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JosephSmithSr.
So shall it be with my father: he shall be called a prince over his posterity, holding the keys of the patriarchal priesthood over the kingdom of God on earth, even the Church of the Latter Day Saints, and he shall sit in the general assembly of patriarchs, even in council with the Ancient of Days when he shall sit and all the patriarchs with him and shall enjoy his right and authority under the direction of the Ancient of Days. |
GODSHALF, Jacob Henrichs
1670 - 1763 (93 years) 
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Name GODSHALF, Jacob Henrichs Birth 1670 Netherlands 
Gender Male Death May 1763 Towamencin, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States WAC 14 Jun 2000 ORLAN _TAG Reviewed on FS Headstones 
Submit Headstone Photo Person ID I62326 Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith Last Modified 19 Aug 2021
Father GODSHALK, Theunissen , b. 1625, Hecherhof, Moenchengladbach, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Hecherhof, Moenchengladbach, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germanyd. Aft 25 Jan 1709, Goch, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (Age > 84 years) Mother HENRICHS, Lehntgen Gertrud , b. 1630, Munchen Gladbach, Alst, Germany Munchen Gladbach, Alst, Germanyd. 1676, Goch, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland (Age 46 years) Marriage 1654 Gladbach, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany Family ID F29777 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family HERMANS, Aeltien Symons , b. 1667, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany Rheinland-Pfalz, Germanyd. 1706, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Age 39 years) Marriage 20 Feb 1689 Goch, Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 
Children4 sons and 6 daughters Family ID F18292 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 24 Jan 2022
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At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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Notes - Came to America in abt 1702. Full name was Jacob Henrichs Godtschalk V an Der Heggen. He and his son, Godshalk, were naturalized 29 Sep 170 9. He settled first in Germantown, but in Feb 1713, he and his son, Godsh alk, each acquired 123 acres in Towamencin Twp, in what is now Montgome ry Co, PA.
Will abstract:
GODSHALK, JACOB, SENR. Co. of Philadelphia. Turner. December 26, 176 0. June 3, 1763. M.532.
To my son Herman the plantation of 122 1/2 acres; he to pay 125 pounds, th at is twenty-five pounds to every one of my children, within one year a nd one day after my decease. Unto all the children of my deceased son God shalk, twenty-five pounds. Unto all the children of my deceased son Joh n, twenty-five pounds. Unto all the children of my deceased daughter Magd alene, twenty-five pounds. Unto my daughter Anna married to Peter Custar d, twenty-five pounds. And the residue of my personal estate shall likewi se be equally divided into five shares and every one of my above-named chi ldren is to have his share. I appoint my son-in-law Peter Custard sole ex ecutor to this my last will and testament.
Their suggestion:
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Based solely on Family Tree documentation, we have the following information for
this memorial.
B:1 Jan 1666** in Goch, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany D:3 June 1763 in
Towamencin, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States
** we acknowledge that the birth year on the churchyard monument differs greatly
- we also know that people "fibbed" about their ages more so back then to gain
entry into the military, for instance.
We ARE confident of his being born in Germany versus the Netherlands though.
Use this information however you see fit:)
In memory of Bishop Jacob Gottshall 1670-1763 Born in Germany, ordained a Bishop in the Germantown Mennonite Church in 1702 and also served the Skippack and Towamencin Congregation. He performed the first baptism and conducted the first communion service in the American church in 1708. The Skippack alms audits were signed by him from 1745 to 1757. He owned a farm of 120 acres which included this church site. Undoubtedly, he is buried here but no marker remains, therefore this marker is erected in memory of this energetic leader.
Father: Gottschalk Thonis
Mother: Lehntgen Henrichs
Jacob Godshalk
Birth: 1666 Goch, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany/Holland
Marriage: February 20, 1689 Goch, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany to Aeltien Hermons
Death: May 1763 Towamencin, Montgomery, Pennsylvania
Descendant: Herman
The original Godshalk family members to America were Hollanders. Jacob came to America in 1702 with his family. He was elected deacon of the Germantown Mennonite congregation and on 8/10/1702 he became a preacher. He officiated at the first baptism in 1708 and the first communion 1708 held by the Mennonites in America. In 1708 he was listed as Jacob Gaetschalck Vander Heggen and his son of Gaetschalck Vander Heggen, with the family name discontinued after the Dutch custom.
