The eleven children of Jacob and Madalen (Keller) Hirzel were Jacob, Hans Jacob, Anna, Hans, Hans Heinrich, Barbel, Marx, Hans Felix, Urseli, Heinrich our ancestor, and Elsbet:

Jacob Hirzel, chr 25 Jan 1603 in Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland, and d about 1603 in Pfäffikon Parish. Price says this first son died "probably 1603/04", but notes that there are no death records in the parish before 1634. There may have been a notation of his death in the baptismal records, as was the custom, but Price does not say.

Hans Jacob Hirzel, chr 20 May 1604 in Pfäffikon Parish. Hans Jacob was married 12 Jun 1627 in Pfaffikon Parish to Regel Gubelmann. Hans Jacob and Regel were "both from Balm" in the record of their marriage. As they have no children recorded in Pfäffikon, Price presumes that they moved from the parish after their marriage.

Anna Hirzel, chr 1 Dec 1605 in Pfäffikon Parish.

Hans Hirzel, chr 24 Mar 1607 in Pfäffikon Parish.

Hans Heinrich Hirzel, chr 8 Jan 1609 in Pfäffikon Parish. Hans Heinrich's godmother was Margreth Gubler, from Fierersbalm, the wife of Andreas Keller who was probably Madalen's uncle.

Barbel Hirzel, chr 13 Mar 1610 in Hochfalden, Zürich, Switzerland. Barbel's godfather was Gerold Gubler of Fierersbalm, probably a relative of her presumed aunt Margreth (Gubler) Keller

Marx Hirzel, chr 24 Nov 1611 in Hochfalden.

Hans Felix Hirzel, chr 31 Jul 1614 in Balm, Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland, and d before 1671. Hans Felix was married 10 Sep 1639 in Uster, Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland to Lisabeth Ehrhart. Hans Felix was so named at his marriage, but his baptism apparently gives his name only as Felix. His marriage record states that he was from Balm, but his children were subsequently baptised in Sulzberg, Pfäffikon parish. By 1657 the record notes that "Hans Felix Hürtzel is employed in Wittenbergerland", an area in what is now Germany. Lisabeth's marriage record describes her as being from Uster, a town a couple of miles southwest of Phäffikon. Her origins, however, have not been found. No record of her birth, nor of her marriage, nor of any Erhart lineage could be found in the Uster records. It is possible, according to Price, that her name perhaps could have been Eberhart.

Urseli Hirzel, chr 21 Apr 1617 in Balm.

Heinrich Hirzel, our ancestor, b 12 Jan 1619 (see below).

Elsbet Hirzel, chr 1 Jul 1621 in Pfaffikon Parish. It is unclear in Price's account as to whether Elsbet was baptised in Balm or in Fierersbalm.

Heinrich was born 12 Jan 1619 in Pfaffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland, and was christened 28 Feb 1619 in Pfaffikon Parish. He died 23 Jun 1663 in Reihen, near Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate, Germany.

The Palatinate was an area on both sides of the Rhine River between the Main and the Neckar Rivers. Its capital was at Heidelberg until the 18th century. The Thirty Years War was from 1618 to 1648, a general European war fought mainly in Germany. There were huge population loses during this war.

Heinrich and Maria married 12 Jan 1646 in Lysslingen, Switzerland.

Maria was born about 1625 in Switzerland, the daughter of Maria (Frey) Steiner.

It is unclear from Price's account as to whether Heinrich was baptised in Balm or in Fierersbalm, in the parish.

Heinrich and Maria were married in Lysslingen District, which Price says is today "Mt. Solothrun". There is a Solothurn town and canton in Switzerland, north of Bern, and this is probably what he meant. The marriage was also recorded in Pfäffikon, where it is stated that Heinrich was from Balm, and Maria was "of Batterckingen, Bern district". After their marriage they resided in Sulzberg with his brother Felix, and both brothers emigrated in the early 1650's to different parts of Germany.

Price notes that the name Heinrich Hirzel was quite common in the parish. One, born 1612, was living 1640 next to Hans Keller of Altdorf, Madalen's father; a second, born 1616, was a hired man in 1634 to Jac. Wyrt, a Deputy Bailiff; a third, born 1621, was from Balm in a 1637 record, and there were one or two others recorded up to 1646 in Pfäffikon.

Between the births of their third and fourth children, in 1652 and 1654, Heinrich and Maria emigrated to Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate.

The six children of Heinrich and Maria (Steiner) Hirzel were Catharina "Catrin", Verena, Hans Heinrich, Anna, Maria Barbara and Clemens our ancestor.

Catharina "Catrin" Hirtzel chr 5 Mar 1648 in Sulzberg, Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich, Switzerland, and d 1678 in Kirchardt, Kriessinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate. Catharina "Catrin" was married 23 Jan 1672 in Reihen, The Palatinate to Johann Lofenius Zirckel {b 1650 in Hamback Solms, Braunre, Germany, son of Conrad and Barbara (____) Zirckel, and d after 1686 in Babstadt, Baden, Germany.

Verena Hirtzel, chr 14 Jul 1650 in Sulzberg. Verena was married 24 May 1670 to Abraham Edelmayer. Abraham was a cooper from Mulhassen in Elsass.

