Horst (Hurst) family
Horst is a well-known family name among Mennonites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and other midwestern and far western states. The ancestors of these people emigrated from Europe in 1731. They sailed from Rotterdam on the Brittania, which arrived in Philadelphia on 21 September 1731, with 108 Palatinates and their families on board. The Horst family was composed of Barbara, a widow of 40, and three sons: Michael, 18, Joseph, 8, and Peter, 2. To pay their passage Barbara bound out the two elder sons as redemptioners. Joseph's master was Hans Groff, a pioneer settler of Groffdale, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When Joseph reached maturity, he married Mary, a daughter of Samuel Groff, who was a grandson of Hans Groff. Samuel Groff deeded to Joseph 150 acres of land. Joseph Horst continued to live in the Conestoga Valley until his death in 1804, at the age of 81 years. He is buried in the Groffdale cemetery. He is the ancestor of most of the Horsts in the Mennonite Church today. In 1750 Michael located in Lebanon Valley, where he owned nearly 500 acres of land. He died in 1772, leaving a large family, some of whom have lived in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Peter settled southeast of Lancaster, then sold out and joined the migration to the west after 1800.
A number of ordained men in the Mennonite Church (MC) came from the Horst family, including the following bishops: Michael Horst (1825-1900) and Moses Horst (b. 1882), both of Maugansville, Maryland; Michael Horst (1832-1916) of Dalton, Ohio; John L. Horst (1889-1964) of Scottdale, Pennsylvania; and Amos S. Horst (b. 1893) of Akron, Pennsylvania. Michael Horst (1854-1915) was preacher at Peabody, Kansas for many years. Levi Hurst (b. 1903) and Simeon Hurst (b. 1913) were missionaries to Tanganyika, Africa. A number of other members of this family have served in the Mennonite ministry in the United States and Canada. Irvin Horst was a professor at Eastern Mennonite College.
| Author(s) | John L., Sr Horst |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Horst, John L., Sr. "Horst (Hurst) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Horst_(Hurst)_family&oldid=88111.
APA style
Horst, John L., Sr. (1956). Horst (Hurst) family. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Horst_(Hurst)_family&oldid=88111.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 816. All rights reserved.
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