He arranged with the Ephrata cloister in 1745 to have them translate (from Dutch into German) and print Thielman J. van Braght's 1660 Blütige Schau-platz oder Martyrer Spiegel (The Bloody Theatre or Martyr's Mirror ), a history of religious persecutions of Christians opposed to infant baptism and war; the work took 15 men three years to finish and in 1749, at 1512 pages, was the largest book published before 1800. One of the original volumes is now on display at the Ephrata Cloister.
The following material is excerpted from the eighth grade social studies course produced by Christian Light Publications.
Bishop Jacob Godshalk's History of the Germantown Mennonites Jacob Godshalk (1670-1763) came to Pennsylvania in 1702. In 1708 he became the first Mennonite bishop in America. He later moved to Skippack. Here is Godshalk's account of the Mennonites in America from 1683 to 1708:
"The beginning of the community of Jesus Christ here at Germantown, who are called Mennonites, took its rise in this way. Some friends out of Holland and Germany came here together. They found it good to have meetings. They were regarded as sheep who had no shepherd since they had no preacher. "In 1698 more friends came into the land, who were also of our brethren. These, with the first chose by unanimous votes a preacher and some deacons. Thereupon was William Rittenhouse chosen preacher and Jan Nice as a deacon. In 1702 Jacob Godshalk and Hans Nice were chosen preachers. Hans Nice later separated from the community, "In 1707 some brethren came to us out of the Palatinate. In 1708 the first- chosen preacher William Rittenhouse died to the great sorrow of the community. Since Jacob Godshalk alone served the community, they considered it necessary to chose three deacons. There were besides three preachers chosen. "After this we remained sometime living in good peace. Meanwhile some persons presented themselves to be taken into the community through baptism. The community having consulted together ordered that the request should be complied with. Accordingly this rite was conducted by Jacob Godshalk. Later we celebrated the Lord's Supper as instructed by the Apostles."
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Jacob was a turner (woodworker) by trade. His stone house was on 50 acres in Germantown on the southeast side of Penn St. In 1714 he purchased land in Towamensin between Kulpsville and the Skippack Creek, next to his sonGaedstschalck Gaedtschalcks, part of which became the present Towamencin Mennonite Church and cemetery.
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His grave is unmarked; however, there is a memorial stone that reads: "In memory of Bishop Jacob Gottshall 1670-1763 Born in Goch Germany, ordained a bishop in the Germantown Mennonite Church in 1702 and also served the Skippack and Towamencin congregations. He performed the first baptism and conducted the first communion service in the American church in 1708. The Skippack alms audits were signed by him from 1745-1757. He owned a farm of 120 acres which included this church site. Undoubtedly, he is buried here but no marker remains, therefore this marker is erected in memory of this energetic leader."
On 12 June 1701 Jacob & Aeltien Godshalk asked for a letter or "assistate" from the Goch Mennonite Church transferring their membership "to or into Pennsylvania". They came to Germantown in late 1701, buying 50 acres on 21 Oct 1702. Jacob, a turner and carpenter, built a one-story stone house with a Dutch roof at what is now 5273 Germantown Ave.
