Count DeLeon's House in Monaca
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The Great Schism which rent the Harmony Society in the spring of 1832 took a third of its membership to Phillipsburgh (now Monaca). Under leadership of the Count de Leon, the German dissenters formed a new religious commune, the New Philadelphia Society (NPS). It differed from the one founded by Georg Rapp in two major ways: they renounced celibacy, and they believed that anyone withdrawing should be compensated for all contributions. Unfortunately, the NPS disbanded in August of 1833, after eighteen turbulent months.
Recently the names of 173 men and women believed to have founded the NPS were transcribed from signatures and ledger entries of original documents. The collection, penned in the German of the day, had been handed down through descendants of the NPS banker, Phiipp Bendel. In 1974, it was donated to the archives of Old Economy Village Museum by his great-granddaughter, Mrs. Walter Yost.
Paramount in the collection is the departure agreement, signed by everyone living in Economy on March 6, 1832. The signatures of Georg Rapp and his loyalists appear in one part, while those leaving are in another.
Among the seceders are several who may have gone their own ways. No further signatures or ledger entries are recorded, indicating that they were not included in the settlement agreement between the NPS and Georg Rapp. Also, no evidence indicates that they had ever lived in Phillipsburgh. An exception is the Ziegler family. Bernhardt, his wife, and daughter had joined the Harmony Society just before the Great Schism; likely they did not qualify to be part of the settlement. But 1840 tax records show them living in Phillipsburgh, so it is likely that they had been members of the NPS.
Note: The spelling below accords with signatures. Numbers refer to entries in Karl JR. Arndt's directory: George Rapp's Disciples, Pioneers, and Heirs: A Register of the Harmonists in America (U.S.I. Press, Evansville, Indiana, 1994). Henrika Ballbach 's name is not listed in that reference.
8. Aigner, Friedrika; 28. Autrieth, Christian; 32. Autrieth, Salome.
1039. Ballbach, Juditha; * Ballbach, Henrika; 64. Bauer, Johannes; 70. Bauer, Regina; 81. Baumann, Michael; 129. Bendel, Philipp; 132. Bendel, Wilhelmina; 115. Bentel, Arnold; 119. Bentel, Gottlieb; 122. Bentel, Israel; 130. Bentel, Regina; 172. Bockle, Conrad; 174. Bockle, Ernestina; 180. Boger, Friedrich; 181. Boger, Georg.
251. Delhaas, Jean Hubert; 264. Diem, Jacob; 281. Durr, Jakob; 294. Durrwaechter, Wilhelmina.
315. Ehmann, Magdalena; 331. Epple, Ludwig; 335. Erb, Catharina; 337. Erb, Martin.
343. Fauth, Andreas; 344. Fauth, Barbara; 345. Fauth, C. Maria; 347 Fauth, Elisabeth; 348. Fauth, J. Elisabeth; 350. Fauth,Jakobina; 351. Fauth, Matthaus; 378. Fischer, Cathrina; 381. Fischer, Friedrich; 383. Fischer, Georg Adam; 390. Fischer, Wilhelmina; 402. Forstner, A. Maria; 406. Forstner, Georg; 411. Forstner, Maria; 412. Forstner, Michael; 413. Forstner, Sara; 415. Frank, Carl; 420. Frank, Elisabetha; 422. Frank, Reinhold; 424. Frank, Georg; 435. Fritscher, GeorgJ. I; 436. Fritscher, Marg. Barbara; 438. Fruh, Elisabetha B.; 439. Fruh, Eva D.; 441. Fruh, Friedrika; 444. Fruh, Maria.
448. Gann, Conrad; 449. Gann, Reimund; 454. Gayer, Heinrich; 472. Gerhardt, Catharina; 474. Gerhardt, Jost.
553. Heinle, Georg; 554. Heinle, Marzellus; 594. Hohr, Christoph; 605. Hopfinger, Carl.
624.Jost, Christoph; 626 .Jung, Eva; 627. Jung, G. Adam; 628. Jung, Heinrich; 630 .Jung, Margaretha.
