The Balliet Family

This page gives context to the activities of Paulus Balliet (1717-1777), Paul Balliet (1811-1886), Aaron Balliet (1813-1895), and Stephen Balliet (1781-1854)'s iron-producing activities in the mid 1800s.

Paulus Balliet

Paulus Balliet (1717-1777) was one of the oldest settlers in the Lehigh Valley. Unlike most early settlers who were Swiss or German, Paulus Balliet was born in Alsace, France in 1717 and emigrated to America on the ship "Robert Oliver" in 1738. He applied for and received ninety-seven acres of land and founded the Balliet Farm on April 12, 1759. Later, he acquired one hundred and thirty-one acres of land between 1749 and 1774. He was married to Maria Magdalena Wortring, who was from Lorraine, France. 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 (511). Despite this idyllic story, he fought with Native Americans and armed militias against them (519).