Kistler Kin
Hannes Kistler / Allemaengel
-JOHANNES KISTLER, Immigrant of 1737
-HANNES KISTLER of Albany Township
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Finding Hannes Kistler’s Land
When the late John Robertson, Historian of the Albany Township Historical Society, was working on his wonderful Warrant and Survey Map of Albany Township, he admitted to me that the location of Hannes Kistler’s original plot was a mystery. However, by studying the order in which the tax assessor had visited properties, Robertson eventually deduced that Hannes Kistler had assumed ownership of land warranted to Mathias Teck (Deck). This made sense because other land that Hannes Kistler later purchased adjoined the Teck tract. About the same time, I was examining a 1754 survey of Old Philly Pike that indicated the names of early landowners along the road. I noticed some writing in a crease that was barely legible. Using a magnifying glass, I finally made out the words “John Kistler.” Bingo! The notation was at the site of the former Mathias Teck property near the intersection of today's Bailey Road and Knukle Dahl Road.
Survey of John Kistler's 41 acres adjacent to land of Mathias Teck. East Side Applications #1160, 30 Oct 1765
Looking toward Blue Mountain and The Eck from "Hannes Hill" on the former Teck-Kistler-Donat tract.
Finding the Kistler-Donat Log House
Finding the “John Kistler” notation on the Old Philly Pike survey was significant for another reason. Years earlier, I had read an article written by Lewis Donat in 1987 about an ancient log house in the same area owned by his ancestor, Jacob Donat. Lewis told how the house had been dismantled and moved to New Hope where it was reassembled and used as an antique shop. Hoping that it could help me learn more about life in Allemaengel, I went to New Hope to find the rebuilt house but came up empty. Then, when I saw the “John Kistler” notation on the survey and realized that the log house had been on Hannes Kistler’s land, I redoubled my efforts to find it. It took a long time but I finally succeeded. I tell the story of that quest in my book Across the Blue Mountain and I also wrote an article about it for The Albany Township Historical Society. CLICK HERE to see the article and some additional photographs that do not appear in the article.
Lewis Donat correctly identified the Jacob Donat property as the former Mathias Teck tract but he was not aware that Hannes Kistler had owned it in the interim.
Exodus from Allemaengel to Perry County
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During the “Second Generation” out-migration of the late eighteenth century, many Pennsylvanians took the Great Wagon Road down the Shenandoah Valley into North Carolina. However, Abraham Kistler and is father-in-law Michael Loy were among the many from Allemaengel who bucked the trend and instead journeyed across the Susquehanna River to Carlisle, then over Blue Mountain into Shermans Valley where they resettled in what is now Perry County. So far, no one has pieced together the full story of this curious intra-state migration. Apparently, some intrepid soul from Allemaengel discovered that opportunities awaited in Shermans Valley. Because the valley was hidden on the other side of Blue Mountain, it’s possible that those opportunities had been overlooked by those bound for North Carolina or elsewhere. The area of Cumberland County north of Blue Mountain that later became Perry County was ripe for resettlement. The Indian troubles had depopulated the region and a good number of the original Scotch-Irish settlers had moved on, making good land available. Somehow the idea of relocating together to Shermans Valley took root in the Allemaengel community. Beginning with the early migrants such as the Briners, Lupfers, Loys and Bernheisels, other families followed, including the Kistlers, Stambaughs, Billmans, Bistlines, Clousers, Tresslers, Dunkelbergers, Gutshalls, Tresslers and others. Together they created a New Allemaengel in Central Pennsylvania.