Subject: Pennsylvania Dutch

Printed baptismal certificate for Georg and Catharina Loeb, issued in Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 18, 1861. The certificate is filled in and signed in Hebrew by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener known for his work in the Lehigh Valley. The certificate features a Jewish star within the name of Benhiemer and Wetzler's Hebrew signature.

A filled-in and signed baptismal certificate written in Hebrew and Yiddish. The certificate, printed by Blumer, Busch & Co. in Allentown, PA, was created for Jacob Hartling and completed by Martin Wetzler on April 26, 1856. It features Jewish stars and Wetzler's distinctive Yiddish signature. The unusual birthdate of 1829 is noted.

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.

A filled-in and signed baptismal certificate, printed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Schaefer & Koradi. The certificate, written in Hebrew and Yiddish, was completed by Martin Wetzler on June 9, 1861, for Heinrich Grunewald. Wetzler's iconic Yiddish signature is present. The document features watercolor details.

Printed baptismal certificate filled in and signed in Hebrew (Yiddish) by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener in Rockhill Township, Bucks County, PA, on October 4, 1864. The certificate is for Heinrich Roth. The form was completed with watercolors. This item is significant due to Wetzler's rarity as a Jewish scrivener in the Lehigh Valley at that time.

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.

Printed baptismal certificate filled in and signed in Hebrew and Yiddish by Martin Wetzler, a Jewish scrivener in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1844. The certificate features a stylized drawing of Solomon's Temple and incorporates freehand coloring. This item is significant due to Wetzler's unique status as a Jewish scrivener in the Lehigh Valley at the time, where he was known as the "Jewish Dindamann" (penman).

Filled-in and signed baptismal certificate, dated April 28, 1869. The certificate is printed on a form and features watercolor additions. It was printed in Allentown, Pennsylvania by Leifenring in 1865. The certificate is notable for being filled out by Martin Wetzler, one of only two known Jewish scriveners in the Lehigh Valley at that time. Wetzler, who was known as the "Jewish Dindamann" (penman) by Pennsylvania Germans, wrote in cursive Yiddish and included a Star of David. He was proficient in Hebrew, German, and English and sometimes added a Star of David and signed in Hebrew to Christian certificates. This was apparently not objectionable to his clients. (See "Papers for Birth Dayes", Vol. II by Russell & Corinne Earnest)

A filled and signed Hebrew baptismal certificate, similar to those displayed at the Jewish Museum of New York in 1984. The certificate is printed on a form and filled in with watercolors. The scrivener, Martin Wetzler, was a rarity in the Lehigh Valley at this time; he was Jewish, yet he created baptismal certificates for Christians. The Pennsylvania Germans referred to him as the "Jewish Dindamann" (penman). He was proficient in Hebrew, German, and English. He sometimes added a Star of David and signed in Hebrew on these Christian certificates, and this practice seems to have been accepted. (See "Papers for Birth Dayes", Vol. II by Russell & Corinne Earnest). The certificate is dated January 1, 1862.

Birth certificate for a child of Jacob Crefsmans and wife Maren Morgarethe, filled in and signed in Hebrew (Yiddish) by Martin Wetzler. The document, printed in German, also includes a note indicating a marriage on October 28th, 1849. The document features a Jewish star and is written in Hebrew, German, and English.

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.

This letter, written in German and English, is from William Frank of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Jewish firm of Jacobs & Meyer & Co. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dated July 19, 1847, it concerns a three-hundred-dollar draft. The letter is significant as it's the earliest known correspondence from William Frank, a pioneer of Pittsburgh's Jewish community.

This small, leather-bound account book (4" x 6") documents estate disbursements from October 18, 1822, to June 10, 1824. The handwritten entries, signed by the executors of the will of Moses Levy of Hamburg, Pennsylvania (who died in 1822, with his will probated May 13, 1822), detail transactions and payments. Family members named include his wife, Mary, son Nathan, and daughter Sarah. Executors were John Bailey and William Feather. Individuals mentioned in the entries include John Wagner, Henry Prior, Henry Fister, Abraham Wolff, Jacob Lynn, Joseph Breitensman, and Jacob Snell. The book offers insights into the financial activities of a Jewish merchant in an early 19th-century Pennsylvania German farming community.

A colored and filled-in baptismal certificate (Taufshine), signed by Martin Wetzler. Dated September 2, 1864. The certificate is notable for being created by a Jewish scrivener, Martin Wetzler, who was a rarity in the Lehigh Valley at that time. Wetzler was known for his knowledge of Hebrew, German, and English; he sometimes included Jewish symbols on Christian certificates.