Johannes Schwalm

Exploring history, one leaf at a time.

What would you do if you found out that one of your ancestors was a Hessian soldier who was brought to the United States of America to fight with the British against the colonists? As an American, would you try to hide that information, instead playing up your family’s years of service on the American side in the Revolutionary War? I had questions and those questions needed answers. Why did he fight for the British? Was he there that fateful Christmas Day when George Washington sailed across the Delaware River? Why did he chose to remain in the United States after the war instead of going back to his native Germany? Instead of burying this information with my ancestor, I decided to answer those questions. This is the story of Johannes Schwalm, my fifth great-grandfather, Hessian soldier during the American Revolution.

Our story begins in Hessen, Germany, on May 31, 1752. This is when and where Johannes Schwalm was born. Hessen, or Hesse, is a state in the west central portion of Germany. It is known for its forests. It is also the home to the current city of Frankfurt.

In the 1770s, the state of Hessen was ruled by Frederick II. Frederick had a problem with money…he didn’t have any. So, to earn some money, he loaned Great Britain soldiers to help them fight the Americans in the revolution.

Johannes Schwalm arrived in North America with British troops. He served in von Knyphausen’s Regiment (JSHA, 2013). His regiment was captured by the American troops at the battle of Trenton. The prisoners were held in Lancaster. Since that portion of Pennsylvania had a large population of people of German descent, these prisoners were treated well by their American captors (Brossman, 1974).

I hope to do more research to determine when Johannes was released and what made him decide to settle in Pennsylvania. I came across some information stating that he was released and sent back to Europe but arrived back in North America in 1781 and was recaptured. I cannot verify that this information is correct. I do know that by 1788, Johannes had married and had a son who was baptized in Jackson Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1790, his first wife, Margaret Resh Schwalm passed away.

Prior to 1796, Johannes remarried Ottilia Magdalena Bobb and moved to Lower Mahantongo, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. There, on May 17, 1796, he and Ottilia had a son, Friederich Schwalm, who is the first ancestor in my branch of the Schwalm family to be born in the United States. They had two daughters as well, Catharina and Elisabeth.

An article in the Lebanon Daily News from August 20, 1974, states that the family lived on a large farm and that Johannes was a weaver. According to the article, Johannes built a large log home on the property in 1805 for his family. Johannes passed away in Schuylkill County on December 24, 1834 at the age of 82. He was buried in the Saint Matthew’s United Church of Christ Cemetery in Dauphin County.

I don’t really know why he fought with the British. My guess is that he was a soldier and he was given a mission and he carried out his mission. I can’t fault him for that. I also don’t know why he chose to settle in the United States instead of returning to Germany after he was released. Perhaps he fell in love with the country; maybe he fell in love with his first wife, Margaret, or maybe he felt that there was nothing left in Germany for him to return to. I’ll probably never know the answer to that question. But, he did stay, and one of his descendants became my grandmother.

In a family chock-full of Revolutionary War veterans who served honorably for the Americans, I was floored to find a veteran who served on the other side. But I’m glad I got to know him and honor him by telling his story.

References

Brossman, Schuyler C. (1974). Our Keystone Families. Lebanon Daily News, 20 August 1974.

Johannes Schwalm Historical Association, Inc. (2013). About JSHA. https://jsha.org/jshahome.htm