Bucks County Authority record ↗

Explore 4 items related to Bucks County.

Birth Certificate of Michael Cassyte: A Pennsylvania German Taufshine Inscribed by Martin Wetzler

Birth certificate of Michael Cassyte, created on April 10, 1861 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The certificate is a Taufshine, a type of Pennsylvania German birth certificate, filled in and signed in Hebrew and German by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener. The document is significant due to Wetzler's Jewish identity, a rarity for a scrivener in the Lehigh Valley at the time. Wetzler's signature includes a Star of David.

View item

Court Document Regarding Charges Against George Croghan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1778

This legal document, written entirely by Thomas McKean, details charges of treason against George Croghan, a prominent Indian agent and land speculator, during the Revolutionary War. The document mentions that merchant Barnard Gratz provided $1,000 for Croghan's bail. The charges, originating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 1778, contributed to Croghan's financial ruin. Croghan had previously served as chairman of the Committee of Correspondence in Pittsburgh.

View item

Baptismal Certificate of [Child's Name], 1864

A filled and signed baptismal certificate in Hebrew (Yiddish), created on a printed form and completed with watercolors. The certificate is notable for being penned by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener, a rarity in the Lehigh Valley at the time. Wetzler, known as the "Jewish Dindamann" (penman) by Pennsylvania Germans, was proficient in Hebrew, German, and English, sometimes adding a Star of David and signing in Hebrew to these Christian certificates. This certificate was issued on December 25, 1864, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

View item

Baptismal Certificate of John Crefsmans and Wife Maren Margaretha, Rockhill Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1858

A baptismal certificate, printed in German and filled in by hand in Hebrew (Yiddish) with watercolor and red ink. The certificate includes a Jewish star and was completed by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener, in Rockhill Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 1858. The document is notable for Wetzler's unique practice of using Hebrew and a Jewish star on a Christian baptismal certificate.

View item