Hans Heinrich Hirtzel, chr 6 Apr 1652 in Sulzberg and d 15 Mar 1716 in Reihen. Hans Heinrich was married 9 Jul 1676 in Reihen, Duchy of Baden, The Palatinate to Margaretha Rudi (1). He was married 29 Nov 1695 to Veronica Rossberger. Hans Heinrich's godparents were Hans Heinrich Muller from Sulzberg and Regula Baumberger and Ulrich Keller from Fehraltorf. He emigrated 1652-1655 to Reihen, Duchy of Baden, The Palatinate.

Anna Hirtzel b 29 May 1654 in Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate. Anna was married in 1676 to Peter Knecht. Anna's and Peter's grandson George Peter Knecht emigrated 1732 to Pennsylvania where he married Christina Hirzel, grandaughter of Anna's brother Clemens.

Maria Barbara Hirtzel, b 28 Dec 1656 in Reihen.

Clemens [Hirtzel], our ancestor, b 20 Feb 1659. (See below).

Clemens was born 20 Feb 1659 in Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate, and died 25 Mar 1707 in Reihen, Duchy of Baden, The Palatinate.

Clemens and Anna married 23 Nov 1680 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate.

Anna was christened 20 Mar 1664 in Reihen, the daughter of Hans and Margaretha (Nayer) Sinter, and died 13 Nov 1738 in Reihen.

Clemens' godfather was the Rev. Clemens Hirzel, Pastor of the Reihen Evangelishe (Reformed) Kirche. The pastor emigrated from Winterthur, north of Pfäffikon, and indeed may have headed the emigration from that area of Switzerland to Reihen. He started his pastorate 23 Aug 1651.

The connection between these two Hirzel communities in Zürich canton is unknown. However, they were surely related, since this Clemens' father Heinrich followed the pastor to Reihen within a couple of years, and the latter stood as godfather to Clemens. Both families changed the spelling of their name to Hirtzel after they immigrated to The Palatinate, possibly to ensure the continued sounding of the "tz" implicit in the "z" of the Swiss dialect.

Anna at the time of her marriage was a midwife in Reihen, and continued this profession throughout her life. Three of the sons of Clemens and Anna -- Hans Heinrich, Hans Georg, our ancestor, and Hans Ulrich -- emigrated to America, as did at least one grandson, Hans Melchoir, son of Stauffel.

Leebrick [1997] gives Anna's mother's maiden name as Nayer, rather than Mayer.

The ten children of Clemens and Anna (Sinter) Hirtzel were Hans Heinrich, Hans Georg, Maria Esther, Christoph "Stoffel", Hans Jonas, Anna Christina, Johann Jacob, Maria Margretha, Anna Margretha and Hans Ulrich.

Hans Heinrich Hirtzel, chr 25 Sep 1681 in Reihen. Hans Heinrich m Anna Barbara Umberger. This is another of the descendants of Jacob Hirzel who emigrated from Reihen to Pennsylvania. Hans followed his younger brothers Hans Georg and Hans Ulrich by just five years, arriving by 21 Sep 1732 in Philadelphia on the Pink Plaisance, John Parrett, Master, from Rotterdam by way of Cowes, England. Hans Heinrich and Anna Barbara settled in the Skippack area by 1736.

Hans Georg Hirtzel, our ancestor, was born 30 May 1686. (See below.)

Maria Esther Hirtzel, chr 9 May 1688 in Reihen and d 20 Oct 1714. Maria Esther was married 13 Jan 1711 to Hans Leonard Dörr.

Christoph "Stoffel" Hirtzel, chr Nov 1690 in Reihen and d 16 Dec 1734 in Reihen. Christoph "Stoffel" was married 2 Feb 1717 in Reihen to Maria Magdalena Düringer.

Hans Jonas Hirtzel, chr 1 Jul 1694 in Reihen and d 1 Dec 1714 in Reihen.

Anna Christina Hirtzel, chr 3 Feb 1697 in Reihen and d 19 Oct 1714 in Reihen. Anna Christina died just six weeks before her older brother Hans Jonas, and it seems likely that they may have both suffered from some contagious disease.

Johann Jacob Hirtzel, chr 27 Dec 1699 in Reihen and d 1 May 1708 in Reihen.

Maria Margretha Hirtzel, chr 27 Dec 1699 in Reihen and d 28 Aug 1702 in Reihen. Maria Margretha and Johann Jacob were twins, and both died in their childhood.

Anna Margretha Hirtzel, chr 24 Sep 1702 in Reihen. Anna Margretha was married in 1724 to Johannes Leipp. Johannes and Anna emigrated 1727.

Hans Ulrich Hirtzel, b 21 Aug 1705 in Reihen, chr 1720 in Reihen, d 11 Feb 1771 in Upper Salford, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Old Goshenhoppen. Hans Ulrich m Anna Margaret ____. He arrived 18 Sep 1727 with his older brother Hans Georg on the William and Mary. The Captain's list reads "Hans Jer. Herzels - 4 Persons", and "Ulrick Hertsell, Skipach - 2 Persons" [Strassburger and Hinke, 1934]. The notation "Skipach", when compared with other similar entries on the Captain's list, indicates that Ulrick, Hans Georg's much younger brother, had previously been in Skippack (in what is now Montgomery county), and was returning to this country after a visit back to the Palatinate. This is an example of the common practice that a young, unmarried son of the family would scout out the land, so to speak, then return to the homeland to report his findings, possibly take a wife, as did Ulrich, and guide the rest of the family to the new country. The second person in Ulrick's party was undoubtedly his wife, Anna Margaret.