Rev. Christian Nisly
fl. 1804 – ?
Christopher’s 4th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 78 · generation 7
Evidence: identity compiled lead
Family
- Spouse: Sarah Miller (d. 1857)
- Family notes: Christian Nisly + Sarah Miller (m. 1807)
- Children in this vault: Susanna Nisly (1816–1885)
Life and evidence
His date book: left ‘the old country’ 7 May 1804 and reached ‘the home of Christel Zug’ 12 Oct 1804 (1912 genealogy). Married Sarah Miller 1807.
Where they lived
- 1804 — Philadelphia
In their lifetime
- 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
- 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
- 1852 — 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana
- 1869 — 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt
- 1874 — 1874 Military service ends the exemptions
Sources
The crossing of 1804 ( Christian Monitor, 1935, "Early Amish ministers of Somerset County"; Hostetler 1912, fam. 3063 note; Stutzman, Tobias of the Amish)
“Christian Nisly (Niesley) started from Europe May 7, 1804, leaving a brother behind. He embarked for America June 6 and reached his destination, the home of Christel Zug, in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, Oct. 12, 1804.”
He landed at Philadelphia without enough money for his fare, and worked for Christel Zug (Christian Zook), who paid his passage debt: he came as a redemptioner (family account in Tobias of the Amish). About four months at sea, a typical voyage for that year.
Then Somerset County: married Sarah Miller 19 Jun 1807 (daughter of the blind Amish minister Abraham Miller of Berlin); farmed near Davidsville; an Amish minister who signed church papers with the Somerset ministers. In 1840 he sold the farm and moved to Ohio (near Baltic) with all the family except daughter Frany (m. Christian Shetler). Four sons and six daughters grew up. Sarah died 1 Jun 1857, blind in her last years; Christian’s death date is not recorded.
Where in Europe: not stated in any source found. “Nisly” (Nüssli, Nissle) is a Swiss Anabaptist name; Amish emigrants of 1804 came mostly from Alsace, Lorraine, the Palatinate and Hesse. Next step: the brother he left behind and Philadelphia ship arrivals of Oct 1804.
"Christel Zug" was of the Zug/Zook family from Signau (Hans Zoug, preacher, jailed 1660–71); the Zug brothers came in 1742 and their Amish congregation near Malvern, Chester Co., built the first Amish meetinghouse in America. See Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31).
Narratives and research
- History: 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond, 1852 Swiss Mennonites found Berne, Indiana, 1869 The Fieguths move from Prussia to Am Trakt, 1874 Military service ends the exemptions, Faith traditions
- Research: Lancaster sources scanned for family surnames, Ships and journeys of the immigrant ancestors
- Sources: Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler (1912), Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31)
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler (1912) full text re-read (fam. 3063 note): his date book: left the old country ‘leaving his brother’ 7 May 1804, reached Christel Zug’s 12 Oct 1804; married Sarah Miller 19 Jun 1807; parents and home village not given
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.