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Our ancestor, Theobald and wife Anna Elizabeth (LAUER) MECHLING settled in what is now, Lower Milford twp., Lehigh Co PA, taking up his first land in 1734. The log homestead is still being used as a residence today, unfortunately out of the MECHLING family since 1945. We are now in the process of determining whether our family could support the effort to return the home and at least part of the property, to the MECHLING family.THEOBALD MECHLING (circa 1694 -1765) of Hosensack, PA
Theobald MECHLING and his brother, Jacob, arrived in Philadelphia on 11 Sept.1728 aboard the ship, the "James Goodwill", David Crockett, master. The"James Goodwill" sailed from Rotterdam, Holland to Deal, England, where on 15 June 1728, it left for America. Aboard were 42 men above the age of 16, comprising 37 families. Theobald's name is spelled as Teobald MAKELING on the ship's manifest. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, they went before the Provincial Council to declare their intent to settle peacefully in this country. They then signed a declaration of allegiance to King George II of England. Theobald signed his name with the letter "D", for Deobald or Dewalt. Nothing definite is known about Theobald for the next few years. He married sometime during that period to Anna Elizabeth LAUER, daughter of John Peter and Anna Margaret LAUER. In 1731, his eldest son, Dewalt, was born. In 1734, they obtained a grant of 125 acres in Bucks County, from Thomas and Richard PENN, sons of William PENN and proprietors of the province of Pennsylvania. According to the record of land patents, warrants and purchases filed in Bucks County, Theobald secured land as follows: June 29, 1734 - warrant for 125 acres (an estimate) June 12, 1737 - 144 acres and 120 perches surveyed Jan. 22, 1744 - warrant for 20 acres July 17, 1744 - 23 acres and 18 perches surveyed Apr. 29, 1747 - warrant for 11 acres May 5, 1747 - 11 acres and 80 perches surveyed Sep. 16, 1757 - 17 acres and 116 perches surveyed Oct. 6, 1757 - warrant for 25 acres Theobald moved to this land in Bucks County and built a log cabin, that may well be the cabin which is still standing, now incorporated into the body of a much larger house, on the property near Zionsville. The original log cabin is now the middle room in this house, with the original fireplace. This house is one of the few remaining pre-Revolutionary houses in that area. It is located near a stream, once called MECHLING's Creek, later known as WALTER'sCreek. In 1735, the Provincial Council ordered a road built, to be called the King's Highway. It passed close to the MECHLING cabin. In 1737, Theobald signed a petition to have the Upper Milford district, in which his property was located, assigned to a separate region, which was finally done in 1752, when Northampton County was formed. It became a part of Lehigh County in 1812. Theobald was one of the founders of the Upper Milford Lutheran Church, donating 30 acres of land for the site of the church and a burial ground. His donation of fifteen shillings towards the pastor's salary in the years 1756, 1757, 1758 and 1759 made him one of the three largest contributors. But by 1757, differences of opinion arose in the congregation and several members, including Theobald, broke away and started a new congregation some two miles away, in the vicinity of present day Zionsville. Nothing is known concerning any active military participation on the part of Theobald, but there is one brief item in Penn. Archives, Series 5, Vol. 1 p. 222, a report of the constable sent to patrol the frontier during the French and Indian War, which mentions that Dewalt MECHLIN of Upper Milford township had a horse returned. The report is dated June 10, 1758. Theobald died in April 1765, leaving a will, which was signed "Davold MECHLIN" and his mark "D". He is buried, along with his wife, Anna Elizabeth in the old graveyard near Dillingersville. The graveyard is still preserved on private property, but the MECHLING stones have long since vanished. At the 1994, MECHLING Historical Assn. reunion in Oklahoma City, OK, the family voted to place a new stone at the Dillingersville graveyard. On 30 June 1996, a small group of MECHLING descendants from IN, OH, PA, MD, & VA, met to dedicate the monument to the memory of their ancestors, Theobald, Anna Elizabeth and their children. Their children were: I. Dewalt (John Theobald) MECHLING b. 11 Nov. 1731 - d. 29 Mar. 1816 m. Sabilla KOHLER d/o Michael and Sabilla KOHLER/ KOEHLER/ KALER; went to Hempfield twp., Westmoreland Co PA II.Peter (John Peter) MECHLING b. ca. 1737 - d. 1765 m. Anna Barbara KURR d/o(Johann) Thomas & 1st wife Elizabeth KURR; Peter prob. died in Lehigh Co; his wife remarried John Nicholas GOETZ; she is buried in the Bindnagle Evangelical Lutheran Churchyard in Lebanon Co, north of Palmyra PA. Peter’s only son Philip, used the MACKLIN spelling, married Catherine Charlotte MILLER/MUELLER d/o Mathias & Susanna Catherine (MUELLER, d/o Jacob & Catherine Charlotte MUELLER) MILLER in Stouchsburg, Berks Co PA; around 1804, they moved to Pleasant twp., Fairfield Co OH. III.MECHLING girl - bap 11 May 1740 at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Red Hill, Pa. No name given. Probably died soon after. IV. Anna Elizabeth MECHLING - b. 25 Aug. 1741 -d. 26 Nov. 1874 m. Leonhard STEININGER s/o Leonhart, Sr. & Barbara STEININGER; remained in PA, Anna Elizabeth is bur. at Jordan Lutheran Ch. Cem. in Northampton Co PA. V. Anna Margaret MECHLING- b. 27 Apr. 1744 - bap. 3 June 1744 at Evangelical Lutheran Church of Upper Milford. Died 10 Apr. 1748. Buried on her Uncle Jacob's farm in the New Hanover twp. of what was then Philadelphia Co. Today this area is a part of Colebrookdale twp. in Berks Co. VI. Jacob (John Jacob ) MECHLING b. 28 Feb. 1747 - d. 8 Nov. 1824 m. Catherine HAMAN?; went to Hempfield twp.Westmoreland Co PA VII.Philip MECHLING - b. ca. 1749 - d. Nov. 1817 m. Katherine WETZEL d/o John & Jane WETZEL; John lived also in Buffalo twp., Cumberland & Dauphin Counties, PA, dying in York twp.,York Co PA. VIII. Thomas MECHLING - b. 4 Aug. 1751 - d. 8 June 1786, prob. in Lehigh Co PA, m. Katherine WALSH of near Easton PA; she married second Anthony OBERLEY. On his 21st birthday, Thomas took possession of his father’s Homestead property, in whose line the property and loghouse remain for 211 years! We invite you to: + correspondence with us about the MECHLINGs + visit Wanda MECHLING GANTT’s MECHLING web site, at :http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/Plains/5604/ + cousin Kevin J. SHELLY’s web site, for MHA Reunion pictures, at :http://nj5.injersey.com/~kjshelly/index.html + request more information on our Assoc.
from: Caral MECHLING BENNETT, editor MECHLING Historical Assn. newsletter email: email to: Caral MECHLING BENNETT
The MECHLING HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION+ meets every two years, at different locations. The 1998 Reunion will be held at Springfield IL, on July 31, Aug. 1 & 2. + Association has a quarterly newsletter + Regular membership is $10 per year + Four volumes of MECHLING/MECHLIN/MACKLIN (MAECHLING)have been published by our historian, Dorothy HALLARN MERCY. + Cousins in Alsace, France are collecting records on this surname from 1490s.
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