Section 4: Christian makes some changes
In 1744, the same year the cornerstone was laid for Old Goshenhoppen church, someone named Christian Schneider placed an advertisement in a local newspaper, a German-language paper published by Christopher Sower of Germantown. The text: “Christian Schneider, Goshenhoppen, known as Juden Schneider, urges payment of debts due him.” Juden Schneider? What can this mean? “Juden” in the German language means “Jewish”. Do we understand that this Christian Schneider is saying he is known in the community as a Jewish person? It’s a puzzle.
In 1745, another advertisement appeared: “Christian Schneider, Goshenhoppen, expects to remove from the vicinity in five weeks.” Ah, he’s moving and needs people to pay what they owe him.
In 1747, Christian Schneÿder was a witness for the will of a neighbor: Leonard Bock of Salford Twp. One of the executors was Elias Lang, father-in-law of Jacob Schneider. Christian Schneÿder wrote the original Old German will, of which I have a copy. Same handwriting; same signature as on the road petition of 1742.
A third advertisement, again in Sower’s German-language newspaper, carried this brief message: “1748: Christian Schneider, Goshenhoppen at Mayberry’s iron works”. Remember this place? Apparently, Christian Schneider/Schneÿder was now employed at Mayberry’s iron works at Green Lane. Along the Perkiomen says “Green Lane lies at the junction of three old turnpikes …” two of them became Route 29 north and south; a third became the main street of Green Lane.
Coincidentally, two of Jacob Schneider’s children were baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Red Hill. We knew about Peter, because he was one of Jacob Schneider’s sons who decided to become a Loyalist and fight with the British military in 1777. But we did not know Peter had a sister named Anna Sara, born on May 22, 1760; baptized on October 26, 1760. Her sponsors were Johan Adam Schneider and his wife Sara, both mentioned in Elias Lang’s will of 1764. Sara Schneider was Maria Magdalena Schneider’s sister. Was Johan Adam, Jacob’s brother? Or perhaps his cousin? We don’t know.