Elizabeth Kistler Hertzog

Elizabeth Kistler’s ancestors survived through the most harrowing struggles Europe had to offer. Her parents and grandparents, although living near the town of Freiburg, which means “town of freedom,” was anything but. There was Catholic domination from the Empire, high taxation from the local counts, as hardships caused by the thirty years war, all while the lands were conquered by the French, Austrians, Swedes, and Spanish during various periods. Along with the suppression of the counts and bishops, Freiburg also endured a severe black plague and frequent witch hunts of Protestants, including against the Kistler’s Mennonite faith. Therefore in 1737, Elizabeth’s parents immigrated to Philadelphia where they were subsequently forced to Berks County by the British authorities, where Elizabeth was born. Here her daring and reformist values peaked and as a teenager, she would marry fellow Menninote Paul Hertzog. Paul’s ancestors had immigrated from Zwiebrucken, another highly oppressed European town, migrating through Zionsville, finally settling in Berks as well. The relentless groundbreaking courage of Elizabeth allowed her to withstand the local Native American raids, religious prejudices, and numerous struggles of the frontier. Her inspired Reformist nature allowed her and Paul to purchase fifty acres of land, build a cabin and a farm, and raise their children all while Elizabeth attended church, involved herself in community activities, and educating her brood. She would outlive her husband by about two decades, using her unrelenting character to guarantee success for her progeny.