Peter Newcomer, my sixth great grandfather, and his children landed in Philadelphia in 1717 along with 300 other Mennonites and Quakers aboard three ships that sailed from Amsterdam via London.
Peter may be the Peter (1680-?) son of Wolfgang Neukommet, III, of Hinten, Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. Richard Warren Davis, Swiss and German Immigrants from the Palatinate, 1704-1717, documented a Peter Neukommet who married Katharina Blaser in Langnau on 27 April 1704.
In 1724 Peter was taxed in Conestoga. By 1730 he was on his farm in Leola, having gained eligibility for land ownership by becoming a naturalized British citizen on 14 February 1729/1730.
Martin Kendig, a prominent Mennonite, returned to the Palatinate from Lancaster County to recruit more Anabaptist families of Swiss origin; returning in 1717 with more families. My Peter Newcomer was among them.
Peter spoke his will to Hance Musleman and Simeon King, just hours before his death at his home. A month later, on 23 February of 1732/33, his will was written in High Dutch and officially recorded. Some time later, probably the 4th or 7th of February 1753 (this date is also written on the cover/title page of Peter’s will), the will was translated into English.
Peter left his land to his middle son, Wolfgang Newcomer. Peter’s oldest son, Johannes (John, Hans), concurred with the will. I guess that Johannes already owned property, and thus did not need the farm and, thus, did not contest the will.
Confusion arises from the English version where Peter stated, “…having so much confidence of the goodness of my afore son Woolfgang that I am certain he will help to raise his younger brothers and sisters.” To the best of my knowledge, Wolfgang only had one younger brother, Peter, Jr. Also, various sources list only one daughter, however some sources give “Magdalena” and other sources give “Maria” as the one sister. Maybe there were more brothers and sisters than I have found. For now, I am relying on the “middle son” phrase from the will to back up the listing of three sons. Also, maybe the plural for both brothers and sisters is a poor translation.
Now, where was this farm that Peter left to Wolfgang? I think it is the same farm that Wolfgang lived on when Wolfgang’s son, Christian, was born in 1749. The farm can be located today by following the sign posted in the service station at the corner of New Holland Pike (Route 23) and Hess Road. The United Methodist Church posted the sign to honor Christian Newcomer’s role in the early years of the United Brethren in Christ. The United Brethren in Christ changed names and eventually merged with the Methodists in the 1960s to become the United Methodists. The farm is at 353 East Eby Road, Leola 17540.
To substantiate that this farm was Peter’s, a warrant issued in May 1735 to David Thomas for acreage near Mill Creek states that the Thomas property adjoins the properties of Peter Newcomer and Simon King of Leacock Township. Mill Creek runs just south of 353 Eby Road, about one farm’s worth. Also, Simon King was a witness to Peter’s will. My source for Thomas’s will is Marsha Hoffman Rising. However, there is one inconsistency: Peter Newcomer died in 1732 (old Julian calendar) or 1733 (new Gregorian calendar). The farm next to David Thomas’s would have been Wolfgang Newcomer’s by 1735. Could this Peter be Peter, Sr.’s son? I know nothing of Peter, Jr.’s life. For now, I choose to live with this inconsistency and still assert that Wolfgang’s farm was his father’s and that the Peter Newcomer mentioned in Thomas’ deed is my ancestor, Peter. Sr.
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For the details on Peter Newcomer and descendants, please go to my website in RootsMagic.