655. Keller, Adam; 676. Killinger, Barbara; 678. Killinger, Christoph;
680. Killinger, Catharina; 691. Klein, Christina; 692. Klein, Dorothea; 693. Klein,Jacobina; 697. Klein, Matthaus; 701. Klingenstein, Jakob; 711. Knapper, Antonius; 715. Knapper, Heinrich; 727. Knodel, Conrad; 742. Kocher, Johanes; 746. Konig, Christiana; 748. Konig, David; 749. Konig, Jacob; 759. Krail, Jacob; 767. Krauss, Margaretha; 768. Krauss, Wilhelmina; 781. Kurz, Catharina; 790. Kurz,Jacob; 791. Kurz,Johannes.
799. Lais, Elisabeth; 800. Lais, Georg; 814. Laubscher, Catharina; 816. Laubscher, Heinrich; 893. Leucht, Sirena; 899. Lichtenberger, Christoph; 910. Lutz,Johannes.
920. Marquardt, J. Adam; 923. Marquardt,Jacob; 925. Martin, Christian; 928. Martin, Christoph; 935. Martin, Margaretha; 936. Martin, Marg. Barb.; 959. Moss, Georg; 979. Muller, Johanna; 980. Muller, Johannes; 981. Muller,J. Christoph.
1087. Reiff, Gerog; 1146. Sander, Jacob; 1151. Schaal, Georg; 1163. Schafer, Catharina; 1168. Schafer, Jacob; 1172. Schafer, Regina; 1218. Schmid, Friedrica; 1221. Schmid, Friedrika; 1222. Schmid, August; 1223. Schmid, Christian; 1224. Schmid, Wilhelm; 1228. Schmid, Jakobina; 1214. Schmidt, Catharina; 1215. Schmidt, Catharina II; 1219. Schmidt, Friedrika; 1233. Schmidt, Magdalena; 1234. Schmidt, Margretha; 1235. Schmidt, A. Maria; 1239. Schmidt, Tobias; 1247. Schnaufer, Chnstiana; 1248. Schnaufer, Friedrich; 1249. Schnaufer, Georg; 1288. Schreiber, Samuel; 1291. Schule, Adam; 1298. Schule, Beade; 1299. Schule, Matthaus; 1346. Stag,Jeremias; 1353. Stahl, Elisabeth; 1357. Stahl, Jacob; 1359. Stahl,Jakob; 1370. Stahl, Sara; 1375. Staiger, Catharina; 1377. Staiger, Nahum; 1401. Streit, Jacob; 1406. Stroheker, Jacob; 1407. Stroheker, Magdalena.
1423. Trautwein, Catharina; 1426. Trautwein, Margaretha; 1437. Trompeter,Johannes.
1448. Vaihinger,Jakob; 1483. Vogt, Georg; 1486. Vogt, Magdalena II; 1491. Vogt, Triyphena.
1497. Wagner, David; 1499. Wagner, Johann Georg; 1500. Wagner, Jakob; 1501. Wagner, Jonathan; 1503. Wagner, Simon; 1522. Weinberg, Veronika; 1540. Welhaf,Jacob; 1545. Widmayer, Andreas; 1570. Wohlgemuth, Jacob; 1604. Wolfer, Agatha; 1605. Wolfer, Lora; 1608. Wolfer, Elisabeth; 1609. Wolfer, Friedrich; 1611. Wolfer, Maria; 1612. Wolfer, Rudolph.
1624. Zanger, Elisabetha; 1631. Zeltmann, Heinrich; 1632. Ziegler, Bernhardt; 1635. Ziegler, Juliana II; 1636. Ziegler,Juliana I; 1643. Zundel, Catharina; 1644. Zundel, Heinrika; 1645. Zundel, Jacob; 1647. Zundel, Penotus; 1649. Zundel, Magdalena.
Information about these people is needed for a research paper, to be presented to Old Economy Village Museum. Included will be a section of mini-biographies describing trades, interests, community involvement; names of spouses and children; where they may have gone if they left Phillipsburgh; anecdotes; etc. The work may be reformatted into a handbook for the general public.
If you have knowledge about any of these people, please contact Eileen Aiken at 724/942-6426