Samuel, Israel, Gabriel and Emmanuel Eckerlin came to America
with their Mother from the Alsase region between France and Germany.
They settled in Germantown, north of Philadelphia then removed to
the Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County of Pennsylvania. They
were
far too progressive for the Headmaster Conrad Bissell, who expelled
them.
Except for Emmanuel, they moved first to the New River valley in Virginia,
then to the mouth of what is now Dunkard Creek (named for them) on
the Monongahela River, and subsequently (due to threats of Indian
attack)
to a fertile bottom just above Kingwood (now in Preston County) in the
Cheat
River valley. Camp Dawson is on this land today.
George Washington took Samuel back to Williamsburg
in Virginia to negotiate whether the Eckerlins could remain west of
the Alleghenies, and in the meantime the Quebec Indians captured
Israel and Gabriel, taking them to Quebec in Canada from which
location the French took them back to France, where they died
in Jail. They were victims of the conflicts known as the French
and Indian War. Since they spoke German, they were always
under suspicion by the English, by the French, and by the Indians.
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From about 1748 to 1756, the Eckerlins travelled with groups
of followers who did farming; and the Eckerlins travelled with
pack horses so as to make annual trips back to Philadelphia
to deliver animal furs.
Samuel Eckerlin was an accomplished medical man whose
service were sought by pioneers and friendly Indians.
Israel
Eckerlin was an accomplished religious philosopher whose
writings were burned by Conrad Bissel at the Cloister. Gabriel
Eckerlin was an accomplished hunter who frequently sought out
bear and buffalo in the Alleghenies. .
The Eckerlins acquired extensive land holdings at various
locations, at the Ephrata Cloister and in the Allegheny mountains.
Subsequently, Samuel Eckerlin settled in the Shenandoah valley,
as is described below.
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The Shenandoah valley became a crossroads for immigrant trails.
Though the settlers were mostly farmers, most were still highly-specialized
tradesmen that consisted of millers, carpenters, blacksmiths, coopers, and
linen weavers. The most important of these trades was Funk's Mill, already in
existence as early as 1743. Two of the earliest settlers, Ezekiel Sangmeister
and Anthony Hollenthal, were members of the Sabbatarian Brotherhood called
Dunkers. We are very indebted to these two as they kept very descriptive
journals which told of their daily life and struggles. Sangmeister's carpentry
work was highly respected and his skills were in great demand. With Samuel
Eckerlin's arrival, the area became a trading center, and the first apothecary
was opened. Using herbs and treatments learned from Indians, he soon built a
reputation as a resident doctor and settlers came as far as 20-40 miles for
treatment. In 1762, Eckerlin was joined by George Keller, a Dunkard Doctor
from Ephrata. Others soon followed with the arrival of Martin Kroll in 1756
and Valentin Bruckmann in 1761.
[Exerpted from the Hildebrand family geneology
references].