Paulus Balliet (1717-1777)
Early Life
Paulus Balliet, who was born in Alsace, France, was the first Balliet to come to the Lehigh Valley[1], arriving in Pennsylvania in 1738[2].Within the Lehigh Valley he settled in Whitehall just like many other individuals who were of the superior class [3]. Paulus Balliet left France to escape the religious persecution of French Protestants, Huguenots, which had begun following the repeal of the Edict of Nantes in 1685[4].
Family
Paulus Balliet married Maria Magdalena Wotring (1727-1802), a woman originally from Lorraine, France[5]. Together they had nine children: Jacob, John (1761-1837)[6], Nicholas, Paul (1766-1845)[7], Stephen Balliet (1753-1821), Maria Catharine (1752-1823)[8], Eva, Magdalena, and Susan[9].
On April 10, 1759 Paulus Balliet was naturalized[10] and both he and his wife are buried in Whitehall, PA[11].
Business
On April 12, 1749 Paulus Balliet applied to purchase 97 acres 100 perches of land (officially deeded in 1761) that would become the “old Balliet farm”[12] from Thomas and Richard Penn[13]. A warrant for the surveying of this land was granted to Paulus Balliet on October 9, 1759[14]. Between the years 1749 and 1774, Paulus Balliet purchased an additional 713 acres 131 perches[15]. On this land, Paulus Balliet built a log hotel that became known as the Whitehall Hotel[16] on the old Mauch Chunk road[17]. The hotel was also the site of a post station for several years[18]. The hotel was eventually torn down by Stephen Balliet (1781-1854) in 1840[19]. Paulus Balliet also operated a store on his property, with the store becoming one of the foremost stores in the area during its time[20]. The land owned by Paulus Balliet is now the village of Ballietsville[21]. To this day Ballietsville still exists and is home to approximately 1,000 people. It is also the oldest village in North-Whitehall[22].
Paulus Balliet gained the nickname of "Bowl" Balliet which he reportedly received from Native Americans because that was what he used to distribute food to them[23]. Despite this idyllic story, he fought with Native Americans and armed militias against them[24]. A fort was located on Paulus Balliet's property with the purpose of providing shelter to settlers from native american attack[25]. The land that Paulus Balliet acquired had traditionally been an important hunting and camping site of the Delaware and Shawanese tribes[26] This can be partly attributed to the fact that there were multiple springs of pure water, some of which make up the headwaters of Coplay Creek[27].
Notes
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 538
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 6
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 538
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 538
- ↑ Find a Grave
- ↑ Find a Grave
- ↑ Find a Grave
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ The Morning Call November 21, 1901
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 538
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ Montgomery 1909, 750
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ Roberts et al. 1914, 862
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 525
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 525
- ↑ Roberts et al. 1914, 862
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 525
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 538
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballietsville,_Pennsylvania
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 511
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 519
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 519
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 518
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 526
References
- Find a Grave, database and images : accessed 23 June 2020, memorial page for Paulus Balliet (1717–19 Mar 1777), Find a Grave Memorial no. 34170736, citing Neffs Union Cemetery, Neffs, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Pat Thomas (contributor 47094871) .
- Mathews, Alfred, and Austin N Hungerford. 1884. History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Everts & Richards.
- Montgomery, Morton L. 1909. Historical and Biographical Annuals of Berks County, Pennsylvania: Embracing a Concise History of the County and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families. Vol. I, Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co.[1]
- The Morning Call. 1901. A Valuable Relic, November 21, 1901.[2]
- Roberts, Charles Rhoads, John Baer Stoudt, Thomas H. Krick, and William J. Dietrich. 1914. History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Its Families. Vol. I, Allentown, PA: Lehigh Valley Publishing Company, Limited.