This is a beautifully written history of Jacob, Sr., who was born in Bern, Switzerland. If you go to that Find a Grave site, you can possibly trace some of your cousins. Enjoy.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121714446/jacob-burkholder
Mother: Esther Scherer 1710 Switzerland - 6 Feb 1790 Pennsylvania
Siblings:
Johannes Burkholder (1734 - 1779)
Christian Burkholder (1734 - 1806)
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The Burkholder family came from the Ementhal valley outside Berne, Switzerland. A house and barn standing where the Burkholders farmed has the date 1410 cut into the gable. Many of the family were followers of Menno Simons, who started the Mennonite movement in Holland. The Mennonites were opposed to war and many were imprisoned, exiled or burned at the stake. Jacob Burkholder was born in Switzerland in 1747, but his father moved the family north to Mannheim, Germany on the lower Rhine River to escape persecution. Here, they joined other Palatines and Jacob learned weaving. Jacob and his two brothers, John and Christian sailed for USA in 1765 on the ship Myrtilla. They landed at Philadelphia, 21 September 1765. John and Jacob settled in Lampeter Twp. Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania, while Christian settled near Newbury in Franklin Co. Pennsylvania. Several French Huguenot refugees were among the Myrtilla's 81 passengers, including Abraham and Sophia De Roche. Sophia was a French girl, supposedly of Huguenot descent. Jacob married Sophia De Roche in 1765 in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. Their signatures may be seen in Pennsylvania, where they took the oath of allegiance to the British Crown in 1765. Following the American Revolution, Burkholder wished to remain under British rule and after his eldest sons made an exploratory trip to the head of Lake Ontario, Jacob, Sophia and family left Pennsylvania for Canada. With their son Christian as their guide, they came by Conestoga wagon drawn by oxen, crossing at Buffalo and arriving at Niagara in October 1794. They obtained 800 acres on the Hamilton mountain and were the first family to settle east of the Caledonia highway. They settled on the escarpment in the eastern part of Barton Township, on lot 9 concession 6. Eventually in 1817, the various members of the family received crown patents to some 600 acres on lots 8-11 Concession 6 and lots 9-10 Concession 5. In 1808, Jacob was living on Lot 9, Conc. 5, Barton. Jacob's trade as a weaver helped support them in difficult times. During the first winter, Burkholder turned to tailoring to supplement the family income and Peter Horning, who had been wearing buckskins up to this time, was reputedly his first customer. Once settled, the Burkholders espoused the Methodist faith, probably influenced in part by the circuit riders who visited the district. The family made their home available for religious meetings. A family cemetery was established by 1800, the earliest interment being Burkholder's son Joseph, who died of a broken back after falling from a shed roof. The family gave its name to a small community, the Burkholder settlement, which developed at the intersection of what is now Mohawk Road and Sherman Avenue in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1839, a small log building was erected to serve as both church and school. It was replaced by the Mountain Chapel in 1850. This was renamed Burkholder Methodist Church in 1886 and after 1925, became known as Burkholder United Church.
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Jacob Burkholder and Sophia De La Roche married in September 1765 in Lancaster Township, Pennsylvania, USA.
