Johann Conrad Weiser, Sr.
| Johann Conrad Weiser | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1662 Großaspach, Württemberg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | May 1746 Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Soldier, baker, farmer |
| Known for | German Palatine |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Magdalena Ubelin |
| Children | See below |
| Parent(s) | Jacob Weiser Anna Trefz |
Johann Conrad Weiser Sr. (1662–1746) was a German soldier, baker, and farmer who fled his homeland with thousands of other Germans from the Palatinate region due to constant invasions by French armies and destruction of crops. As a result, Weiser, along with his countrymen, became known as the German Palatines. Ultimately, they settled in the Colony of New York where Weiser became a leader in the Palatine community and was founder of their settlement of Weiser's Dorf, now known as Middleburgh, New York. When the Germans were in dispute with their English landlords and the colonial government of New York, he was among the representatives chosen to go to London and seek help from the British government. This contributed to the downfall of the governorship of New York's colonial governor, Robert Hunter.
Johann Conrad Weiser was born in 1662 in Großaspach, Württemberg, Holy Roman Empire to Jacob Weiser, an innkeeper, and his wife, Anna Trefz. Weiser married Anna Magdalena Uebele and they had a total of fifteen children. He served as a corporal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire, and fought in the Nine Years' War of 1688 to 1697 between a coalition of European powers and France. He was a member of the Württemberg Blue Dragoons, and was stationed at Affstätt, Herrenberg, Württemberg in the 1690s. Soon after the birth of Conrad Jr., the Weisers moved back to their ancestral home of Großspach. Afterwards, he followed the trade of a baker.
Weiser and his family were German Palatines who fled Germany because of the destruction of crops by invading French armies, and the icy cold winter of 1708—09; Weiser's wife Anna Magdeleana died suddenly of an attack of the gout while pregnant with their fifteenth child on May 1, 1709. On June 24, 1709, Weiser and eight children, moved away from Großaspach. His married daughter, Catrina, stayed behind with her husband, Conrad Boss and two children. Weiser sold his house, fields, meadows, vineyard, and garden to Conrad and Catrina, for 75 gulden. The Weisers, along with over 15,000 other Palatines, left their homeland and traveled west to the Rhine River, and then down the Rhine into the Netherlands. As the number of German refugees increased, the Dutch decided to send them to England. In late summer 1709, the Weisers arrived in London, along with thousands of other Germans.
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