Jacob Hochstetler (Hofstetter), Täuferlehrer
c.1666 – c.1722, born at Winterkraut, died at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
Christopher’s 8th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 1272, 1760 · generation 11
Evidence: identity documented
Pedigree collapse: Christopher descends from this person 2 times.
Family
- Spouse: Christina Küntzi (fl. 1700)
- Children in this vault: Jacob Hochstetler (1712–1776)
Life and evidence
Guggisberg baptisms searched, 1665 – Mar 1673 (2026-10-31)
K Guggisberg 4, images 30–62, entries 1–632, read in full: no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler/Hoffstettler father. Either he was born before 1665 (Guggisberg 3, 1637–64, not yet read), after March 1673, or the “c.1666” estimate is off.
Hostettler households baptizing at Guggisberg in these years (any could be his family):
- Michel Hoffstettler: son baptized 1 Nov 1665; again 1668 (no. 277); son Ulrich, 30 Apr 1671 (no. 477)
- Hans Hostettler × Anna Mischler: children 1666 (no. 70) and Christen, 24 Nov 1667 (no. 207). A Hostettler–Mischler marriage a generation before the Mishlers sailed with the Hochstetlers on the Phoenix (1749)
- Heini Hostettler: child 1668 (no. 224); son Peter, 30 Sep 1670 (no. 426)
- Heinrich Hoffstettler: son Hans, 1 Jan 1670 (no. 371)
- Hans Hostettler: daughter Barbara, 6 Oct 1672 (no. 587)
- Hostettler women as mothers: Anna (× Christen Bühler, 1669), Christina (× Hans Rohrbach?, 1669), Margreth (× Christen Kohler, 1668, 1671), Barbara (× Jacob Zbinden, 1670, 1672, and a son Jacob, 9 Feb 1673, no. 618: mother’s surname, so not ours)
Also searched: K Guggisberg 3, images 116–151 (Jul 1656 – Dec 1664), read in full: no Jacob to a Hostettler father. So mid-1656 to March 1673 is ruled out.
More Hostettler households found in 1656–64: Michel Hoffstettler × Barbara Zand (son Hans, 15 Sept 1661; note that Jacob’s second wife was a Verena Zand); Heinrich Hoffstettler × Elsbeth Zbinden (son Heinrich, 8 Mar 1663); Hans Hostettler × Anni Marti (1659); Hans Hostettler × Elsbeth Fuchs? (1663); Hans Hostettler × Anni Mischler already baptizing in 1662 (no. 325) and 1663 (no. 428).
Guggisberg 3 now read in full, Jun 1637 – Dec 1664 (2026-10-31): no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler father in that volume either. With Guggisberg 4, Jun 1637 – Mar 1673 is ruled out. (Some 1649–54 entries are too faded to read.)
The earlier Hostettler generation at Guggisberg (1637–56), any of whom could be his grandparents:- Jacob Hoffstettler × Elsbeth Schwarzengruber: Anna (Nov 1637), Barbara (1640), Peter (Oct 1643), a child 1645 (no. 545), Peter (Jun 1649), Samuel (early 1652). The only Jacob Hostettler head of household in these registers
- Michel Hoffstettler × Margreth Zwahlen/Schwalen: Heinrich (Feb 1638), Margreth (Nov 1644)
- Cuni (Conrad) Hochstettler × Benedicta Portner: Elsbeth (1639), Christen (Feb 1642), Christina (Jan 1644), Margreth (Nov 1650)
- Ulrich Hostettler × Dichtli (Benedicta) Portner: Dichtli (Jun 1637)
- Peter, Christen, Elsbeth, Catharina and Anna Hostettler often stand as godparents; a Mischler (Anna, Barbara, Christina) appears as godmother or mother nearly every year, and Zand and Küntzi families are in the same circle.