Between 1706 and 1708 he was a patron of the Pastorius School. He petitioned for naturalization in 1706 and, together
with son Godshalk and many of his Germantown neighbors, was naturalized on 29 Sep 1709. In February 1713/4 Jacob paid James Shattuck #36 for 123 acres in Towamencin Township in what is now Montgomery County. He was among those petitioning for a road from Skippack to Farmer's Mill in 1713. In 1722/3 he paid a quit rent of #1.9.6. Jacob was one of the most influential members of the early Mennonite Church in America. On 8 Oct 1702, within a year of his arrival in Germantown, he was chosen preacher at Germantown. Mennonite historian John L. Ruth says because he lacked the gift of public speaking, he ministered only by reading. "Rev. Jacob Godtschalk and wife" headed the 1708 membership list of the Germantown Mennonite Church. Ordained bishop that same year, Jacob officiated at the first Mennonite baptism in America in 9 May 1708, and at the first communion two weeks later on 23 May. Because he didn't think he was eloquent enough to preach, he ministered "only by reading". When The Confessions of Faith, the book of Mennonite teachings, was printed in English in 1728, Jacob was one of the signers who attested to the correctness of the translation. He also read and corrected proofs of the Ephrata edition of Martyr's Mirrors when it was translated from Dutch to German. (Dutch was Jacob's native tongue.) In 1745 he had written the Dutch asking for help in publishing the book. In 1708 Jacob wrote Dutch Mennonites requesting catechisms, testaments and Bibles. He also wrote the history of the Germantown Mennonite Church, probably in 1712. In 1725 Jacob attended a meeting of 16 American Mennonite leaders who adopted the Dordrecht confession and appendix. He was the first to sign the document.Jacob signed his will on 26 Dec 1760; it was proven 3 June 1763. He willed #25 to son Herman and daughter Anna, as well as #25 to the heirs of sons Godshalk and John and daughter Magdalena, who had all died before him. He bequeathed his 122 1/2 acre plantation to son Herman, with the stipulation that Herman pay #125 to the heirs within a year and a day after Jacob's death. The residue of the estate was to be divided into five equal shares. He was buried at the Towamencin Mennonite Meetinghouse Cemetery in Montgomery County.Jacob came from a family that had been Mennonite for generations. He and Aeltien were baptized together in the Goch Mennonite Church on 7 Apr 1686, and married there three years later. "Here at Goch were joined in wedlock by Abraham Jansen the honorable young man Jacob Godtschalck with the honorable young lady Altien Harments both are members of this Doopsgezinde congregation." The family name was viet ander Heiden or
van der Hegge, a name Jacob dropped when he was naturalized in 1709.
Jacob Godschalck's Will, Dec. 26, 1760 (Phila. #229, M532)
Whereas I Jacob Godshalk senr. of Towamensin Township in the County of Philadelphia (formerly while I was able, Turner, having considered my old age and the certainty of my death and being desirious that my worldly estate may peaceably be shared among my heirs after my decease therefore I do hereby this 26th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty make my Last Will and Testament as follows;
Viz. Imprimis I give and bequeath to my son Herman all that tract of land or plantation wherein I and him now dwell
containing one hundred and twenty two acres and one half an acre of land (be it more or less) according to the metes and bounds conveyed to me together with all and singular the appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining to
the only use and behoof of him the said my son Herman his heirs and assigns forever which said my plantation or tract of land he is to pay one hundred and twenty five pounds in manner following that is to say twenty five pounds lawful money unto every one of my children or their heirs at the expiration of one year and one day after my decease.
Viz; Unto all the children of my deceased son Godshalk twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares. Unto all the children of my deceased son John twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and unto the children of my deceased daughter Magdalena twenty five pounds thereof in equal shares and unto my daughter Ana married to Peter Custard twenty five
pounds thereof and the residuary twenty five pounds my son Herman reserves for himself as his portion thereof equal with his brothers and sisters. All the residue of my personal estate shall likewise be equally divided into five shares and every one of my above named children is to have one share thereof but whereas three of my said children are deceased their share or one fifth part of my whole estate as aforesaid shall again be equally divided among them according to their number and paid to them if ye are twenty one years of age or upwards within two months after my decease what is left of my personalities but their share of my real estate at the time of the above mentioned payment to be made by my son Herman. But whereas most of my deceased children's children are yet minors their proportionable share shall be reserved for them by my hereafter named executors until they attain their lawful age but case of death as minors their share shall equally be divided unto such minors brothers and sisters or their heirs of or from their body and I do hereby constitute and appoint my loving son in law Peter Custard sole executor of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby make void and annull all my former Wills and Testaments and declare these presents to be my only will of force after my decease in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
Jacob
Godshalk
- Came to America in abt 1702. Full name was Jacob Henrichs Godtschalk V an Der Heggen. He and his son, Godshalk, were naturalized 29 Sep 170 9. He settled first in Germantown, but in Feb 1713, he and his son, Godsh alk, each acquired 123 acres in Towamencin Twp, in what is now Montgome ry Co, PA.
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