Coming to America

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=9 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03fa30f1egerdp.png"> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=145 BGCOLOR="#333399" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03ea2c00erkjzj.png"> <div> <A HREF="mailto:george@hilficker.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:george@hilficker.com"><U><B><IMG SRC="04c77a50.jpg" border=0 width="119" height="165" ALT="Hilfiker Family Crest" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:george@hilficker.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:george@hilficker.com"><U>George Hilficker</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:john@hilficker.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:john@hilficker.com"><U>John E Hilficker</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:saknopf@earthlink.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:saknopf@earthlink.net"><U>Sandra Knopf</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:hilfiger@frontiernet.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:hilfiger@frontiernet.net"><U>Ray Hilfiger</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto: lstuhler@rochester.rr.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto: lstuhler@rochester.rr.com"><U>Lin Stuhler</U></A></div> <div> <B>  <script type="text/javascript"> var sc_project=2858058; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=29; var sc_security="fac02cca"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js"></script><noscript><div class="statcounter"><a class="statcounter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c30.statcounter.com/2858058/0/fac02cca/0/" alt="unique visitor counter" /></a></div></noscript>   </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=471 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Coming to America</I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="04007040.png" border=0 width="263" height="4" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> "THE COMING TO AMERICA OF JACOB HILFIKER/HILFICKER IN 1817"<B> </B></div> <div>     by: John Edward Hilficker, Third Great Grandson </div> <bR> <div> Possible Reasons for Emigration: </div> <div> *Conscription of mercenaries from Switzerland by Napoleon *Probable marriage to Spanish wife, Maria, while serving as   mercenary in Spain during years after 1804 </div> <div> *Possible adequate amount of cash received as mercenary to pay for passage for his wife and child </div> <div> *Lack of any occupational livelihood available in Safenwil area </div> <div> *Local wars being waged between Reformationists and Catholics and which were even being fought between family branches </div> <bR> <div> Conditions of Passage during Emigration: </div> <div> We know that Jacob and his 2-year-old son, Rudolph, came through Marcus Hook, PA (8 miles south of Philadelphia) on </div> <div> 5 Aug 1817 as stated in his Naturalization Papers. They were part of the 250,000 immigrants that arrived in Philadelphia between 1815 and 1873. This route was longer than arriving in New York because it was 200 miles further and so it was also more expensive. The longer distance also meant more hardships because 110 miles of travel was added after leaving the Atlantic ocean and could often add two weeks to the trip which normally took from seven to ten weeks. There was a problem with ice and so the sailing season for ships was restricted to April through October. The ships were required to list their passengers after 1717, but to date; I have not been able to find such a passenger list for my ancestor. The average steerage ticket from Liverpool cost between five and seven pounds per individual. </div> <div> In 1798, a quarantine hospital was established at Marcus Hook because of the problem of immigrants and goods bringing many contagious diseases into America. The hospital was </div> <div> Given the name "Lazaretto" which means "fever hospital" in Italian. It was a large three-story brick building, which the local communities are trying to get rehabilitation funds in order to restore it as a historical building. There was a large amount of yellow fever sickness and other diseases, which were the result of the lack of sanitation and poor preservation of food on the long trip. I assume that Jacob mentioned Marcus Hook because he and his family never arrived in Philadelphia because of sickness encountered on the trip or an imposed quarantine because of the young age of Rudolph. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Settlement and Making a New Home</B></div> <bR> <div> Jacob and his family headed for a small community of German speaking people called "New Goshenhoppen" consisting mostly of the Lutheran and Reformed religious traditions. </div> <div> They probably used one of the four primitive roads that all wagons used for travel from Philadelphia to Norristown and Bethlehem. They are: the Ridge Turnpike, the Germantown & Perkiomen Roads, the Cheltenham & Willowgrove Roads, the Chestnut Hill & Spring House Roads. They may have traveled by small boat up the Delaware River and then up the Schuylkill River and then up the Wissihickon River to arrive in their new community in Montgomery County, just north of Norristown, PA. The total distance was around 50 miles as the crows fly. </div> <div> Jacob HILFICKER was listed on the tax rolls of Upper Salford Township, Montgomery County, PA starting in 1819. He was charged an occupation tax. In 1820 he was charged an occupation tax and 1(one) cattle tax. In 1821 and 1822, he was charged an occupation tax. In 1823, 1824 and 1825, he was charged an occupation tax and 1(one) cattle. In 1827, Jacob HILFIGER was charged an occupation tax and the records state "moved out". On the same records for Upper Salford Township, it lists the "names of poor children who are unable to pay for their schooling and want them to be educated at the County Expence". These are listed at the end of the yearly tax lists. </div> <div> 1823 - Rudolph HILFICKER 8 years Son of Jacob HILFICKER 1824 - Rudolph HILFICKER 9 years Son of Jacob HILFICKER. </div> <div> Jacob and his wife, Maria, are listed as parents for three children baptized in the Reformed Churchs at Goshenhoppen. </div> <div> Johannes HILFICKER was baptized 8 Aug 1819 in the Old Goshenhoppen Church. He was born 23 Jun 1819. </div> <div> Samuel HILFICKER was baptized 30 Dec 1821 in the New Goshenhoppen Church. He was born 3 Nov 1821. </div> <div> Heinrich HILFIKER was baptized 25 Oct 1825 in the Old Goshenhoppen Church. He was born 12 Jul 1825 </div> <div> Jacob HILLFICKER was listed in the 1820 Census for Montgomery County, PA. He was also listed in the 1830 Census and the 1840 Census in the same county. </div> <div> Jacob HILFIKER/HILFICKER was naturalized 15 Feb 1841 by the Court in Montgomery County, Norristown, PA.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Courier New" > </FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.globalscape.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.globalscape.com"><U><IMG SRC="0c754290.gif" border=0 width="84" height="41" ALT="CSB Bug" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  Send your comments or suggestions to web master at <A HREF="mailto:wm@hilficker.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:wm@hilficker.com"><U>wm@hilficker.com</U></A>.  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.addr.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.addr.com"><U><IMG SRC="071581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALT="Addr Bug" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>