A guess, not a finding: Jacob (b. c.1666) may be named after Jacob × Elsbeth Schwarzengruber, perhaps a grandson through one of their sons (Peter 1643/1649 or Samuel 1652), who would be marrying in the 1670s.
Most likely now: born after March 1673 (which also fits better with a son born about 1712). Next: Guggisberg 4, images 63–100 (1673–1680); then Wahlern.
Probable father of the 1738 immigrant (the father–son link is believed, not proven; the archival facts about his own life are documented, cited through Hochstättler).
| Date | Record |
|---|---|
| 1697 | Markirch list: “Jacob Hochstettler”, Anabaptist, no property — one of 17, the first Swiss Anabaptists on French soil who could be called Amish. Shoemaker; buys a meadow “Le Prince Prey” in Echery. |
| 1699 | Buys a shelter for 360 livres. Ammann recorded nearby at La Petite Liepvre. |
| 9 Mar 1701 | ”Jacob Amman, together with Jacob Hochstetler and Hans Zimmermann”, representatives of the Anabaptist community, petition Count Palatine Christian. |
| 1702 | With Ammann, protests against being made Heimburgs (officials with military duties). |
| 1707 | Living at La Petite Liepvre “as a neighbour to Jacob Amman”. |
| 1712 | Expulsion property list: 1 house, 8 cows, 4 young cows, 1 pig, 3 goats (Ammann: 2 cows, 3 goats). Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists; Ammann vanishes. Jacob is one of only six families who stay. |
| 1719 | With Nigi Blanck petitions to reduce back protection tax; community back to 14 households. |
| 6 Mar 1720 | Bern Täuferkammer: Täuferlehrer Jacob “Hofstetter”, “born at Winterkraut near Guggisberg”, living at “Maria-Kirch”, came back to help Anabaptist women emigrate; arrested, released on paying costs and promising “with handshake” not to return. |
| 10 Feb 1721 | Last signature. Dead by Oct 1723. |
Tradition places a hidden room under the floor of the oldest house in Winterkraut, used to hide Anabaptists (JHFA) — not in Alsace. Wives: Christina Küntzi (probable mother of the immigrant), then Verena Zand (AMC genealogy). Other children (AMC): Peter (bapt. Wahlern 1697?), Elisabeth (m. Michel Blanck), Johannes (m. Anna Wagler), Verena (1716–1741).
Where they lived
- 1666 — Winterkraut
- 1697 — Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
- 1697 — Echery
- 1720 — Bern
In their lifetime
- 1671 — 1671 Expulsion of Bernese Anabaptists to the Palatinate
- 1693 — 1693 The Amish split
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
Sources
- Hochstaettler - Anabaptist Preacher Jacob Hochstetler at Markirch 1720
- JHFA - Jacob Hochstetler Family Association
- Amish Mennonites of Canada - Hochstetler genealogy
- Bern Taeuferakten (Anabaptist files)
Narratives and research
- Stories: Double ancestors, Lake Thun and the Oberland Anabaptists - the world that made the Amish, Muenster, the Dutch Mennonites, the 1711 Swiss and the Wiebes, The Hochstetler massacre of 1757
- History: 1671 Expulsion of Bernese Anabaptists to the Palatinate, 1693 The Amish split, 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, Faith traditions
- Research: How far back each line goes
- Congregations: Markirch Anabaptist congregation
- Sources: Amish Mennonites of Canada - Hochstetler genealogy, Bern Taeuferakten (Anabaptist files), Hochstaettler - Anabaptist Preacher Jacob Hochstetler at Markirch 1720, JHFA - Jacob Hochstetler Family Association, Mennonite Encyclopedia - family and place entries (read 2026-10-31)
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Guggisberg baptisms searched, 1665 – Mar 1673 (2026-10-31): K Guggisberg 4, images 30–62, entries 1–632, read in full: no Jacob baptized to a Hostettler/Hoffstettler father. Either he was born before 1665 (Guggisberg 3, 1637–64, n
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.