Lancaster sources scanned for family surnames
Christopher asked (2026-10-31) to expand on Lancaster: find the best sources and scan them for every surname in the tree. Backdrop: Lancaster’s Swiss Mennonites, 1710s - backdrop and inroads.
Alignments are candidates
A name in a tax list or ship list is a lead. It becomes evidence only when a record ties the person to someone already in the tree (a deed, will, baptism, or a family book that names both). See Evidence levels.
Sources scanned (all free, full text)
| Source | What it gives | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County tax lists, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1779, 1782 (Pa. Archives 3rd ser. vol. 17) | Every taxpayer by township, with acres | Pennsylvania Archives 3rd ser. vol. 17 - Lancaster County tax lists 1771-1782 |
| Rupp, 30,000 Names (1876) | Ship lists 1727–1776, by ship and date | Rupp - Thirty Thousand Names of Immigrants (1876) |
| Rupp, History of Lancaster County (1844) | Early settlement, townships | Rupp - History of Lancaster County (1844) |
| Ellis & Evans (1883) | Township histories, landholders, biographies | Ellis and Evans - History of Lancaster County (1883) |
| C. Henry Smith (1929) | Mennonite and Amish immigration | Smith - The Mennonite Immigration to Pennsylvania in the Eighteenth Century (1929) |
| Eshleman (1917) | Annals; 1718 Conestoga tax list | Eshleman - Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneer settlers (1917) |
| Pa. Archives 2nd ser. vol. 19 | Board of Property minutes (land grants) | downloaded; few family hits |
Hit counts (all variant spellings, all sources): Hochstetler/Hostetter 139, Yoder 103, Mast 68, Plank/Blank 63, Nisly 63, Zook 91, Hertzler 44, Overholser 53, Mishler 24, Schrock 16, Slabaugh 20, Stutzman 13, Holly 14, Troyer 6. Hostetter and Hochstetler are usually different families (Lancaster Mennonite Hostetters vs. the Amish Hochstetlers of Berks).
Strongest alignments with people in the tree
| Tree person | What the Lancaster records show | Why it fits | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hans Blank (arr. 1751), called “Dr.” in the Mast book | ”Jno. Plank, doctor”, [[Salisbury Township (Lancaster County) | Salisbury Twp]], 1782; “Jno. Plank” there 1771–1782, “John Plank & Son” 1772 (200 acres). Also “John Blank” and “John Blank Jun’r”, [[Cocalico Township (Lancaster County) | Cocalico Twp]], 1771–1782 |
| John Melchior Plank (m. 1767) (children “all born in Lancaster Co.”) | The same Salisbury “John Plank & Son” (1772) could instead be him; “Planck” in Rapho 1779 | Fits the family’s Lancaster residence before the move to Mifflin County c.1800 | Candidate; Blank and Plank families need separating |
| Magdalena Holly (c.1740–1820): father Michael Holly (1911 book) or Johannes Hooley (other trees) | “John Holly”, Salisbury Twp, 1772 (200 acres) and 1782 (212 acres); a Johannes Holly was on the Brotherhood (1750) with Michael and Andreas | Supports the “Johannes” version as a real Lancaster Amish landholder. Neighbors of the Salisbury Planks | Candidate |
| Joseph Ulrich Mishler (c.1700–1756) (d. 1756) and daughter Veronica Mishler (c.1736–1785) | “Jos. Mishler”, Cocalico Twp, 1771–1773 (100 acres); “Jacob Mishler”, Earl Twp, 1773 | Joseph died in 1756, so this is probably a son Joseph, Veronica’s brother. Joseph and Ulrich Mischler both came on the Phoenix in 1749 | Candidate sibling |
| Catherine Hertzler (fl. 1760), first wife of John Hochstetler | John and Christian Hertzler, Hempfield Twp, 1771–1782 (150–160 acres); John Hertzler, Cocalico 1771–72. Ships: Jacob Hertzler sen. and jun. (St. Andrew, 1749); Hans and Johannes Hertzler (Brotherhood, 1750) | The Hertzlers were an Amish family of the same immigration | Candidate parents |
| Yoder lines | Jacob, John and Joseph Yoder, Caernarvon Twp, 1771–1782 (next to Berks); Michael Yoder, Strasburg 1779–82; John Yoder, Salisbury 1779 | Caernarvon adjoins the Berks Amish (Conestoga) settlement | Context; many Yoders |
| Kurtz lines (Veronica Kurtz (1800–1845) and others) | Jacob Kurtz (and Jacob & Abram), Salisbury, 1772–73; Abram Kurtz, Earl, 1771–82; a Christian Kurtz came with Jacob Mast and Jacob Beiler on the Charming Polly (1737) | The Amish Kurtzes of Salisbury, beside the Planks and Hollys. Update (2026-10-31): the tree’s Kurtzes descend from Abraham Kurtz (arr. 1749) (Phoenix 1749) and Barbara Bolinger, per Hertzler 1885; the 1771–82 “Abram Kurtz” entries may be his son Abraham Kurtz (1753–1831) | Linked (family compilation) |
| Zook | Michael, Jacob, John, Christian and Henry Zug, Warwick Twp, 1771–82; Moritz, Christian and Johannes Zug on the Francis (1742), the Amish Zooks | Context | |
| Overholser (Magdalena Overholser) | Hans Overholser, Brecknock 1771–82; Jacob Oberholtzer, Warwick 1771–82; Christian, Hempfield; widow, Manor. Ships: Jno. Overholser (Friendship, 1727), Jacob and Samuel Oberholtzer (Samuel, 1732) | Plenty of Lancaster Overholsers; nothing yet ties one to Jacob Weaver | Context |
Weaker or negative
- Stutzman: only Johann Jacob Stutzman (arr. 1727) (Adventurer), already in the tree; no Lancaster tax entries 1771–82 (the family was in Berks).
- Schrock: Jacob Schrack (1717, a Lutheran at Trappe), Johannes Schrag (1766), Uli Schrack (1769). No Casper; the family’s “Lancaster about 1700” is still unsupported.
- Slabaugh: Johannes, Johann Henry and Dewald Schlabach (Pink Mary, 1733); Henry Slabaugh, Brecknock 1771–73. The tree’s Slabaughs came from Germany c.1800, so these are probably a different family.
- Nisly: many Lancaster Nisslys (Donegal, Mount Joy, Rapho, Cocalico); Susanna Nisly (1816–1885)‘s Amish Nislys came in 1804 (Christian Nisly (emigrated 1804)).
- Neuenschwander: Christian and Emanuel Newswanger (Earl, Caernarvon, 1771–82); ships 1728, 1748, 1754, 1767. A separate, earlier Lancaster Mennonite family; the tree’s Neuenschwanders came from the Jura in the 1830s–50s.
- Ramseyer: one Johan Georg Ramseyer (Loyal Judith, 1739), not connected.
Next steps
- Salisbury Township deeds and wills (Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds / Register of Wills, from 1729): John Plank / Hans Blank “doctor”, John Holly, Jacob Kurtz task/human
- Hans Blank’s signature confirmed in Pennsylvania German Pioneers, list 174 C, 4 Oct 1751 (2026-11-01)
- Cocalico Township: Joseph Mishler (1771–73): deeds naming Joseph Ulrich Mishler’s heirs task/human
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.