Third English-Waldeck Mercenary Regiment to which Georg Schimmel was attached consisted of one Infantry Regiment of 750 men. Captain Georg Von Haacke was in charge of Company V.
Volume V of HETRINA continues:
The Waldeckers under the command of Lt. General Baron Wilhelm von Knyphausen arrived at Sandy Hook in New York on 20 October 1776. Their first battle was Fort Washington on 16 November 1776 which was a British victory, with seven Waldeckers killed and 13 wounded. After a short stay in Perth Amboy the regiment was quartered in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. They engaged in battles in and around that area until 1778 when on 20 October, with other regiments, five ships of the line, twelve frigates and about 110 transports set sail for Pensacola Florida. The first 53 Waldeckers to be taken prisoner fell into the hands of the Spaniards on Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Nearly one-half of the 400-man garrison was taken when Baton Rouge capitulated. The rest of the Waldeckers were sent to New York after the fall of Pensacola in May 1781.
In his book Uniforms of the Armies in the War of the American Revolution 1775-1783, Lt. Charles M. Lefferts states, “The Waldeck Troops 3rd infantry Regiment wore a blue coat, yellow collar and cuffs, yellow lapels, gilt buttons, plain buttonholes, white vest and breeches, hat edged with yellow scallops.
The most important sources of genealogical information in Germany are the parish registers. These are usually found in the custody of the local clergymen, but many of them have been placed for safe-keeping in state or church archives.
To inject a personal note and put flesh on the bones so to speak, the more I learned about my great-great-grandfather, the more determined I became to try to go to Germany and see the village where he came from and the church in which he was baptized and maybe to get a feel for the circumstances of the times in which he lived there. And so, in May 1981 my husband and I went to Europe, not for the Grand Tour but to try to locate the birthplaces of some of our ancestors.
A pleasant train ride from Frankfurt, then a short trip by bus took us to Heuchelheim. The village lies just west of Giessen on the Lahn River and is 65 to 70 kilometers from Frankfurt. It is a very ancient city founded between 650 - 700. It was first mentioned in a document dated 778. The population now is about 6,000. Since the Protestant Reformation it has belonged to the Earl of Hessen-Darmstadt. During the 30-year war the town was burned down except for the church and two houses, and the number of inhabitants sank from about 400 to 212, afterward prospering again. Until the mid-19 century, the people were mainly farmers and many were also weavers. With the event of the railroad, it became more industrialized. During World War II it was bombed on two occasions but has since been rebuilt.
The oldest part of the old Wehr Church in Heuchelheim is its mighty steeple dating to about 1250. The oldest bell in the tower dates to 1452. The church was originally Catholic but since the Reformation in 1529 has been Lutheran Evangelical.
It was a great thrill to see and touch the records of my ancestor Georg Schimmel, and of his brother, Johann Ludwig three years older. Their maternal ancestry was recorded back to the year 1611.
As we walked around this small lovely village, we were very impressed with its age and beauty. One could almost imagine seeing a young man, a boy really, in his splendid uniform, walking along marching off to war, leaving parents, friends, all that he had known, realizing that in all likelihood he would never see them again. He may have had a dream of a better life ahead somewhere off in the new America. How sweet the taste of freedom must have been that he would risk his life to remain in this country and become a new American.
My observation into the life and personality of my grandfather created the deepest affection and respect for him and it has been a distinct honor to compile this short history of my Hessian ancestor. I dedicate this work to him and to grandmother, Catharina.
Ada Phillips Duquette 8 July 1987
Edited and updated by Mel R. Brashears 28 May 2022
Address of the parish in Heuchelheim with pastor's name as of 1987:
Pfarrmt Der Ev. Martinsgrmrinde
6301 Heuchelheim 1
Schulgasse 4
West Germany
