ramsei

Magdalena (wife of Hans Blank) (d. 1796)

Magdalena Blank

Hertzler 1885, Fam. 554 (copied from "Dr. Blank's manuscript")

Hans Blank “married to Magdalene ——, who died in Apr., 1796.” “Hans and Magdalene Blank were members of the Reformed Church. They fled from Switzerland by reason of being persecuted for their religious faith … [raiders] made a raid on their house by night when he was from home. His wife, being alone, took up her child two weeks old, and fled for safety by night in a deep snow. Following a path into the mountains all night, meeting no person, but a large black dog which she met gave the path, and she passed on to friends who provided for her wants until her husband came to meet her. Hans Blank and wife then united with the Amish Mennonite Church and emigrated to America prior to 1752.”

Mother of Anna Blank (fl. 1770) (wife of Joseph Hochstetler), and of John (m. Fanny Smucker), Catharine (m. John Holley), Barbara (m. Christian Umble), Magdalene (m. Christian Zug) and Christina (m. Jacob Yoder). Lived in Heidelberg Twp., Berks Co., until 1769, then in Salisbury Township, Lancaster Co.

She and her husband are among the few ancestors in the tree who are recorded as converts to the Amish. Her maiden name is unknown; “Ziegler” (an AMC genealogy, cited on Hans’s note) is unconfirmed.

More from Bishop John Blank and Family (Sadie R. Blank Mast, c.1962), Mast (Sadie R. Blank) - Bishop John Blank and Family (1962)

  • Hans and Magdalena “brought two orphan boys along, Christian Umble and John Holley. These boys later married Hans’ daughters” (Barbara and Catharine).
  • “Both are buried on the homestead near Cains, Pa.” In 1962 “there are still three members of the sixth generation of this family residing on the Old Homestead.” The booklet prints a photograph of the Hans Blank Homestead (p. 17).
  • Retelling the raid, it says the black dog “led them on in the path”, and gives the move to Salisbury as spring 1767 (Hertzler 1885 says 1769).
  • Nothing more on where in Switzerland, or when, the raid happened.

The Blank heirs' deed, 1798 (Lancaster County deed index)

31 October 1798, Deed Book D03, pp. 457 and 459, Salisbury Township: Christian & Barbara Umble, John & Catharine Hooley, and Joseph & Anne Hochstetter convey and release to John Blank, Christian Zug and Jacob Yoder. These are the six children of Hans and Magdalena Blank and their spouses, dividing the homestead two years after Magdalena died. It is the first original record tying Anna Blank, wife of Joseph Hochstetler, to the Blank family. (Index only; the deed image is not yet seen.) See Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds - online index (1729-).

Narratives and research

Research log

  • 2026-10-31: Hertzler 1885, Fam. 554 (from Dr. Blank’s own manuscript): wife of Hans Blank, died April 1796; maiden name left blank. ‘Ziegler’ comes only from an AMC genealogy cited on Hans’s note
  • 2026-10-31: Mast, Bishop John Blank and Family (c.1962) read: reprints the Hertzler raid story; adds the two orphan boys (Christian Umble, John Holley), burial on the homestead near Cains, photo of the homestead; no Swiss place or date for the raid. Mast 1911 and Hochstetler 1912 only repeat Hertzler
  • 2026-11-01: Lancaster deed index: her children and their spouses divided the Salisbury property on 31 Oct 1798 (D03 pp. 457/459), consistent with her death in Apr 1796

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.

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